Apr 04, 2016

Plans are what come out of the planning process. Plans are what you intend to do in the future. Before you can develop plans, however, you must set targets – goals or objectives.

There are four elements of planning:

• Goals: Goals or objectives specify future conditions the planner wants to attain.
• Actions/Strategy: These are the preferred means, or courses of action, to reach those objectives.
• Resources: Time, equipment, people, etc. that are always in short supply and that put constraints on the action. These have to be considered as you set targets and develop your strategies.
• Implementation: Ways and means, including the assignment and direction of personnel, to carry out the intended action.

They will be targets to aim for in the near future. They will pin down your department's output, quality of workmanship, and allowable expenses.

To achieve this, they must schedule and prioritise. They must organise resources to make sure plans hit their targets/goals: that people are at work on time that resources aren't wasted, that machines are in good repair and able to give their expected daily output, and that services will be of the highest quality to ensure customer satisfaction.

Check your habits. If you are too busy to worry about anything but today, chances are you spend your time fighting fires that could be avoided by planning a week or even a month ahead of time.

Employees don't like change. They like going home at night fairly certain of what they will do tomorrow and that the tasks will be ones they feel able to do. If you show them you can schedule the work smoothly, employees will feel more like pitching in when the occasional emergency comes up.