Concept about Planning – This book covers the entire syllabus of “Leadership & Management” prescribed by the BNMC for Diploma in Nursing Science & Midwifery Students.
We tried to accommodate latest information and topics. This book is an examination setup according to the teachers’ lectures and examination questions. At the end of the book previous university questions are given. We hope in touch with the pook students’ knowledge will be upgraded and flourished. The unique way of presentation may make your reading of the book a pleasurable experience.
Concept about Planning
Planning is important for socioeconomic development. It helps to conceive and achieve results in an atmosphere and spirit of true democratic situation, wherein different agencies at various levels are involved in the policies of the government for welfare of its people.
Planning is essentially a process of making choice between available alternatives at all levels of decision making. It is the exercise of intelligence to deal with facts and solutions as they find a way to solve problems. So, planning is an essence, an organized, conscious and continual attempt to select the best available alternative to achieve specific goods.
Planning is one of the major fundamental elements of administration. In planning stage, decisions are made about what needs to be done, how and when it has to be done, by whom and with what resources. Planning is an intellectual process of making decisions, and it aims to achieve a coordinated and consistent set of operations aimed at desired objectives. For any work, planning is very essential.
(Ref by- BT Basavanthappa/Nursing Administration/3/158)
Definition of Planning:
According to Alfred and Beatty:
“Planning is a thinking process, the organized foresight, the vision based on facts and experience that is required for intelligent action”.
According to Koontz and O’Donnell:
“Planning is essentially decision making science it involves choosing from among alternatives”.
According to Porter Grady (1994)
“Planning represents specific activities or steps that lead to achievement of objectives”.
According to George Terry:
“Planning is the selecting and relating of facts and making and using of assumption regarding the future in the visualization and formulation of proposed activities believed necessary to achieve the desired result”.
(Ref by- I. Clement/Management of Nursing services and Education/24/33)
According to Assoff and Brundinharg
Planning is a process of setting formal guidelines and constraints for the behavior of the firm,
According to Drucker
Planning is a continuous process of making entrepreneurial decisions systematically and with the best possible knowledge for their future, organizing systematically the effort needed to carry out these decisions and measuring the results of the decisions against expectations through systematic feedback.
(Ref by- BT Basavanthappa/Nursing Administration/3/158)
Types of Planning:
| On the basis of- | Types |
| Time |
|
| Managerial Levels |
|
| Repetitiveness of operations |
|
| Scope |
|
(Ref by- I. Clement/Management of Nursing services and Education/24/42)
Principles of Planning:
The principles of planning are as follows:
- plan-ning must focus on purposes. It should always be based on a clearly defined objective.
- plan-ning is a continuous and iterative process, which includes series of steps, so continuity and flexibility should be maintained in plan-ning cycle.
- plan-ning should be simple, and there should be provision for proper analysis and classification of actions.
- In plan-ning, there should be a good harmony with organization and environment- political as well as economical, etc.
- plan-ning is hierarchical in nature and must have an organizational identification.
- plan-ning should be pervasive activity covering the entire organization with all its departments, sectors and different levels of administration, and it should be balanced.
- plan-ning must be precise in its objective scope and nature. It should be realistic in its scope and pinpoint the expected results.
- In plan-ning, the provision should be made to use all available resources.
- plan-ning should always be documented, so that all the concerned are fully committed to the implementation of the program.
(Ref by- BT Basavanthappa/Nursing Administration/3/159)
Another Answer
Principles Of Planning
1. Contribution to objectives: Every major and derivative plan should contribute positively towards the accomplishment of the enterprise’s objectives.
2. Efficiency of plans: The efficiency of a plan is measured by the amount it contributes to desired objectives minus the costs and other undesirable consequences involved in the formulation and operation of the plans. This principle stresses the economical use of individual efforts to achieve group goals.
3. Primacy of planning: This principle emphasizes that a manager can hardly perform other managerial functions without a road map of plans to guide him.
4. Planning premises: A coordinated structure of plans can be developed only when managers throughout the organization understand and agree to utilize consistent planning premises. Perhaps the main deficiency of planning arises from poorly structured plans.
5. Policy framework: A consistent and effective framework of plans can be developed only if the basic policies that guide decisions are expressed clearly and are understood by the manager who prepares the plans.
6. Timing: When the plans are structured in a time frame to provide an appropriately limited, intermeshed network of derivative and supporting programmes, these plans can, contribute effectively and efficiently towards the attainment of the enterprise objectives. Both premises and policies are useless without proper timing.
7. Alternatives: In choosing from alternatives, the planner should focus primarily on those factors that are critical to the attainment of the desired goal. This will help in selecting the most favorable alternative.
8. Commitment: Logical planning should cover a time period that can ensure that the commitment involved in a decision can be fulfilled. This is necessary to make reasonably sure that commitments are met.
9. Flexibility: This principle deals with the ability to change what is built into the plans and reduce the risk of loss due to unexpected events. However, the cost of flexibility should be weighed against the dangers of future commitments made.
10. Navigational change: The manager should periodically check on events and expectations and redraw plans to maintain a course towards the desired goal. Unless plans have in-built flexibility, navigational change is difficult or costly. But in-built flexibility should not be an excuse to refrain from periodic revision of plans, if circumstances so warrant.
11. Competitive strategies: While formulating plans, a manager should take into account the plans of rivals or competitors, and what they would do in a similar situation.
(Ref by- I. Clement/Management of Nursing services and Education/24/35)
Importance of Planning:
1. It attempts to offset uncertainty by foreseeing the future and bringing about preparedness for the happening in the future.
2. It focuses attention the objectives or goals of the organization and their achievement.
3. It leads to economy in operation through the selection of the best possible course of action.
4. It avoids duplication of work.
5. Gives meaning to work.
6. Cost effective
7. Necessary for effective control
8. Helps to avoid crisis management & provides decision making flexibility.
9. Increases the chance of success.
10. It helps in co-ordination.
11. It saves time.
12. It increases organizational effectiveness
13. It provides criteria for decisions.
14. It maximizes the utilization of scares resources.
15. It helps in controlling the activities by providing measures against which performance can be evaluated.
16. It helps in coordinating the operations of an organization, since a well-considered plan embraces and unifies all the division in an organization.
(Ref by- BT Basavanthappa/Nursing Administration/3/159 and handout)
Another Answer
- plan-ning is an important function of management; therefore, an organization’s success depends on good plan-ning.
- plan-ning eliminates or reduces the chances of uncertainty.
- plan-ning avoids overlapping of activities
- plan-ning helps to set standards and targets
- plan-ning helps in coordinating activities
- plan-ning gives direction to an organization
- plan-ning eliminates duplication of efforts
- plan-ning concentrates resources on important services.
- plan-ning improves communication and inter-personal relationships
- plan-ning is looking ahead; determining goals, objectives, policies, procedures and methods and considering various other activities.
- plan-ning ensures the best utilization of resources and economy of performance.
- plan-ning is a continuous process, affecting improvement in services and solving problems encountered or likely to be encountered.
- plan-ning ensures order and control.
- plan-ning leads to effectiveness and efficiency.
- plan-ning provides flexibility and makes provision for further growth and development.
- plan-ning helps in decision making.
- plan-ning reduces the cost of performance
Purposes of Planning
Purposes are framed to ensure the success of an organization. Planning is not possible in the absence of objectives. Following are the objectives for management planning:
- To bring about unity and uniformity in the working of an organization.
- To achieve coordination in power and efforts of the employees working in an organization.
- To direct human power towards collective interest.
- To curtail the cost/expenses of an organization.
- To bring about a certainty in the functions by formulating plans.
(Ref by- I. Clement/Management of Nursing services and Education/34/36)
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