Planning Theodocia Ama Avle Doe

Lesson objectives By the end of the session students should be able to;- 1. define planning 2. list advantages and disadvantages of planning 3. Explain types of plan and state essential features of a plan

Planning defined According to generally accepted theory, once managers have developed organizational objectives, they are ready to start planning Planning is the process of determining how the organization can get where it wants to go (what it would do to achieve its goals)

Alexandra (1978) defined planning as ‘ deciding in advance what to do, how to do it and who to do it’ Douglas (1988) defined planning as ‘ having a specific aim or purpose and mapping out a program or method to get it done’ These definitions show that planning is a proactive and deliberate process

Planning –; is also defined as a ‘systematic development of action programs aimed at reaching agreed business objectives through analyzing, evaluating, and selecting among the opportunities which are foreseen’

All managers need to plan to meet personal and organizational needs and objectives Fundamental purpose of planning – is to achieve organizational goal

Advantage and disadvantages of planning Planning provide the manager with the means of control Planning emphasizes the future, so helps to coordinate decisions and keeps the focus on objectives Adequate planning minimizes risk and uncertainty Encourage best use of resources

Planning is the foundation for the organization, influences, and controls function of managers Its only after planning that managers are able to determine how they want to structure their organization, place their people and establish organization controls

Disadvantages If planning is not done well, (over-emphasized)it can take a lot of manager’s time-; Poor planning may result in in-appropriate use of fiscal and human resources

In effective planning the manager should identify short and long-term need for the unit as well as changes that must be undertaken to assure the unit will continue to meet its goals

Features of Planning: 1. A good plan should give Clear vision/mission, goal and objectives A clear picture of tasks to be accomplished and the Resources needed to accomplish task Human, material, money, time, space and information.

The purpose or Mission statement is a brief statement identifying the reason an organization exist as well as its future aim or function Mission statement is the highest in planning hierarchy because it influences the development of organization’s philosophy, goals, objectives, policies, procedures and rules Assignment; students should identify the mission statement of Volta Regional Hospital and UHAS

Organization’s Philosophy flows from the purpose and shows the set of values and beliefs (e.g. human beings are unique )that guide all actions It’s the basis for philosophy of various units in the organization

Goals and objectives Goals are desired results expected from efforts -; are global Objectives are similar to goals but are more specific and measurable because they identify how and when the goal is to be accomplished Objectives are SMART Goals have multiple objectives

Policies and procedures Policies are plans reduced to statement or instructions that direct decision making Are broad general statements of expected actions of subordinated (Meggison, Mosley and Pietri 1988) Policies directs individual behavior towards organization’s mission Policies can be implied or expressed

Implied policies- either written or expressed verbally have usually developed over time and follows a precedent Procedures are plans reduced to sequence of steps of required action i.e acceptable ways of accomplishing a task

Rules or regulations are plans that define specific action or non-action; rules describe situations which allow only one choice; are rigid

2. Planning takes place at all levels within the organization- / health system. Planning takes place continually, it is cyclic process. planning methods can be applied to:- . A large program at national level e.g. Malaria control program . Small one - at school level e.g.. Construction of classroom.

3. Planning must be collective-; Should include everybody the plan would affect . Professionals – from health and other sectors/lecturers . Community/NGOs, Students. Government/Party

Types of Planning There are two types of planning Strategic planning/ long- term –– Is made up of complex plans covering long period of time 5- 15years ; Tactical/operational planning –may be referred to as activity planning. It covers a short period of time /medium term –usually one year

Long term planning –Must consider how external social, economic and political forces may affect plans- ; should be flexible to accommodate change as external forces assert their impact (strategic ) Historical pattern, examine present clues, projected statistics [forecasting] can be used to determine future need Long-range or term planning is the responsibility of top level management or board of directors

Strategic Planning Strategic planning-; process of determining what an organization intends to be in the future and how it will get there. It is finding the best future for organization and the best path to reach that destination.

Short-term planning- or operational planning includes daily planning, policy planning, procedural planning. It focuses on achieving specific tasks and ranges over a period from one hour to three years, its less complex. May be done annually, bimanually, weekly, daily or hourly

Daily planning -; for example Designing plan of care for a day;- list what should be done for the day in the morning; Plan ahead for meetings, prepare and distribute agenda in advance Identify developing problems and put them in appropriate portion of plan

Review short and long-term plans regularly and involve those that may be affected e.g. staffing, leave roster, patient care assignment

Policy and procedure planning PPP involves reviewing and revising policies and procedures that govern functions of a unit -; needs of unit and those performing might change, policies and procedures should be reviewed to assure currency and applicability-; e.g. holidays and vacation, admission procedure

Many use the terms strategic planning and long- range planning synonymic, the terms differ in their prominence on the assumed environment. Long-range planning is usually considered to assume present knowledge about future conditions. It looks to make certain the plan's exact results over the period of its implementation.

Strategic planning, however, assumes that the organization must be quick to respond to a dynamic, changing environment, which may require changes in the future. Strategic planning, then, points out the importance of making decisions that will ensure the organization's ability to successfully respond to changes in the environment.

SWOT Analysis SWOT (Strength and Weakness, Opportunities and threats) is a strategic planning tool that matches internal organizational strengths and weakness with external opportunities and threats.

Leadership skills for planning Visionary and creativity Flexibility

Guidelines for effective planning Goal setting Goals must be flexible/ allow for readjustment Include individuals and units that may be affected in the planning process by the course of action in pursuing plans; communicate effectively with those responsible for carrying out plans the end goals and specific individual responsibility Plans should be specific, simple and realistic (avoid vague, too global, unclear or unrealistic )

Know when to and not to plan (avoid over-plan or under-plan) Plans should have built in evaluation checkpoints

Steps in planning Six steps 1. State organizational objectives--; clear statement of obj. 2. list alternative ways of reaching objectives 3. develop premise in what each alternative is based 4. choosing the best alternative for reaching the objectives-; Evaluate reason for alternative; if alternatives are unreasonable they should be excluded

5. develop plans to pursue the chosen alternative 6. putting plans into action (plans should furnish the organization with both short and long-term range of activities)

Barriers to effective planning Lyles and Joiner (1986)identifies barriers to planning 1. Lack of knowledge and skill about how to plan consistent use of reactive rather than proactive 2. Lack of understanding about external environment (competitors, regulatory agencies) 3. Inadequate organizational support 4. Inappropriate use of plans and overt resistant to change from individuals 5. Too much or too little details about planning if plans are used to control rather than motivate

Benefits of planning Timely accomplishment of higher quality work\ Best possible use of capital and human resources

Just like other phases of management process, planning requires leadership and management skills

References Certo C. Samuel (1986)Principles of modern management Marquis B. L and Huston C.J Leadership Roles and Management functions in Nursing; Theory and Application