The Planning Functions of Management
"Leaders are proactive. They make change happen instead of reacting to change." (Lateiner 2004) The future requires all levels of management to have the skills and ability to combine many unanticipated and diverse events into its planning. "Planning is the conscious, systematic process of making decisions about goals and activities that an individual, group, work unit, or organization will pursue in the future." (Bateman, T. 2004) In order for an organization to reach its goal, they must plan for change and use effective planning which will help identify opportunities, avoid problems, set the direction for the other functions of management, and improve decision-making.
There are several steps in the process of a basic planning structure. They are situational analysis, alternatives, evaluation, selection, implementation, and monitor and control. Situational analysis is the internal and external reviewing of past events, current conditions, and attempts to forecast future trends. Which is also known to be a SWOT analysis. Followed by an alternative in which management selects alternative targets and actions to achieve goals. Evaluation is the process in which the decision-maker evaluates the advantages, disadvantages, and potential effects of each alternative. Next in selection, the planner has to decide which goals and plans are appropriate and feasible, thereafter, the managers implement the plans designed to achieve the organizational goal. Finally, monitoring and controlling, an essential part of the process, since planning is an ongoing, repetitive process, managers need to monitor the progress and then controlling, in case a action is initiated incorrectly or when situa ...