CONCEPT OF PLANNING

Planning is the primary function of management. It means looking ahead and chalking out the future course out the future course of action. planning is concerned with deciding in advance what, when, where, why and how is to be done and who shall do it. Thus, planning is the process of setting goals and choosing the means to achieve those goals. It is also defined as the process of choosing among alternatives. It is thinking before doing. It is a preparatory step for the action that is to follow. Without plans managers cannot know how to organize people and resources effectively.


Simply, Planning is the process by which managers define goals and take necessary steps to ensure that these goals are achieved. Goals imply a desired future state. Planning arises from the recognition that some intervention is needed to bring about a change from the current or present state to some desired or alternative future state. The difference between the present level and the future state is commonly known as strategic gap. It requires time and preparation to bridge this gap.

Planning is a mental process which covers:1.assessment of the future; 2.determination of objectives in the light of future; 3.development of alternative courses of action to achieve such objectives; and 4.selection of the best course of action among these alternatives. Hence, it is blueprint for action. Without planning other functions become more activity producing nothing but chaos.

According to Stephen P. Robins,''Planning is deciding in advance about what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who is to do it. It provides the ends to be achieved.'' In the words of Griffen, ''Planning means setting an organizational goals and deciding how best to achieve them.''