Planning - what is it? Types and methods of planning

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Planning is the process of developing and establishing by the management of an organization a set of qualitative and quantitative characteristics that determine the pace and trends of its development not only at the moment, but also in the long term.

Definition of the term, conditions for the greatest performance

Planning is the central link in the entire chain of management and regulation of the organization's activities. That is why each structural unit (workshop, laboratory, etc.) develops its own, which are then combined into a common enterprise plan.

Planning performs its functions most clearly and effectively if the following rules are observed:

• every component of all elements is punctually justified;
• planned tasks are accurately and timely fulfilled by all their participants;
• control over the execution of the plan is carried out continuously in combination with its current adjustment.

Planning Principles

To datesix general principles are identified, which are understood as certain rules that contribute to the development of a competent program of action.

1. The principle of necessity, i.e. obligatory use of the planning system, regardless of the type of financial and economic activity of the enterprise. The need for planning in the conditions of a modern developing market economy is due to the ability to minimize the negative impact of external factors and, conversely, to maximize their positive impact.
2. The principle of unity, i.e. compliance of the unified master plan of the organization with the developments of its structural divisions (for example, thematic planning). The principle of unity is the commonality of the main goals and plans of the enterprise, as well as the interaction of all its components. It is based on such a concept as "coordination". Those. changes made to the plans of any unit should be reflected in the plans of the entire organization in a timely manner.
3. Principle of continuity, i.e. inextricable link between planning and management processes and organization of the enterprise.
4. The principle of flexibility, i.e. the ability of all components of the plan to change their focus as needed due to unforeseen circumstances. To ensure compliance with this principle, a certain reserve is introduced into the plans of the organization, i.e. the ability to make the necessary changes to them.
5. Principle of precision, i.e. ensuring that plans are aligned with the overall goals and capabilities of the enterprise, as well as time frames.
6. The principle of participation, i.e. attraction todevelopment of all employees of the enterprise. For example, it is reasonable to entrust thematic planning to the heads of the relevant departments for its further inclusion in the overall plan.

Types of enterprise planning

According to the nature of detailing, the plans are divided into technical and economic and operational production. In the first case, the main indicators of the organization's development are planned, and in the second, current tasks are compiled for its structural divisions.

According to the degree of uncertainty, plans are divided into deterministic and probabilistic. In the first case, we are talking about planning an event, the probability of which is close to unity and is confirmed by reliable information. In the second case, it is based on current information, which can be used to draw a conclusion about the further development of certain indicators (for example, the coefficient of variation).

According to the content, enterprise plans are divided into:

• business planning
• social labor
• organizational and technological, etc.

According to the degree of accuracy, they are divided into refined and enlarged.

Enterprise planning process

Each enterprise, realizing this need, regularly conducts current planning. What is the planning process in an enterprise and how does it work? It begins directly with the preparation of plans (planning system) and the definition of ways to achieve them. The next step is to executeafter which the stage of control and analysis of planning begins, i.e. comparison of the results achieved with the tasks set.

Planning. What are enterprise planning methods, their classification

The balance method implies the ratio of the needs of the enterprise's resources and the sources of their provision, as well as the correspondence between the structural sections of the plan. For example, the correspondence of the actual capacity of the enterprise to its current production tasks.

The calculation-analytical method involves the calculation of certain indicators of the plan, the analysis of their growth or decline under the influence of external factors.

Economic and mathematical methods involve studying the performance of an enterprise, developing various plan options and choosing the optimal one.

The graphic-analytical method is used to visualize the results of economic analysis through graphical means.

Program-targeted methods - drawing up certain development programs, i.e. a set of tasks and ways to achieve them, united by common goals and deadlines (for example, planning for each month).

Forward planning

The process of making plans for a long period of time is forward planning. What is perspective? This is what management believes the organization expects in the future. Forward planning as a tool for centralized management has been used recently. Such plans are drawn up for a period of 5 to20 years and determine the general concept of the enterprise development and the structure of the most important activities to achieve the set goals.

Forward planning is divided into medium-term (5 years) and long-term (up to 15 years). In the latter case, the extrapolation method is widely used, which refers to planning based on past years.

Current planning. What is a schedule?

Carried out through a detailed analysis of the operational five-year plan of the enterprise as a whole, as well as its individual structural divisions. The main components of the current production plan are scheduling (for each day, week, etc.). When compiling them, information on the availability of orders, the provision of the enterprise with material resources, the load factor and the use of production capacities, etc. are taken into account.

Supervisor participation

Moving from long-term planning to the calendar plans of the internal divisions of the enterprise, it is necessary to:

• define tasks and indicators for a certain period for each unit;
• find and eliminate possible inconsistencies between the internal plans of the shops;
• distribute all the resources of the enterprise in accordance with its production program.

The main task of an experienced leader is to correctly combine the requirements necessary for the implementation of long-term developments with the current tasks and needs of the organization. As a rule, this is done by a special centerplanning.