Planning as a process involves the determination of future course of action, that is why an action, what action, how to take action, and when to take action. These why, what, how, and when are related with different aspects of planning process. Why of action reveals that action has some objectives or the end result which an organization wants to achieve, what of action specifies the activities to be undertaken, how and when generate various policies, programs, procedures, and other related elements. Thus all these elements speak about futurity of action. Terry has defined Planning as -“Planning is the selection and relating of facts and making and using of assumptions regarding the future in the visualization and formalization of proposed activities believed necessary to achieve desired result.”
On the basis of the definition of planning, its following features can be identified:
- Planning is a process rather than behavior at a given point of time. This process determines the future course of action.
- Planning is future oriented It is primarily concerned with looking into future. It requires forecasting of future situation in which the organization has to function. Therefore, correct forecasting of future situation leads to correct decisions about future course of actions.
- Planning involves selection of suitable course of action. This means that there are several alternatives for achieving a particular objective or set of objectives. However, all of them are not equally feasible and suitable for the organization.
- Planning is undertaken at all levels of the organization because all levels of management are concerned with the determination of future course of action. However, its role increases at successively higher levels of management. More-over, planning at different levels may be different in the context that at the top management level, managers are concerned about the totality of the organization and tries to relate it with the environment white-managers at lower levels may be involved in internal planning.
- Planning is flexible as commitment is based on future conditions which are always dynamic. As such, an adjustment is needed between the various factors and planning
- Planning is a pervasive and continuous managerial function involving complex processes of perception, analysis, conceptual thought, communication, decision, and action. The very pervasiveness of these planning elements makes it difficult to identify and observe them in detail.
