Why Do Managers Plan?

This is to ensure that the necessary raw materials and physical resources are available at each stage, and that the workforce on site has the right skills for the scheduled work. The project management team will need to produce a series of planning documents that can be accessed throughout the project. Each member of the project management team must know their role and responsibilities, including which sections of the workforce they will be directly managing.

An old adage-plan the work and work the plan, in essence this is the key to successful project management. Project Managers (PM) must first plan out the project and then monitor and control the execution of the program work. There is a tendency for projects to short change the planning process. This is a common mistake. The time spent properly planning will result in reduced cost and duration, and increased quality over the life of the project. Using tried and true best practices for a PM will provide assurance that the program /project will be beneficial and successful.

Step four in management planning is the selecting of goals believed to be most appropriate and feasible by the managers. Step five implements the goals and plans into action by managers. Goal achievement is likely to be linked to the organization’s reward system to encourage employees to achieve the goals and implement plans properly (Thomas S. Bateman, Scott A. Snell, 2009). Step six is essential in making sure goals and plans are met. If the goals and plans are not monitored and controlled managers would not know if they were ever met successfully.

It is the first and the most important aspect of RMP. In this step Project Managers (PM) need to plan the objectives or the context of the whole plan. PM needs to understand what they want to achieve and why, when and how.

IT projects are influenced by various factors that ultimately cause a project to either reach successful completion or face heavy challenges. Planning is one of the key factors among these. Good planning comprises of determining project objectives, documenting those objectives, allocation of clear responsibility and accountability of various tasks, creating schedule by taking into account scope and budget specifications and continuous revision to the plan based on evaluation. Additionally, maintaining control over schedule, scope and budget, is another factor that plays an important role. Certain factors like organizational changes, technological changes etc also have a big impact on IT projects.

Anne, Planning is the most important function of management, planning provides clear concise directions for everyone in the organization. The importance of planning is that it provides attention on objectives and results, reduces uncertainty, gives direction for everyone, encourages team work and creativity, helps with decision making among many other important factors. Each organization is different in the approach they take in planning one’s organization. There are different plans that may be used depending on what you are trying to achieve.

The key to a successful project is in the planning. Creating a project plan is the first thing we should do when undertaking any kind of project. A project plan can allow a Project Manager to complete a project within a specified timeline and a specified budget.Reaching these important goals, will make the project customer happy and help the organization to build a good relationship with the customer for future projects. Project planning is fundamental in order to avoid failure and disappointment. In project management, effective planning is absolutely required if the individual or group wishes to deliver a finished project on time and on budget. From a Project Management article (http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/40904.aspx) I read that during the project planning phase, plans are developed in the form of project baselines for schedule, cost, scope, quality and risks, all of which are components of the overall project plan. This gives the Project Manager basis for monitoring project progress and upon which to base decisions necessary for managing changes needed to help get the project back on track.

The primary purpose of planning, is to establish a set of directions in sufficient detail to tell the project team exactly what must be done, when it must be done, what resources will be required to produce the deliverables of the project, successfully, and when each resource will be needed (Jack R .Meredith & Samuel j. Mantel, 2009). Budgeting and cost estimating are important tools when doing a project plan. A budget is always needed in the plan. A budget is a plan for allocating resources. Thus, according to Jack R Meredith the act of budgeting is the allocation of scarce resources to the various endeavors of an organization. (Jack R .Meredith & Samuel j. Mantel, 2009)

While projects can be similar in some instances, no two projects are ever the same. For this reason, management of projects requires the application of tools and techniques to meet the goals of the temporary endeavor. Project managers apply these tools and techniques to determine what is required for project delivery such as the list of activities to completed, the time required to complete the activities, resources needed and the various risks associated with the deliverable and efforts. A multitude of tools and techniques are employed by the project manager based on the need of the effort to organize, identify and communicate the various aspects of the project. While in contrast, the repetitive nature of operations activities

Planning, Scheduling and Controlling are three important functions of management. Planning involves the formulation of objectives and goals that are subsequently translated into

Planning is considered to be a primary function of management. All organisations operate in a complex, dynamic and competitive business environment, and therefore, have to plan their actions without which they may not be able to survive.

The main pitfall of planning is the misconception members have believing that planning solves problems. Too often, planners rely on opinions and hunches rather than facts. Once a plan has been established, all members in the organization need to be aware that issues may arise down the line and work environment can change unexpectedly. Some companies become so committed to achieving their goals that they fail to recognize the incremental changes in their plan and work environment. The lack of flexibility and creativity in an action plan can significantly affect an organization’s purpose. Another comparison to a good planning is the goal setting process. Goal setting can help turn a company’s vision into a reality, if the process is used accordingly. By precisely knowing what to achieve, associates can focus their effort on what is more important than on things that are less important. Goals require flexibility in the process, if there is no flexibility added to the process, goals would soon provide no reason at all. One way of setting effective and achievable goals is to use the S.M.A.R.T guideline. The S.M.A.R.T guideline is the first component of the goals setting process and is a useful tool in planning. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Clear and Specific goals are easier to accomplish than common goals because it contains a specific reason that clearly defines what is about to happen. In addition to being

For managers to be successful they have to be able to plan accordingly. Any good manager can understand the importance of planning, because it is one of the most basic functions of managerial skills. A goal has to be established and strategies have to be conveyed to the subordinates. For example, If I’m a manager I will engage

The Project Management Plan (PMP) provides the general overview and establishes specific strategies and milestones for the preparation of study notes and delivery of presentation on the topic “Developing the Project Team “. The PMP will define the project 's requirements and expectations. This document will be updated as required, if there is any change in the subsidiary management plans.

Managers and organisations plan because it provides them with some direction and reduces uncertainty within the firm. It is also used to set standards for controlling, it is therefore very important within organisations. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter et al, 2006)