According to Theo Haimann, “Planning is deciding in advance, what is to be done.

When a manager
plans, he projects a course of action for the future, attempting to achieve a consistent, coordinated
structure of operations aimed at the desired results.”

According to Alford and Beaty, “Planning is the thinking process, the organized foresight, the vision
based on fact and experience that is required for intelligent action.”

According to ME. Hurley, “Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done. It involves the selection of
objectives, policies, procedures and programs from among alternatives.”

So to make it simple, Planning is the process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to
achieve a desired goal.

A. On the basis of Nature

Strategic plan – establishes a formula for how the business will achieve the goals that meet the
mission statement

Tactical plan – describes actions (tactics) that various divisions or departments take to meet the
demands of strategic plan.

Operational plan – focuses on how the tactical and strategic plan will be carried out. Like who, what,
where, when and how the division or department will do its part to achieve the organization ‘s
mission

1. Contemplate your organization's vision. Identify what your organization stands for, what it
hopes to accomplish, what its responsibilities are, what segment of the population it wishes to
cater to and work with, how it wants to be viewed and what type of growth it wants to
experience.
2. Write a mission statement. The purpose of your mission statement is to summarize your
organization's underlying purpose, or vision. Strategic plans are extensions of the mission
statement, as it is the mission statement that guides the goals and serves as a means of
measuring an organization's success. An example of a mission statement is, "It is our goal to be
the nation's leading pet supply chain. We will accomplish this by researching, sourcing and
providing for our customers the best available variety of low-cost, high-quality goods, and by
exceeding customer service expectations in a way that will foster strong relationships with our
customers."
3. Evaluate your organization's current standing. In order to plot out a course for
reaching your goals, you must first understand where you are in the process of reaching
those goals. Consider the following:

 Determine what your strengths and weaknesses are.

 Identify opportunities for growth.
 Pinpoint threats to the success of your strategic plans. Threats may be in the form of an
economic recession, an industry competitor or a change in government regulations. Your
plan must address these threats and counter them with a viable strategy.

4. List factors necessary to success. Strategic plans must include specifics about the types
of circumstances that will lead to the accomplishment of goals.

 Keep in mind 4 key focus areas when envisioning your objectives: financial goals,
customer relations, operational methods and organization members.

5. Develop a strategy for accomplishing each success factor. This should be in the form
of a step-by-step plan, and should outline exactly what needs to be done, in what time
frame, for how much of an investment and by which responsible party.
6. Prioritize your strategies according to viability and growth goals. Itemize your strategic plan
chronologically. For example, your goal of running your own fleet of trucks for delivery purposes
may be considered a long term goal, as it will be very costly and you already have a temporary
plan in place via shipment through third party entities; therefore, you may prioritize more
urgent goals higher on the list.

B. On the basis of managerial level

C. On the basis of time

Short-Term
Short-term planning looks at the characteristics of the company in the present and develops
strategies for improving them. Examples are the skills of the employees and their attitudes. To
address these issues, you put in place short-term solutions to address problems. Example Employee
training courses

Medium-term planning applies more permanent solutions to short-term problems. Medium-term

planning implements policies and procedures to ensure that short-term problems don't recur.

Long-term planning reacts to the competitive situation of the company in its social, economic and
political environment and develops strategies for adapting and influencing its position to achieve
long-term goals

D. On the basis of Use

Standing Use Plans are made for a long duration of time which is prepared by the top level
managers of organization. For example – Objectives of organization, Policy of organization etc.

Single Use Plans are made for a very short duration of time which is prepared by the lower level
managers of organization. For example – Programs of organization, Budgets of organization.