Planning is the primary and very important management function. It is the beginning of the process of management. A manager must plan before coming in action relating to organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. Planning means looking a head and chalking out or determining the future course of action to achieved desired objectives. Planning is concerned with deciding in advance what to do?How to do? When to do? Why to do? Where to do? and who to do? Answering these questions depends upon intelligence. So, planning is an intellectual process which requires a manager to think before coming in action or undertaking any action. It is fully a mental work.
Planning relates with setting goals and objectives of the firm and choosing the means to achieve those goals. It relates with mental process which covers preparatory tasks like assessing future, setting objectives, determining policies, deciding actions, developing alternate strategies. These all clearly indicate that planning is a thinking process and is foundation of management. Therefore, planning furnishes the following important understanding:
- planning is concerned with future and it helps management to look ahead.
- Planning involves thinking about organization's prosperity and helps analysis of information.
- Planning involves predetermined course of action.
- Planning specifies the objectives to attained in future.
- Planning relates with thinking before doing.
- Planning involves both decision making and problem solving.
