The Importance of Planning

Planning is a process which involves the determination of future course of action, i.e. why an action, how to take an action, and when to take action are main subjects of planning.

Planning may be broadly defined as a concept of executive action that embodies the skill of anticipating, influencing, and controlling the nature and direction of change. - McFarland

1. Planning increases the organization's ability to adapt to future eventualities: The future is generally uncertain and things are likely to change with the passage of time. The uncertainty is augmented with an increase in the time dimension. With such a rise in uncertainty there is generally a corresponding increase in the alternative courses of action from which a selection must be made. The planning activity provides a systematic approach to the consideration of such future uncertainties and eventualities and the planning of activities in terms of what is likely to happen.
2. Planning helps crystallize objectives: The first step in planning is to fix objectives which will give direction to the activities to be performed. This step focuses attention on the iesults desired. A proper definition and integration of overall and departmental objectives would result in more co-ordinated inter-departmental activities and a greater chance of attaining the overall objectives.
3. Planning ensures a relatedness among decisions: A crystallization of objectives as mentioned above would lead to a relatedness among the decisions which would otherwise have been random. Decisions of the managers are related to each other and ultimately towards the goals or objectives of the enterprise. Creativity and innovation of individuals is thus harnessed towards a more effective management of the company.
4. Planning helps the company to remain more competitive in its industry: Planning may suggest the addition of a new line of products, changes in the methods of operation, a better identification of customer needs and segmentation and timely expansion of plant capacity all of which render the company better fitted to meet the inroads of competition.
5. Adequate planning reduces unnecessary pressures of immediacy: If activities are not properly planned in anticipation of what is likely to happen, pressures will be exerted to achieve certain results immediately or a in a hurry. Thus adequate planning supplies orderliness and avoids unnecessary pressures.
6. Planning reduces mistakes and oversights: Although mistakes cannot be entirely obviated, they can certainly be reduced through proper planning.
7. Planning ensures a more productive use of the organization's resources: By avoiding wasted effort in terms of men, money and machinery, adequate planning results in greater productivity through a better utilization of the resources available to the organization.
8. Planning makes control easier: The crystallization of objectives and goals simplify and highlight the controls required.
9. Planning enables the identification of future problems and makes it possible to provide for such contingencies.
10. Planning can help the organization secure a better position or standing: Adequate planning would stimulate improvements in terms of the opportunities available.
11. Planning enables the organization to progress in the manner considered most suitable by its management: Management, for example, may be interested in stability and moderate profits rather than huge profits and risk of instability. In terms of its objectives, the plan would ensure the actions are taken to achieve such objectives.
12. Planning increases the effectiveness of a manager: As his goals are made clearer, adequate planning would help the manager in deciding upon the most appropriate act.

Planning in organization is the process of creating and maintaining a plan. It is a process of thinking about the activities required to accomplish a desired task or reaching the organisational goal. Choosing a destination, evaluating alternative routes, and deciding the specific course of the plan, in short, are the major steps involved in the process of planning.

Future is always unpredictable, market trend is always dynamic. Only through a proper and flexible planning future uncertainties can be tackled efficiently. Hence planning is never a waste of time in relation to unpredictable future. In fact planning is more essential to deal with the future unforeseeable trends.