Thinking Before Doing: The Place Of Planning

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The relevance of planning in human life has never been in doubt. Planning cut across all spheres of human activities. We all practice it in life knowingly or unknowingly. In our personal lives, we plan holidays, careers as well as our time. In most time we plan our finances by budgeting in order not to run into financial problems. In whichever way we do it planning according to JC Schmidt is the “organization of a series of actions to achieve a specific outcome” (Schmidt 2009).

Koontz and O’Dell (2019) state categorically that ‘planning is deciding in advance, what to do, how to do it and who should do it’. Infact, planning scholars have come to terms with the fact that planning remains the viable medium that business succeed.

Eliot (2022) view planning as a process, procedure, or method for setting goals, identifying and assessing options and developing strategies for achieving desired options”. Planning as a process denotes that good planning results in defining specific goals and objectives and helps ones to know what is expected of him or her at a particular time. Perhaps, this is why planning is being refer to as a ‘roadmap’. As a basic primary function of management, a good planning helps provide direction and reduce risk and uncertainty. Alford and Beatt (1997) regard planning as the “thinking process, the organized foresight, the vision based on fact and experience that is required for intelligent actions”. This idea of these scholars makes planners visionaries. Always thinking ahead and get prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Koontz and O’Dell agreed with Afford and Beatt and regard planning as a detail proposal for doing or achieving something, as intention or decision about what one is going to do. It’s also entails having arrangement in advance.

Perhaps, this is why most scholars regard planning as an essential but difficult task for anyone most especially in business, is similar to problem-solving, first manager must establish goals. Next manager needs to gather information and data relating to the proposal goals. Then manager must determine the best strategy possible to achieve tasks to accomplish each goal which is the course of action. George R. Terry refers to planning as foundation of most successful actions of any enterprises (George, 1977). A successful business is nothing but a result of good planning. He who fails to plan has already to plan to fail.

Jane Attah (Mrs.)

Chief Planning Officer

Museum of Colonial History

Lokoja


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