Strategic planning is a process of defining an organizations strategies which involves setting the

objectives and goals and determining the steps and resources required to accomplish them.
Strategic planning being an academic discipline comprises the contribution of various writers,
Henry Fayol is among one of them. He has been described as the father of operational
management theory. Some considered him to be the true father of strategic management. Henry
Fayol was the first person to identify functions of management in his book Administration
Industrielle et generale. Fayol defined five functions of manager as:
P---------- Planning
O----------organizing
C----------commanding
C----------coordinating
C----------controlling
He defined planning in terms of forecasting future events, setting objectives and developing the
means to attain them. Along with this he also gave 14 principles of management:
Division of work, Authority and responsibility, Discipline, Unity of command, Unity of
direction, Subordination of individual interest to the common good, remuneration of personnel,
centralization scalar chain order, equity, stability, Initiative, Espirit De Corps.
Management theorist Henry Fayol has a great impact in the discipline of strategic planning. His
work still withstands today including planning which is considered as one of the the main
responsibilities of management.