Concept of plan, program and project;

Perspective: art of representing three dimensional objects on a two dimensional surface

so as to convey the impression of height, width, depth and relative distance. The
appearances of viewed objects with regard to their relative position distance from the
viewer etc. a particular way of regarding something.
4. Planning
4.1. Concept and Characteristics of Planning
Simply plan is a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something. It is a decision about
what one is going to do. This indicate that it is a course of managing the predetermined
resources to achieve predetermined goal
A plan is an image, map, or vision to represent the forms and/or features of desired
situation(s). A plan is the result of planning efforts and the planning is the systematic
management of assets in pursuit of goals.
Planning is a process to formulate a plan and also an action drive to put the plan into
operation.
A plan is a framework that details the methods and tasks that are to be
implemented in order to achieve a desired goal.

Planning:
Principally it is known as the state intervention for economic affairs of a country. It is
defined as a technique, a means to an end being the realization of certain predetermined
and well defined aims and objectives laid down by a planning authority. In the context of
economic planning different economist define in different way. According to Bettleheim
"a determined ends and means equally determined for the attainment of this end
constitute the essence of every plan". According to Dickinson "Planning is the making of
major economic decisions what and how much is to be produced, how, when and where it
is to be produced, to whom it is to be allocated, by the conscious decisions of a
determinate authority, on the basis of comprehensive survey of the economic system as a
whole".
Planning in general is a conscious effort to direct human energy for the purpose of
securing a rationally desirable end. Every plan is a programme of action which has two
major elements a goal and a method. A method refers to the conscious activity schedule
of definite time period in specific geographical location.
In reality, in a plan, there are linking the past to the future. The period of the plan thus
begins where the past ends and ends where the future begins. This past was never before
and this future will never be.

Planning is the cutting edge of development. Planning refers to the conscious decision of
planning authority to take future course of action in order to achieve desired goal. It
consists of the coordination of time, resources, factors and programme. World Bank
study suggests that “development planning focuses mainly on project implementation,
and that much less attention is paid to issues of operation, maintenance and
sustainability”.

Dikenson define the making of major economic decisions what and how much is to be
produced how, when and where it is to be produced, to whom it is to be allocated, by the
conscious decision of a determinate authority, on the basis of comprehensive survey of
the economic system as a whole.
Development plan: A development plan is an ideal way for a government to set out its
development objectives and to address the country’s development problems.

Strategic Planning: it is known as framework planning. It means examining problems,

opportunities, constraints, resources and abilities and priorities and courses of action.

Operational Planning: it is more specific plan to use resources for implementing any
activities. It consists of specific objective and targets, area beneficiaries, design, task of
implementation, budget, resource organizational responsibilities, time schedule, financial
analysis.

Ends: decision makers are attempting to achieve.

Means: by which the desired ends are to be achieved.

Perspective Plan:
Picture in the mind or imagination of a future event or outlook of plan is called
perspective plan. It is a vision to achieve general objective or long-term objective with
priority of project. The perspective plan is formulated for the more than 10; 15, 20 yrs.
The perspective plan is formulated to help the planner to guess how scarcities will change
in the long run. The guess helps to equalize the matter of supply and demand. The change
may lead the following issues.
Will disguised or actual unemployment rise or fall?
Will the balance of payments position become easier?
Will the population growth continue to accelerate, with its implications for educational
expenditure? And so on.
The perspective plan may be of macro level or sectoral. For example, macro level plan is
Millennium Development Goal and sectoral plan is Agriculture Perspective Plan of
Nepal.

Short-term operational plan:

The short term plan generally formulated for a fiscal year. It time span may be up to 1
year (generally speaking less than 2 yrs)

Medium term plan (in quantitative form):

The medium term plan is formulated for the 3-5 years. The plan is also known as
strategic plan. The sectoral projects are determined to achieve perspective plan’s
objective. For example, area wise road network, product wise self-sufficiency, program
wise health facilities are the sectoral plan.

Annual Plan:
It is an operational phase of plan, which is formulated based on the analysis of project.
Characteristics of Planning
Who hold the resources is the predetermining characteristic. This is determined by the
economic system.
Socialist: all the economic activities with resources are in the hand of central government
planning authority.
Capitalist: all the economic opportunities are provided to the market.
Mixed plan: resources partly owned by in the state by part owned by private sector.
MEANS ENDS

Strategic-Intent
plans Vision
Mission
policies Goals
objectives

Intended Strategy

Results Observed
Actions Taken

Realized strategy