INTRODUCTION

TO
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION/
MANAGEMENT
Course Code MGT 111
 Lecture 18
- Definition
- What is managerial planning
and its importance
- Basic principles underlying
planning
- Types of plans
 What is Planning

Planning is the most important

activity of an organization and of
managers. Without proper
planning an administrative
organization cannot achieve its
objectives.
 DEFINITION
Planning is the French word
‘prevoyance’, which means to
look ahead.

According to Pfiffner and

Presthus planning is “a rational
process characterized of all
human behaviour.”
According to Dimock and
Dimock “Planning is an
organized attempt to anticipate
and to make rational
arrangement for dealing with
future problems by projecting
trends.”
According to Simon, Smithburg
and Victor A. Thomson: “Planning
is that activity that concern itself
with proposal for future,
evaluation of alternative proposals
and with method by which these
proposals may be achieved.”
Planning is future course of
action.

The resources have to be

managed to achieve goals
which exist in future point in
time.
 LEVELS OF PLANNING

1. National level
2. Provincial level
3. Organization level
4. Department level
5. Unit level
6. Personal level
 FOUR MAJOR
ASPECTS OF
PLANNING
The nature of planning can be
understood by examining four
aspects:
1. Its contribution to purpose
and objectives
2. Its importance in managerial task
3. Its pervasiveness

4. The efficiency Vs.

effectiveness of plans
1.The contribution of plan to
purpose and objectives:
Every plan must contribute to
the purpose of the organization
2. The importance of planning
to the managerial tasks:
Planning precedes all other
managerial tasks.
Planning is unique as it
involves setting of objectives.
PLAN AS What kind of
FOUNDATION OF organization
structure to have

MANAGEMENT Which helps

us to know
What kind of
PLANS people We need
Objectives and and when
how
Which effect
To achieve them
The kind of
How most leadership
effectively
To lead
To ensure
Success of
plan
By developing
standards of
control
RELATIONSHIP OF PLANNING
AND CONTROLLING

Implementation Controlling: No
Planning deviation
of Plan Comparing plans
With results
Deviation

Corrective
action
3. The Pervasiveness: Planning
is a function of all managers. If
managers are not allowed to plan
to a certain degree then they may
not be able to function as
manager. All managers plan-
from chief executive to the first
level supervisor.
4. The efficiency Vs.
effectiveness of plans:
A plan is said to be efficient if
it achieves its purpose. It is the
contribution of the plan to the
objectives. E.G. If cost is
higher than the benefits, the
plan is said to be inefficient.
Effectiveness is the
achievement of goals and
objectives
 TYPES OF PLANS
Plans are future course of action
and these are varied according
to the timeframe. These are
classified as:
1. Purpose or Mission
2. Objectives or Goals
3. Strategies
4. Policies
5. Procedures
6. Rules
7. Programmes
8. Budgets
 1. Purpose or Mission
The mission or purpose identifies
the basic task of the organization.
Every organization should have a
purpose or mission.
Example: The purpose of National
Highway Authority is to design, build
and operate national highways. The
purpose of courts is to interpret laws
 2. Objectives or Goals
Objectives or goals are ends
towards which activity is aimed.
These represent not only the end
point of planning but also end
toward which organizing, staffing,
leading and controlling are aimed.
While, the objectives are the basic plan
of an organization, its department may
have objectives
Example: Objectives of an
organization is to make profits by
producing television sets. The
objectives of the production
department would be to produce
2000 television sets in a year of
given design and quality at a
given cost
 3. Strategies
Strategies mean ‘grand plan’ made
in the light of what an opponent
might do or not do.
Strategy is defined as determination
of long term plan of an organization
and following course of action and
allocation of resources necessary to
achieve the goals
 4. Policies
Policies are general statements or
understanding that guide or
channel thinking in decision
Making.
Not all policies are “statements”;
they can be implied from the
actions of managers.
Policies define an area within
which decision is to be made and
ensure that the decision will be
consistent with and contribute to
objectives.
Example: Policy of Privatization
 5. Procedures
Procedures are plans that establish
a required method of handling
future activities. They are guides to
action, rather than to thinking and
they spell out the exact manner in
which activities are to be
accomplished.
Example: Procedure of making of
passport, how police should
challan a traffic violator
 6. Rules
Rules spell out specific action or
non action, allowing no discretion.
Rules are unlike procedures in that
they guide action without specifying
time sequence. In fact a procedure
is part of rule, a rule may or may
not be part of procedure.
Example: Traffic Rules, Pension
Rules
 CONCLUSIONS
1. We defined plan as future
course of action
2. The interrelationship of plan
with the other functions of a
manager
3. Types of plans