The planning process includes developing the organizational mission, setting goals, and devising plans. Managers begin the planning process by creating, modifying, or reaffirming the mission, which is the topmost goal in the organization and which describes the organization's purpose. Next, managers use the mission to guide the development of organizational goals. Then they outline and implement the plans necessary to achieve those goals. This planning process is as important for organizations that operate in a relatively simple and stable organizational environment as it is for those that operate in a more complex and dynamic environment. By applying the planning process, managers are better able to cope with environmental changes, large or small, because the process forces them to focus on relevant results rather than considering daily activities in isolation.
Although the planning process is concerned with predetermining courses of action that will achieve organizational goals, it is also closely linked with the management function of control. Managers use control methods and measures to trace progress toward achieving the goals they have set, and they use this feedback on performance to make any necessary changes. Further, they use control to ensure that their plans are properly implemented and to maintain consistency of activities and decisions at every organizational level.
Although the planning process is concerned with predetermining courses of action that will achieve organizational goals, it is also closely linked with the management function of control. Managers use control methods and measures to trace progress toward achieving the goals they have set, and they use this feedback on performance to make any necessary changes. Further, they use control to ensure that their plans are properly implemented and to maintain consistency of activities and decisions at every organizational level.