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• Module overview
• 1. Introduction to planning
  • 1.1 Types of plans
    • 1.1.1 Some definitions
    • 1.1.2 Domains of planning
    • 1.1.3 Users and levels of planning
  • 1.2 Completing a planning cycle
    • 1.2.1 A planning process
    • 1.2.2 Tactical and operational planning
    • 1.2.3 A participative planning process
    • 1.2.4 When to complete business planning
  • 1.3 Implementing an operational plan
    • 1.3.1 Define the plan's purpose
    • 1.3.2 Setting the planning period and scope
    • 1.3.3 Why plans fail - The strategic level
    • 1.3.4 Why plans fail - The operational or project level
  • 1.4 SMART goals
    • 1.4.1 S.M.A.R.T. Goal statements
  • 1.5 Contingency plans
    • 1.5.1 Why contingency plan?
    • 1.5.2 Contingency plans and risk
    • 1.5.3 Contingency planning actions

• 2. Plan and manage resources

  • 2.1 Plan and manage human resources
    • 2.1.1 Recruitment
    • 2.1.2 Selection
    • 2.1.3 Induction
  • 2.2 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
  • 2.3 Purchasing resources
    • 2.3.1 Tangible and intangible assets
    • 2.3.2 Acquisition costs
    • 2.3.3 Depreciation costs
    • 2.3.4 Planning resource acquisition and utilisation
    • 2.3.5 Estimating resource needs
  • 2.4 Manage Capacity
    • 2.4.1. Planning capacity
    • 2.4.2. Measuring capacity
    • 2.4.3. Matching operations plans with capacity
    • 2.4.4. Capacity analysis and economies of scale
    • 2.4.5. Capacity and performance effectiveness
    • 2.4.6. Determinants of capacity
  • 2.5 Aggregate and Master Planning
    • 2.5.1 Master Schedule
    • 2.5.2 Operational control and resource planning
    • 2.5.3 Demand and scheduling control

• 3. Risk Management

  • 3.1 Risk Management
    • 3.1.1 Potential benefits from an effective risk management
    • 3.1.2 Classifying risk
    • 3.1.3 Risk and ANZS4360:2004
    • 3.1.4 Risk analysis
  • 3.2 Estimate the risk attached to a corrective action
    • 3.2.1 Risk analysis categories
    • 3.2.2 Prioritising risks

• 4. Planning projects

  • 4.1 Planning the project
    • 4.1.1 Setting the project plan
    • 4.1.2 Setting achievable outcomes
  • 4.2 Controlling Projects
    • 4.2.1 Personnel resources
    • 4.2.2 Managing project costs
    • 4.2.3 Value of managing project costs
    • 4.2.4 Estimates
    • 4.2.5 Cost Coding
    • 4.2.6 The time factor
  • 4.3 Scheduling project tasks and activities
    • 4.3.1 Project timelines and deliverables
    • 4.3.2 Critical Path Analysis (CPA)
    • 4.3.3 PERT
    • 4.3.4 Seven steps to project scheduling
    • 4.3.5 Completing project schedule activities

• 5. Problem solving and decision making

  • 5.1 Problem solving
    • 5.1.1 The problem solving process
    • 5.1.2 Solutions search
    • 5.1.3 Removing root causes
    • 5.1.4 Solutions implementation through inclusive communication processes
  • 5.2 Decision making
    • 5.2.1 Decision making model and leadership styles
  • 5.3 Decision making approaches
    • 5.3.1 The logical systems
    • 5.3.2 Contingency approach
    • 5.3.3 Quantitative - schematic and mathematical approaches
    • 5.3.4 Critical Path Analysis
    • 5.3.5 PERT
    • 5.3.6 Group quantitative approaches
    • 5.3.7 A qualitative approach
  • 5.4 Context and the influence on the decision processes
    • 5.4.1 Factors in decision making
    • 5.4.2 Rational decision making
    • 5.4.3 Creative decision making
  • 5.5 Scenarios for team decision making and problem solving
    • Problem scenario number 1 - Lost in the bush
    • Problem scenario number 2 - Toothpaste blues
    • Analysis of personal behaviour in groups

Introduction to planning

Overview

Planning within an organisation occurs as part of a wider system. Whatever type of planning is being conducted, it will be influenced by the organisation's wider environment and management systems, and must in turn, be completed to support the organisation's existence within this setting. The analogy of an organisation as a system is taken from biological sciences, where it refers to a set of interrelated parts dependant upon each other for survival. This thinking is also pursued by more recent work that promotes the sense of the organisation ecology where collaborative as well as competitive factors are studied in order to understand the enterprise's survival and success (Harrison 1983:209; Bookchin 1990; & Hames 1995). This concept is important to explore as the form of structure employed to focus operations, and the degree the structure 'interacts' with the environment is critical when trying to understand how operations are planned.

This topic will primarily explore how planning can be completed within a strategic setting. To do this we will examine the types of planning, the planning cycle, and how to set goals, indicators and SMART goals. Our study of planning will cover many different forms of planning, but focus on three types in particular:

• Strategic and business planning;
• Operational planning; and
• Project planning.

Learning objectives

After completing the work for this chapter you should be able to:

• Define different types of plans
• Establish the scope and parameters suitable for different planning processes
• Develop a plan for a transport and logistics business operational area
• Establish how to implement participative planning processes
• Author SMART goals
• Monitor and review operational performance

Select topics

• 1.1 Types of plans
  • 1.1.1 Some definitions
  • 1.1.2 Domains of planning
  • 1.1.3 Users and levels of planning
• 1.2 Completing a planning cycle
  • 1.2.1 A planning process
  • 1.2.2 Tactical and operational planning
  • 1.2.3 A participative planning process
  • 1.2.4 When to complete business planning
• 1.3 Implementing an operational plan
  • 1.3.1 Define the plan's purpose
  • 1.3.2 Setting the planning period and scope
  • 1.3.3 Why plans fail - The strategic level
  • 1.3.4 Why plans fail - The operational or project level
• 1.4 SMART goals
  • 1.4.1 S.M.A.R.T. Goal statements
• 1.5 Contingency plans
• 1.5.1 Why contingency plan?
• 1.5.2 Contingency plans and risk
• 1.5.3 Contingency planning actions

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