Paper Example on Planning Skills

Introduction

Planning is a managerial task which involves designing how the company's goals and objectives will be met. Those involved have to think of what needs to be accosted in the future and develop a rough draft that will meet the goals and objectives. The planning process can either be strategic (occurring at the corporate level) or operational (occurring at the functional group). Strategic planning is usually long-term with a broad scope as it deals with the company's mission, vision, and objectives. It is done to ensure that the company endures any more overall problems. Because of this, it evaluates the internal and external environments that may affect the company in any way by us of tools like SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats) analysis, Business Portfolio analysis, Critical Question analysis, among others.

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On the other hand, operational panning is short-termed with a narrow scope. It only deals with routine activities and supports strategic planning to realize the company's objectives. For efficiency, operational planning is subdivided into various units and departments where planning is performed individually and collectively, they all reach the company's goals.

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is all about setting visions and achieving these visions through set goals; therefore, people who work in this area need to possess specific skills to do their job effectively. Some of the critical skills required are analytical, communication, decisiveness, leadership, problem-solving (George et al., 2019). Communication is everything because no one will know what or how they are supposed to be doing without it. A strategic planner should effectively communicate and express themselves in both writing and speaking to the employers and fellow employees regarding the company’s objectives and business plan. They should also listen to subordinates, employers, and peers' concerns and suggestions.

People skills, negotiation skills, and persuasiveness are also necessary. Strong leadership skills are required as a strategic planner needs to guide every company (employers, peers, and subordinates) towards the same goal. They need to be flexible, motivational, energetic, and resourceful to ensure that all members are focused on the set goals (Ted, 2011). Analytical skills are just compulsory to that as that is the basis of strategic planning. One needs to think critically and logically, reason inductively and deductively, pay attention to detail, and be skilled in market analysis to know which step the company needs to take. Problem-solving for strategic planners means that they need to be sensitive to problems around them. They should be able to assess and evaluate the situation, be creative to develop an innovative solution, and not be overwhelmed by the stress.

Special Tools

Apart from the skills, strategic planners also need special tools or tools to help them formulate goals and strategies to be taken. These tools include SWOT analysis, Critical Question analysis, and Business Portfolios analysis, among others (Papke-Shields et al., 2017). In SWOT analysis, a manager evaluates internal factors (the company's strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (market's opportunities and possible threats) to know the next step forward to ensure its success. They focus on taking advantage of the options and taking caution to the potential risks to ensure that the company endures any storms and improves their weaknesses.

The Critical Question analysis method focuses on answering four questions; What is the objective of the company? Where is the future of the company? What is the environment that the company currently exists in? What can be done to achieve the company’s goals and objectives in the foreseeable future? The Business Portfolio analysis is a strategic technique based on the idea that a company should develop a strategy just how they handle investment portfolios (Ted, 2011). This analysis method can be achieved through the BCG (Boston Consulting Group) matrix or the GE (General Electric Company) Multifactor matrix. In the BCG, the Strategic Business Units (SBUs) are first identified then categorized within the four matrix quadrants: stars, cash cows, question marks or dogs. However, this model does not consider risks connected to product development. The GE multifactor matrix is based on market opportunities and the company's strengths. The company's SBUs are compared on a 2-dimensional matrix of options and forces where the company's strategies are derived from where it falls on the matrix.

Operational planning also needs skills and tools to be achieved; however, it is simpler than strategic planning (Al Shobaki et al., 2017). For operational planning to be effective, the team needs to be goal-oriented, and for this to happen, various steps must be followed. The team should first have a robust strategic plan whose guidance will help set a clear chatted path. Secondly, the most important goals should be pursued, and key performance indicators (KPIs) identified, which will help measure the team's progress. Since KPIs play a significant role in the operation planning success, it is advisable to choose leading indicators, showing you what to expect and thus adjust accordingly, rather than lagging indicators that will show weakness when it is too late. The team should have a wide variety of opinions but not too many, making decision-making a problem. A regular meeting should be held to evaluate progress as communication is everything.

Conclusion

Strategic and operational planning can only be achieved if everyone understands the company's mission, vision, objectives, and what is expected of them. Communication is critical in ensuring the goals are achieved; therefore, before moving to the next step or making any changes, everyone in the company needs to be informed to make the necessary adjustments. A timeline should be set to ensure that no one slacks on their job, especially for short-term plans.

References

Al Shobaki, M. J., Amuna, Y. M. A., & Naser, S. S. A. (2017). Strategic and Operational Planning As Approach for Crises Management Field Study on UNRWA.

George, B., Walker, R. M., & Monster, J. (2019). Does Strategic Planning Improve Organizational Performance? A MetaAnalysis. Public Administration Review, 79(6), 810-819.

Ted James (2011). Operations Strategy.