The Planning Process

INTRODUCTION
Definition
Planning, a basic function of management, it is a principal duty of all managers
within the division of nursing. It is a systematic process and requires knowledgeable
activity based on sound managerial theory. The first element of management defined by
Fayol was planning. He defined it as making a plan of action to provide for foreseeable
future. This plan of action must have unity, continuity, flexibility and precision. Fayol
outlined the contents of a plan of action for his business, a large mining and
metallurgical firm. This plan included annual and 10 year forecasts. Forecasting takes
advantage of input from others. It improves with yearly experience, gives sequence in
activity and protects a business against undesirable changes. Fayols concept was that
planning facilitates wise use of resources and selection of the best approaches to
achieving objectives. Planning facilitates the art of handling people; it requires moral
courage, because it can fail. Effective planning requires continuity of tenure. Good
planning is a sign of competence.
According to Urwick, investigations should be carried out and their results
expressed in concrete terms. Planning should be based on objectives, which should be
framed in terms of making a product or providing service that the community needs.
Simplification and standardization are basic to sound planning procedures. Planning
provides information to coordinate work effectively and accurately. A good plan should
be based on an objective, be simple, have standards, be flexible, be balanced and use
available resources first.
Douglass stated that planning is having a specific aim or purpose and mapping
out a program or method beforehand for accomplishment of the goal. She further
defined planning as being a continuous process assessing, establishing goals and
objectives, and implementing and evaluating or controlling them, which is subject to
change as new facts are known.

Alexander stated that planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it,
when to do it, and who to do it. She dealt with long and short term planning, decision
making, strategies, policies, programs, rules and procedures as elements of planning.
Planning is an administrative function that takes some of the risk out of decision
making and problem solving. It ensures that the probable outcome will be desirable and
effective in terms of use of human and material resources and production of the product
or service. In nursing, planning helps to ensure that the clients or patients will receive
the nursing services they want and need and that these services are delivered by
satisfied nursing workers.

Purposes of Planning
Douglass listed the following as reasons for planning:
1. It leads to success in achieving goals and objectives
2. It gives meaning to work
3. It provides for effective use of available personnel and facilities
4. It helps in coping with crisis situations
5. It is cost-effective
6. It is based on past and future, thus helping reduce the element of change
7. It can be used to discover the need for change
8. It is needed for effective control
Among the activities of planning that Douglass addresses are assessment by
collection, classification, analysis, interpretation and translation of data; strategic
planning; development of standards; identification of needs and priority setting;
management by objectives; and formulation of policies, rules, regulations, methods and
procedures.

Donovan wrote planning has several benefits, among which satisfactory

outcomes of decisions are; improved functions in emergencies; assurance of economy
of time, space and materials; and the highest use of personnel. She included decision
making, philosophies and objectives as key elements in planning.
Several factors relative to successful planning should be known and put into
action by successful managers. These are:
1. A knowledge of characteristics of planning
2. A knowledge of elements of the planning process
3. A knowledge of the strategic or long range planning process
4. A knowledge of tactical or short range planning process (functional versus
operational)
5. A knowledge of planning standards
6. A knowledge of skill in applying the planning processes, including standards, to the
work situation
7. Skill in bringing the planning process up to the standard set, when there are
deficiencies.

Characteristics of Planning
Levey and Loomba in 1984 identified the following characteristics or
requirements of planning:
1. Planning is purposeful. This means that planning is a deliberate, rational and
objective process. Analyses of both the internal and external factors to determine the
organizations environment require tools and models to be used. Identification of goals
and objectives are done only after the environment has been assessed and the
organization has clearly perceived its role and purpose.

2. Planning is process oriented. Planning is not an isolated act, it is a continuous and

iterative process. The organization accelerates to a desired state due to repetitions and
modifications of the planning cycle. The planning process needs recognition of the
interdependency of the organizations varied components, since an organization is
prompted to do large, complex and interrelated decisions. Planning becomes an integral
component of managing. It aims toward an understanding, not only of the problems
associated with goals and objectives, but also of the required standards and control to
achieve the goals.
3. Planning is hierarchical in nature. Generally, a system of plans is developed by an
organization. Different plans are generated by and for certain components of the
organization. It is the integrative nature of the planning process that calls for all
members to contribute to the process in their own ways. This move shows the
organizations true commitment to the planning process as evidenced by both
descending and ascending flows of ideas to help the organization reach its planning
goals.
4. Planning is future oriented. The future is dealt with through planning and therefore
requires forecasts of economic variable, the needs and demands of patients, health
services utilization, social environment and direction of political forces. Interactive
planning could be observed by organizations in this regard. Planners may be
categorized as pre-active and interactive planners. Pre-active planners assume that the
future evolves logically and that quantitative models aid planners see and cope with
the future while interactive planners are less prone to predestined thinking and are more
concerned with making a future than seeing one.
5. Planning is multi-dimensional. Planning can have as many dimensions as the
system for which the plans are being made. The key dimensions may be identified as
follows:
a. Time- short range or less than one year, medium range or less than five years
and long range or over five years
b. Organizational level- regional, hospital-wide, departmental

c. Functional area- identified by departmental organization, like patient services,

finance and maintenance
d. Orientation- internal or external, such as involving hospital resource
development or hospital market development
e. Scope- comprehensive plan, strategic plan, tactical plan and implementation
plan
Planning involves the collection, analysis and organization of many kinds of data
that will be used to determine both the nursing care needs of patients and the
management plans that will provide the resources and processes to meet those needs.
Accepting the fact that nursing is clinical practice discipline providing a human service,
nurse managers plan in order to nurture the practitioners who provide the service.
Some of the kinds of data that must be collected and analyzed for planning
purposes include:
1. Daily average patient census
2. Bed capacity and percent of occupancy
3. Average length of stay
4. Number of births
5. Number of operations
6. Trends in patient populations
a. Diagnoses
b. Age groups
c. Acuity of illness
d. Physical dependency
7. Trends in technology

a. Diagnostic procedures
b. Therapeutic procedures
8. Environmental analysis
a. Forces impacting on nursing form within: availability of nurses, turnover other
departments
b. Forces impacting on nursing form outside: government, education,
accreditation bodies and others
c. Trends in health care in nursing including changes in characteristics
d. Threats to the nursing profession
e. Opportunities for the nursing profession

Elements of Planning
Elements of planning have been explicitly described by Swansburg in 1993.
Characterized as being a conceptual or thinking process, planning produced specific
elements or constituent parts that were readily identifiable, namely:
a. Written statement of mission and purpose
b. Philosophy
c. Objectives and
d. Detailed management or operation plans
Overcoming Barriers to Planning
Benefits of effective planning include timely accomplishment of higher quality work and
best possible use of capital and human resources. Because in planning is essential,

managers must be able to overcome barriers that impede planning. For successful
organizational planning, the manager must remember several points:

The organization can be more effective if movement within it is directed at

specified goals and objectives. Unfortunately, the novice manager frequently
omits establishing a goal or objective. Setting a goal for a plan keeps managers
focused on the bigger picture and saves them from getting lost in the minute

details of planning.
Because a plan is a guide to reach a goal, it must be flexible and allow for
readjustment as unexpected events occur. This flexibility is a necessary attribute

for the manager in all planning phases and the management process.
The manager should include in the planning process people and units that could
be affected by the course of action. Although time consuming, employee
involvement in how things are done and by whom increases commitment to goal
achievement.

Nursing Division Planning

-These are road maps that describe the business by name and location. Nurse
Managers are tasked to make them more informative by adding a description that
provides a summary of the work of the division. The summary contains sufficient
information regarding the nature of work in the nursing division. Varied information
relate to the nursing products and services provided by quantity such as:
a. admissions
b. discharges
c. patient days
d. number of patients by acuity categories
e. research projects
f. education programs

g. students
h. outpatient visits
i. marketing activities of the nursing division with its total revenues and expenses
j. managerial style of the division and its impact on employees

The Planning Formula

1. WHAT- What has been done? What should be done? What equipment and
supplies have been used or needed? What steps are necessary in the procedure?
What sequence of activities was previously used? What other efficient methods may
be used?
2. WHEN- When should the job be done? When was it formerly done? When could it
be done?
3. WHERE- Where is the job to be done? Where does an activity occur in relation to
those activities immediately preceding and following it? Where could supplies be
stored, cleaned and so forth?
4. HOW- How will the job be done? What are the steps to be followed in doing the
procedure? How will the time and energy of personnel be used? How much will it
cost? How much time will it require?
5. WHO- Who has been doing the job? Who else could do it? Is more than one
person involved?
6. WHY- To each of the questions. Ask why. Why is this job, this procedure, this step
necessary? Why is this done in this way, in this place, at this time, by this person?
7. CAN- Can some steps or equipment be eliminated? Can this activity be efficiently
combined with other operations? Can somebody else do it better? Can we get
machine to help? Can we get enough money?

Time Management
- Is a technique for allocating ones time through the setting of goals, assigning
priorities, identifying and eliminating wasted time and using managerial techniques
to reach goals efficiently. Ones personality, education and culture influence how he
or she manages time. The way one views time influences the degree of stress he or
she will feel when time is mismanaged.

Three Basic Steps in Time Management

1. Allow time for planning

and establishing priorities

2. Complete the highest

priority task whenever
possible, and finish one
task before beginning

3. Reprioritize based on
the remaining tasks and
on new information that
may have been received

Time Saving Techniques

1. Conduct an inventory of your activities
2. Set goals and objectives and write them down
3. With the use of calendars, executive planners, logs or journals write what you expect
to accomplish yearly, monthly, weekly or daily
4. Break down large projects into smaller parts
5. Devote a few minutes at the beginning of each day for planning
6. Organize your work space so its functional
7. Close your door when you need to concentrate
8. Learn to delegate
9. In a meeting, define the purpose clearly before starting
10. Take or return phone calls during specified time
11. Develop effective decision-making skills
12. Take rest breaks and make good use of your spare time