Q1:L8 - Organizational Plans and Types of Plan

What is Organizational Plans

Organizational Plans is a comprehensive plan for the entire organization covering time frame, specific purpose, frequency of use, and others

Comprehensiveness refers to the completeness of planning coverage

Time frame long-term, or covering more than three years, or short-term, covering one year or less

Frequency of use refers to the number of times or instances a plan may be used

Specificity refers to very detailed, clearly defined plans wherein objectives are clearly stated and could easily be understood

Types of Plans

1. Strategic Plans - plans that establish the organization’s overall goals and apply to the entire firm; they are broad in scope and are the responsibility of the CEO, president, and general manager of the company.

   • Ex. A startup’s 5-year plan to become a leading provider of eco-friendly packaging in Southeast Asia.

2. Operational plans - plans that apply to a particular unit area only; their scope is narrow; achievement of company goals may not be achieved if operational plans are not clear.

   • Ex. A café’s weekly schedule for staff duties and inventory restocking.

3. Long - term plans - plans that go beyond three years; everyone must understand the organization’s long-term plans to avoid confusion that may divert the organization members’ attention.

   • Ex. A nonprofit’s plan to build new community centers across five provinces in the next 5 years.

4. Short- term plans - plans that cover one year or less; such plans must lead toward the attainment of long-term goals and are the responsibility of the unit/department heads.

   • Ex. Studying for next week's exam with a review schedule.

5. Directional plans - plans that are flexible or give general guidelines only; although flexible and general, these plans must still be related to the strategic plans.

   • Ex. A school deciding to improve student wellness without detailing specific programs immediately.

6. Specific plans - plans that are clearly stated and which have no room for interpretation; language used must be very understandable

   • Ex. Organizing a school sports fest with outlined timelines, tasks, and assigned committees.

7. Single-use plans - plans used or stated once only as this applies to the entire organization; refer to the operational plans of the firm

   • Ex. Planning a graduation ceremony with a defined budget, venue booking, guest list, and decoration themes.

8. Standing  plans - plans that are ongoing; provide guidance for different activities done repeatedly; refer to the identified activities of operational plans.

   • Ex. A club’s monthly meeting agenda and attendance protocol.

Steps in Planning

1.Define your goals/objectives by identifying desired outcomes/results in very specific ways.

2. Determine where you stand in relation to set goals/objectives; know your strengths and weaknesses.

3. Develop premises regarding future conditions; anticipate future events, generate alternative “scenarios” for what may happen; identify for each scenario things that may help or hinder progress toward your goals objectives;

4. Analyze and choose among action alternatives; list and carefully evaluate possible actions and choose the alternative most likely to accomplish goals/objectives.

5. Implement the plan and evaluate results; take corrective action and revise plans as needed.