Successful managers deal with foreseen problems through planning, while unsuccessful managers struggle with unforeseen issues. Planning involves deciding in advance on actions, forecasting accomplishments, and outlining courses of action. It is defined as both a futuristic and intellectual function, focusing on the future and involving determining objectives and means of achieving them. The outcome is a plan specifying future actions. Planning provides direction, creates frameworks, leads to efficient resource use, reduces risks, and facilitates other functions like decision making, control and innovation. It is a continuous, goal-oriented and integrated process linking where an organization is currently to where it wants to be in the future.