Planning is an important project management technique that involves preparing steps to achieve goals. There are three main types of plans: operational plans focus on routine tasks and procedures; tactical plans support strategic plans by translating them into area-specific plans; and strategic plans are designed by top managers to achieve long-term organizational goals and provide a framework for lower-level planning. Setting goals helps provide management direction, allocate resources, define culture, and assess performance. Successful goal setting involves making goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Barriers to goal setting include lack of vision, fear of the unknown, lack of understanding, history of failure, and lack of focus.

1. Planning is one of the most important project management and time management
techniques. Planning is preparing a sequence of action steps to achieve some specific
goal. If one can do it effectively, can reduce much the necessary time and effort of
achieving the goal.
There are three main types of plans that a manager will use in his or her pursuit of company
goals, which include operational, tactical and strategic.
Operational Plans
Operational plans sit at the bottom of the totem pole; they are the plans that are made by
frontline, or low-level, managers. All operational plans are focused on the specific procedures
and processes that occur within the lowest levels of the organization. Managers must plan the
routine tasks of the department using a high level of detail.
Operational plans can be either single-use or ongoing plans. Single-use plans are those plans
that are intended to be used only once. They include activities that would not be repeated and
often have an expiration. Creating a monthly budget and developing a promotional advertisement
for the quarter to increase the sales of a certain product are examples of how Frank would utilize
single-use planning.
Tactical Plans
Tactical plans support strategic plans by translating them into specific plans relevant to a distinct
area of the organization. Tactical plans are concerned with the responsibility and functionality of
lower-level departments to fulfill their parts of the strategic plan.
Strategic Plans
To best understand the relationship between the different types of plans, let's start at the
top. Strategic plans are designed with the entire organization in mind and begin with an
organization's mission. Top-level managers, such as CEOs or presidents, will design and
execute strategic plans to paint a picture of the desired future and long-term goals of the
organization. Essentially, strategic plans look ahead to where the organization wants to be in
three, five, even ten years. Strategic plans, provided by top-level managers, serve as the
framework for lower-level planning.
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2. Goal
A goal is a desired result a person or a system envisions plans and commits to achieve a
personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many
people endeavor to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
Purpose of goal setting in an organization
If a company is to be successful, the first step towards success will include setting goals. These
goals will be the objectives that the business plans and hopes to achieve.
The goals are set as performance targets used by management to measure success or failure
within each area of the business. An organization will commit its resources at each level in order
to meet these goals. An organization functions systematically because it sets goals and plans
accordingly. Specifically we can identify four main purposes in organizational goal setting: (1)
provide management direction and guidance at all levels, (2) help to allocate resources, (3) help
to define the corporate culture, and (4) give managers a way to assess performance.
5 Characteristics of Successful Goal Setting
Specific
Goals must call for specific actions, behaviors or events to be successfully met. Individuals must
define their desired results within each goal statement using a proactive voice.
Measurable
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3. Goals must be measurable to assure success. When setting goals, it is important to describe how
each result will be measured. In our example we set clear steps and timelines.
Achievable
Goals must be achievable. A person cannot become a doctor if he has not been graduated from
medical school, nor can a business increase its sales if it does not have an advertising budget. In
a savings-related goal like our example, a person must ask himself whether the goal is
achievable with his current resources.
Realistic
Taking a realistic approach is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of successful
goal setting. Goals challenge us to achieve or attain what is important to us.
Timely
Successful goal setting must set forth measurable points for starting, ending, review and
assessment. A successful goal has deadlines and endings. In our example, we set a weekly
period goal and an end goal of summer. Open-ended goals often fail because individuals have
not have set dates to review, measure and revise.
Barriers of goal setting in an organization
here are many barriers to goal setting and we are going to list some of the common ones
together with some tips on how to overcome them.
Lack of Vision - It's tough for some people to have a vision of the future. Setting goals
can certainly help accomplish what people truly want, but they must be very clear as to
what that is before the goal-setting process can work.
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4. Fear of the Unknown - Some people are terrified of goal-setting. The goal-setting process
usually demands people to beat their biggest fears-the fear of the unfamiliar and of
disappointment. They are afraid because challenges and risk might take them into
unknown, risky realms.
Lack of Understanding - People don’t set goals because they don’t fully grasp how
powerful goals can be. They can turn them from good employees to excellent ones-determined,
productive, and high achieving. Some employees don’t understand the nature
of goal-setting. They think they have goals but really just have wishes.
History - A bad goal setting process in the past may have caused a lot of
disappointments. In this case people are hesitant to try again and find it hard to believe
that goal setting is a tool to help them achieve what they want, step by step.
Lack of Focus - Some people are really disorganized and busy and they see the goal
setting process as a way to add more work into their already overpacked schedule. They
don’t feel they are ready to take on new challenges. They don’t understand that having
goals will make their lives easier, not more difficult, and will save them time in the long
run.
Steps for Successful Goal Setting
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5. Goal Setting is an extremely powerful technique for accomplishment, but for Goal Setting to really be
effective requires more than just writing down what we want to achieve. This article will present important
steps that will help to define and achieve goals with more success..
1. Well formed Goal Statements
2. Breaking goals down into manageable Steps
3. Motivation and Commitment
4. Reminders and Keeping on track
5. Frequent Review and Re-assessment
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6. Goal Setting is an extremely powerful technique for accomplishment, but for Goal Setting to really be
effective requires more than just writing down what we want to achieve. This article will present important
steps that will help to define and achieve goals with more success..
1. Well formed Goal Statements
2. Breaking goals down into manageable Steps
3. Motivation and Commitment
4. Reminders and Keeping on track
5. Frequent Review and Re-assessment
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