Welcome to PlanningSkills.COM

This website focuses on a wide variety of topics related to organization and individual planning situations. The primary focus is business planning.

Planning is an anticipatory decision making process that involves situation analysis, forecasting outcomes and events, evaluating alternative courses of action, anticipating consequences and considering implementation issues and contingencies. Planning often begins with asking one or more questions, for example: What if ...? Could we ...? Do we ...? Is it possible...? How should we respond ...? How can we ...? Is it feasible to ...?

In general, planning is a proactive process that is intended to help individuals, groups and organizations achieve performance objectives.

Featured Glossary Term

A workability test determines if what is proposed can really be accomplished as planned and whether it is likely that the intended results will be realized. Workability basically checks that what is proposed will work as intended. Workability may involve an impact assessment and pilot projects. In some situations rehearsing a contingency or continuity plan is essential and critical to validate its workability. A plan or course of action must be understandable and effective.

Featured Planning Tip

Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders to ensure thorough understanding.

If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If you are equally matched or stronger, fight, and if you are weaker split and reevaluate -- Sun-tzu.

Apply the KISS principle! The KISS principle is a popularized rule of conduct often invoked when discussing planning and design processes as a reminder to avoid unnecessary complexity. The traditional expansion of this acronym is "Keep it Simple, Stupid".

"In critical and baffling situations, it is always best to return to first principles and simple action" - Sir Winston S. Churchill

Business forecasting and planning should involve an understandable process. Do not use complex forecasting tools and sophisticated mathematics.