Planning

Meetings

Planning is about resource allocation:

It involves organising limited resources such as time, money and expertise

It consists of a plan for using available resources, especially in the near term, to achieve goals for the future

Very frequently it means securing money for a specific project or business unit

Planning also means time management:

People use calendars, diaries, electornic personal organisers to organise their time

For professionals there are time management training courses which suggest that you:

Make list of things you have to do. Classify them in terms of urgency and priority

Pursue tasks one by one. Don’t waste time through interruptions and distractions

Delegate. Do not try to do everything yourself.

Don’t be a perfectionist in everything. Do each task so that it is “good enough” for the circumstances.

Time management is also:

The ability to control time with the help of tools that increase a business’ time efficiency

You can practise a number of techniques which help you in getting the things done

It is important to establish a routine as a method of scheduling actions and activities

Planning introduces the use of Gantt chart:

This is an excellent tool if you have a complex project involving many people and tasks

Gantt chart is a diagram that shows the different stages of a project

It shows the tasks that can be done at the same time as others, and those that must wait until other tasks are completed

It was first used about 100 years ago, today they are produced using computer software

Gantt chart is made of horizontal bars which show the relationships between task, activities and resources

Another type of planning is called contingency planning:

It is a management plan that ensures project success if some risk events occur.

Contingency plan prepares for the worst, with specific plans of action for disaster recovery

In such cases the company handles the media to protect company’s reputation

Planning is all about good strategy:

Companies make long term plans about the future developments of their activities

They have to anticipate (predict) competitors’ activities as well as trends in the general economic and political environment

It is a company’s overall plan of development. It gives direction and distribution of resources for all sectors.

Very large companies have teams of scenario planners trying to predict how situations may change and how they might prepare for them.

Plans for opening a new sales office:

First, I arranged a meeting with the finance department to discuss the project.

We prepared a budget with details of the various costs involved.

Then we collected information about possible locations for the new office.

We considered two options-one in Greenwich Village and the other near Central Park.

After doing some more research, I wrote a report for the board of directors.

Unfortunately, we made a mistake when we estimated the costs as the exchange rate changed, and so we didn’t keep within our budget.

We overspent by almost 20 percent.

We had to rearrange the shedule for moving into the building because the office was not redecorated in time.

The board of directors was unhappy because we didn’t meet the deadline for opening the office by 15 December.

It finally opened in January. However, we forecast sales of at least 500,000 dollars in the first year.

An interview: the secrets of good planning

The most important thing is to know exactly what it is that you want to achieve, and define it.

You must also know by when you want to do it. Then you can set a deadline and identify the tasks that are necessary. You write a timetable and follow it.

There are some things that might go wrong, but the important thing is to stick to your plan as much as possible.

Brazil tries to kick-start tourism:

The Brazilian tourist industry had problems in the past because of high inflation which led to short-term planning.

Hotels are long-term investments, often with payback periods of over 15 years.

For a start, Brazil needs cheaper and more frequent international air travel.

The other big challenge is to avoid the social problems: large numbers of people have come from the interior in search of jobs.

Some people believe that the developers have not planned the new resorts properly (without adeqate infrastrusture).

Many of these resorts have poor transport links and no local tourism or sports facilities to take advantage of.

Meetings

Interrupting and clarifying

Interrupting: Clarifying:

Could I say something?

Could I just comment on that?

Hold on a minute. Sorry to interrupt

but...

How do you mean exactly?

What exactly do you mean by...?

Are you saying...? So what you’re saying

is that...