Table of Contents
- Planning Document Definition and Meaning
- What Is a Planning Document?
- 10 Types of Planning Documents
- Planning Document Uses, Purposes, and Importance
- What’s in a Planning Document? Parts?
- How to Design a Planning Document
- Planning vs. Strategy
- What’s the Difference Between Planning, Scheduling, and Forecasting?
- Planning Sizes
- Planning Ideas and Examples
- FAQs
- More in Planning
Planning
Planning documents are widely used for projects and basically for any matter that requires deliverables beforehand. This document provides planners and project managers with a detailed report and information in order to rectify a project’s implementation.
Planning Document Definition and Meaning
Planning documents are a set of documents used by organizers and planners to arrange a project, program, or proposal.
Planning documents are essential because this help systemize and map the different workflow, processes, steps, and recommendations needed to complete a project or anything similar.
What Is a Planning Document?
The very essence of planning helps individuals and organizations visualize the future, it is the capacity to think ahead and formulate goals, objectives, and action plans. When a project or program is visualized, planning documents play an important role in ensuring that everything basically goes as planned. Planning documents are diverse and are different per industry, however, these provide consistency and clarity allowing a seamless transition.
10 Types of Planning Documents
Planning Vision Board
A planning vision board, as its name suggests is a visual material that represents one’s goals and aspirations. This tool consists of various photographs, descriptions, and tables that represent various stages and ambitions in one’s life. It is a creative yet useful alternative to set up one’s goals and for those who intend to give direction to their lives in an organized manner.
Event Planning Checklist
Events however small or big require careful planning to ensure their success. An event planning checklist document consists of every aspect and element needed to execute a successful event. This includes the budget, operations, decorations, logistics, catering, and many more which are widely used by event organizers and companies.
Sprint Planning
Sprint planning is defined as an occurrence in a stage or phase in Agile methodologies where a team analyzes and organizes its work in an upcoming sprint. Sprint planning involves a meeting to discuss and choose specific product backlog items that are qualified for their sprint goal. This meeting is organized by the product owner.
SMART Goal Planning
One effective way of identifying one’s goal is by using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal-setting tool. SMART goal planning guides individuals and organizations as they work their way through the objectives and initiatives they hope to accomplish in the future. It is a strategic method that organizes and narrows down the set of goals allowing better opportunities for achievement.
Human Resource Planning
The HR or human resource department is one of the major divisions in a company as they are in charge of employment management and other administrative duties. One of their main priorities is to continuously plan and improve policies and administer employees. Human resource planning is a strategic method that evaluates the current state of an organization’s employees ensuring that a balance is maintained as there are no storage or surpluses in the number of employees and making sure everyone has the right skills to help run the company.
Checklist Market Planning
A checklist market planning is an ideal tool that helps the marketing team with their upcoming projects and other endeavors. A marketing plan usually involves budgeting, market analysis, market research, objectives, strategies, competitors, customers, and other relevant details. Using a checklist helps mitigate the complex planning process and it ensures that everything is covered.
Scrum Sprint Planning
Scrum sprint planning is an event where the whole team gets together and identifies the production goals and objectives regarding product backlogs. The whole team should collaborate and find ways to ensure that the work is finished on time. Those involved in the planning process are the development team, the Scrum master, and the product owner.
Resource and Capacity Planning
Any upcoming projects or production work requires the right number of people and budget. In order to achieve that, resource and capacity planning allows management to properly organize their employees and their monetary resources to deliver top-quality work. To also ensure that work should be completed within the given schedule.
Sprint Planning Board
A sprint planning board helps optimize sprint planning by using a personalized board. This will help the team manage and monitor each task within the project. Also, the team can identify problems, view who is accountable for any issues, and determine the impact caused by the delays.
Restaurant Weekly Planning Guide
Running a restaurant can be hard work for owners and their teams, however, the right plan will help lessen the burden. A restaurant weekly planning guide is an effective tool that helps managers organize staff schedules, anticipated costs and revenue, reservations, upcoming events, promotions, and many more. A well-crafted restaurant weekly planning guide can help boost sales, manage employees, learn how to deal with customers, and ensure that every aspect needed to run a restaurant is covered.
Planning Document Uses, Purposes, and Importance
Planning documents have their own particular uses and advantages per industry. Without these documents organizers, project managers and companies will not be able to complete their projects and programs. It is the basis that determines if a project is feasible and more importantly it offers organizers a chance to make amendments and seek out recommendations.
Gives Direction
When an idea is formulated, you will need documents to back these up. This will help the team determine if the idea or plan is feasible based on the documents submitted and reviewed. And the outcome will dictate which path the team should choose to take.
Manage Expectations
Sometimes organizations have high hopes for a new product they want to launch into the market. However, a lot of things are to be considered before implementation. Planning documents will help manage expectations in terms of productivity, financial aspects, durability, marketing constraints, and other important factors.
Impact
Planning documents also help determine the positive and negative impact of an upcoming project or plan. Research, reports, and comparison charts are one of the many documents that help distinguish the pros and cons. And these results would help management come up with initiatives to ensure a better outcome.
Utilize the Right Resources
Another important feature of planning documents is that the project managers and owners are able to utilize the right resources based on research and comparison data. Utilizing the right resources will help manage expenses, maintains productivity, and improves performance. With that projects are able to move forward without further delays.
Saves Time, Effort, and Money
One significant reason why projects fail is because of poor management and inadequate planning. This is why project managers must ensure that the right planning documents are submitted and reviewed in order to determine any issues and concerns that need to be addressed. In this way, an ongoing project will be right on schedule and with a sufficient budget.
What’s in a Planning Document? Parts?
Title/Cover Page
Since there are so many types of planning documents it is important to write down the title in the uppermost section so the reader can identify what it is all about. This could also include its writer, the date, and to whom this is addressed.
Introduction
Right after the cover page, a brief introduction will give the reader an overview of what the document is all about. An introduction should be at least 3 to 5 sentences long.
Table of Contents
A table of contents is a detailed list of chapters and sections found in a document. And although not mandatory this section fits planning documents such as business plans, reports, proposals, and other documents with more than 10 pages.
Main Content
The main content is the most important aspect of the document as this contains facts, numbers, sources, charts, recommendations, and other information relevant to the document.
How to Design a Planning Document
1. Select a Planning Document Size.
2. Specify the purpose of preparing a planning document.
3. Choose an appropriate Planning Template.
4. Write down all the various sections that should be included in the planning document.
5. Add any graphics, charts, or clipart.
6. Review, finalize and download.
Planning vs. Strategy
Planning is the act of analyzing and carrying out plans regarding a certain subject matter in order to achieve goals and objectives.
Strategy is an action plan with the intention of achieving something usually over a long period of time.
What’s the Difference Between Planning, Scheduling, and Forecasting?
Planning is the process of creating and developing plans to achieve specific goals.
Scheduling is the act of making simple or detailed arrangements regarding a particular activity, task, or job which includes the reason, time, and dates.
Forecasting is the process of predicting or estimating based on past and present data which are then compared.
Planning Sizes
Planning documents are business and academic documents that require consistency in layout, format, and size. To ensure uniformity, there are only two types of planning sizes you should be familiar with.
- Letter Size: 8.5 inches × 11 inches
- A4 Size: 8.3 inches × 11.7 inches
Planning Ideas and Examples
When an individual or an organization is inspired by an idea, or opportunity or has a notion to initiate a project, then the next step is to start planning for it to determine if the plan is feasible. Construction industries, event organizers, researchers, academics, and large conglomerates use different kinds of planning ideas to give direction to the overall process to initiate their plans.
- Sprint Capacity Planning Ideas and Examples
- Planning & Management Ideas and Examples
- Event Planning Timeline Ideas and Examples
- Funeral Planning Checklist Ideas and Examples
- Environmental Planning Flowchart Ideas and Examples
- Finance Planning Gantt Chart Ideas and Examples
- Resource Planning Dashboard Ideas and Examples
- Planning Quotation Ideas and Examples
- Activity Planning Ideas and Examples
- Workshop Planning Checklist Ideas and Examples
FAQs
How can planning help you?
Planning can help us determine the direction we want to take in life, identify our goals, give us a presentation of the future, and more importantly think of alternatives in order to achieve our individual goals.
Why is strategic planning important?
Strategic planning is important because it helps individuals and organizations determine their objectives, find the best ways and alternatives to achieve goals, identify one’s strategic position and lastly track and monitor goals.
What activities are included in tactical planning?
Tactical planning involves creating objectives, tactics, and action items, ensuring there are enough resources to back up the plan/project, delegating roles and responsibilities, constructing a timeline, and incorporating flexibility.
How to make good planning?
Good planning starts with making use of an opportunity, intensive research if not conducting a feasibility study, constructing clear goals and objectives to support the plan, teamwork, flexibility, and adaptability to change.
How does the planning process work?
The process of planning starts with identifying an opportunity or formulating an idea, developing objectives, finding ways to back that opportunity usually through research, and determining the right resources needed to implement the plan.
What is succession planning?
Succession planning is the process of preparing the company and its employees for new leaders in case there is a need to replace employees holding high-level positions due to resignation or death.
What do I need planning permission for?
Planning permission is used by those who intend to build an extension or something new into a building that you own.
How to create an event planning business?
To start your very own event planning business you need to first learn how this industry works by properly educating yourself, making sure you have the right budget, defining your mission, goals, and objectives, make sure you’ve got the resources to start a business and gain experience by attending local events or seminars.
What is the effect of corporate planning on management?
The effect of corporate planning on management is that companies are able to optimize the wider use of their resources, bring everyone involved together, create contingency plans in case of an emergency, and improve overall performance thus providing the company with better chances of achieving their goals and objectives.
Why do companies need planning documents?
Companies need planning documents since they need leverage to achieve their goals and each type of planning document has its own individual uses which companies can highly benefit from.
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