Chapter 3

PLANNING TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

If managing an organization is to be pursued vigorously, planning will constitute the most

important activity. Managers who plan are afforded with the opportunity to carefully analyze situations
which directly contributes to effective decision-making.
The engineer manager, regardless of his management level, will have to devote some of his time
to planning. The higher the management level, the more sophisticated his planning activity becomes.

The Nature of Planning

There are many instances when managers are overwhelmed by various activities which at times
becloud his judgment. This must be expected since anybody who is confronted by several situations
happening simultaneously will loose sight of the more important concerns. To minimize mistakes in
decision-making, planning is undertaken.
A plan, which is the output of planning, provides a methodical way of achieving desired results.
In the implementation of activities, the plan serves as a useful guide. Without the plan, some minor
tasks may be afforded major attention which may, later on, hinder the accomplishment of objectives.

Situation:

The management of an engineering firm was able to identify the need to hire additional three
employees. The manager proceeded to invite applicants, screen them, and finally hired three of
them. When the hiring expense report was analyzed, it involved more than double the amount spent by
other firms in hiring the same number of people.

When an inquiry was made, it was found out that the manager committed some errors of
judgment. For instance, he used an expensive advertising layout in a newspaper when a simple message
will do.
Also, it was found out that the absence of a hiring plan contributed to the high cost of hiring.
Definitions of Planning

Various experts define planning in various ways

Planning, according to Nickels and others, refers to “the management function that involves
anticipating future trends and determining the best strategies and tactics to achieve organizational
objectives.”

Aldag and Stearns, on the other hand, define planning as “the selection and sequential ordering
of tasks required to achieve an organizational goal.”

The definition of planning according to Cole and Hamilton is “deciding what will be done, who
will do it, where, when and how it will be done, and the standards to which it will be done.”

For our purpose, it will suffice to define planning as selecting the best course of action so that
the desired result may be achieved. It must be stressed that the desired result takes first priority and the
course of action chosen is the means to realize the goal.