BETWEEN PLANNING AND PLAN

Lessons Learnt

As noted by Pam Didner, “planning is an active way of discussing the goals, objectives, strategies, and tasks that we need to accomplish and plans are the documentation of planning”. Planning involved an intentional course of action(s), planning is the process that produces the output - plan. These procedures cut across different spheres - business, governance, strategy, finance social development among others.

It is widely noted that General Dwight D. Eisenhower opined that “plan is nothing but planning is everything”, though some attributed the source as an anonymous soldier. Furthermore, the general was noted to have stated that “soon after the battle starts the original battle plan is almost useless, but at that point, the understanding that comes from the planning process that produced it, is invaluable”. Similarly, a Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von nicknamed ‘Moltke the Elder’ said in 1871 that “no plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces.”. These are military strategy planning process illustrations of the dynamics and interplay of the process involved in the production of plans for military engagements. Though the quotations are military-oriented, however, any lessons leant could be applied across different fields of human endeavour.

The different quotations on military planning and plan encapsulate the challenges in achieving the end goal of plans to solve issues in marketing, finance, development, public health, project development, urban planning and governance among others. After the production of a plan, the problem could change even before the developed plan becomes operational thus rendering the plan inconsequential but the strategic lessons acquired with regards to problem identification, understanding the particular terrain, understanding human relations and even self-awareness become handy in any other plan production activity. Similarly, the knowledge gain in the application of necessary tools/techniques/models and frameworks in the course of developing the plan could be further applied in any similar area or other areas. Hence, a plan as output could amount to nothing or become fast outdated but the process of production would always be useful, to be recalled and reused.

So, the take-away here is that plans could become outdated in a short while, but the lessons gained in the process of producing the plan would be useful and could be replicated at other times, so the planning process is indispensable. Ultimately, the big lesson we need to draw from this is that one should not despair if a plan that took several hours, days, and months to prepare falls like a pack of cards, one should be positive that the lesson learnt in the process of the plan preparation would come useful in other areas and also while preparing others plan. Also, mistakes of the past could easily be avoided and thus make the new plan more robust and realistic. Convincingly there is a need for greater flexibility in the process of plan-making to allow for manoeuvring, rigidity is not a virtue in making a robust and strategic plan.

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