Planning Tools and Techniques (Unit 3, Lesson 3.4)

Vocabulary flashcards covering the planning tools and techniques discussed in Unit 3, Lesson 3.4. Terms include environmental analysis, forecasting methods, benchmarking, resource allocation tools, and contemporary planning approaches.

Planning

The process of developing sound decisions and strategies to reach organizational goals; acts as a roadmap for the organization.

Planning Techniques

Methods managers use to prepare or evaluate plans, programs, and policies, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.

Environmental Scanning

Gathering and screening information to anticipate and interpret changes in the environment; involves both internal and external factors.

Internal Environment

Forces and conditions inside the organization that affect decisions and performance, such as policies, culture, resources, and structures.

Macro Environment

External factors at a broad level, including political/legal, economic, sociocultural, and technological forces.

Micro Environment

External forces close to the organization, such as competitors, suppliers, customers, and intermediaries.

Forecasting

Predicting future events to inform planning, following environmental scanning; has quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Quantitative Forecasting

Forecasting that uses past data and mathematical rules (time series, regression, econometric models) to predict outcomes.

Qualitative Forecasting

Forecasting that relies on judgment and opinions of knowledgeable people (jury of opinion, salesforce input, customer evaluation).

Benchmarking

A technique to achieve superior performance by comparing practices with those of best-in-class organizations; internal and external forms exist.

Internal Benchmarking

Comparing performance and practices within different departments, branches, or units of the same organization.

External Benchmarking

Comparing performance and practices with other organizations to identify best practices.

Simple Frequency Count

A planning tool that prioritizes problems by tallying votes, similar to an election count.

Flowchart

A planning tool that uses symbols to depict the sequence and decisions in a process, aiding understanding of workflow.

Gantt Chart

A scheduling tool that displays tasks on a bar graph with time on the horizontal axis and activities on the vertical axis to show progress.

Activity Network Diagram

A planning tool that maps the sequence and dependencies of activities within a project.

PDCA Cycle

Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle used for continuous improvement and iterative planning.

Gap Analysis

A tool to identify the gap between an organization’s current state and its desired future state, often paired with benchmarking.

SWOT Analysis

A diagnostic tool that analyzes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to inform strategy.

Contingency Planning

Identifying alternative courses of action to implement when the initial plan proves inadequate or is disrupted.

Scenario Planning

A long-term planning approach that identifies possible future scenarios and prepares actions for each.

Project Management

A planning technique that coordinates collaborative activities with fixed deadlines and budgets under a project manager.

Participatory Planning

Involving organization members who will be affected by the plans and those who will implement them to increase engagement and acceptance.

Budgeting

Creating a numerical plan for allocating resources across activities, including non-financial resources like personnel and capacity.

Scheduling

Identifying the sequence and timing of activities, assigning responsibilities, and setting deadlines; uses tools like load charts, PERT, and Gantt charts.

Break-Even Analysis

Determining the point at which total revenue equals total costs to guide pricing and output decisions.

MBO (Management by Objectives)

A goal-setting technique that aligns individual goals with organizational objectives through joint planning.

SMART Goals

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals used to define feasible objectives.

Project Management (as a planning technique)

Coordinating cross-functional activities with fixed deadlines to achieve project goals within scope.

Time Series Analysis

A quantitative method using historical data to identify trends and forecast future values.

Regression Analysis

A quantitative method that models the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables to forecast outcomes.

Econometric Models

Quantitative forecasting models that apply statistical and mathematical theories to economic relationships.

Time-Bound Planning Tools (e.g., PDCA, Gantt, Flowcharts)

Tools that structure planning with time constraints to monitor progress and adjust actions.

City Development Strategy (CDS)

Philippine urban planning framework that promotes long-term development, stakeholder participation, and knowledge sharing.

Time-Related Planning Tools in CDS Toolkit

Includes simple frequency count, flowchart, Gantt Chart, activity network diagram, and PDCA cycle for planning scenarios.