Planning and Control Are Necessary Functions A Small Business Owner Must Master
written by Niki Tudge Copyright 2011
In order to function successfully a business needs to plan and control its business activities. Planning is a series of activities with a start and a finish to accomplish a goal using the resources available within the organization. Planning is a management process; a responsibility of management is to attain the organizations objectives. Mullins (2002 p 172) describes managing activity as “to forecast, plan, organize, command, to coordinate and to control”.
“Planning is decision making based on futurity. It is a continuous process of making entrepreneurial decisions with an eye on the future” Kerzner (2001 P 550). Without proper planning projects do not meet time-lines, achieve their objectives or deliver the required results for an organization.
According to Kerzner (2001) the key advantages to planning are
- It provides a clear understanding of what you need to do in order to achieve your objectives.
- The plan guides you in prioritizing and making decisions.
- The planning allows you to focus organizational resources on the areas that will most benefit the organization.
- Planning keeps you in touch with your context, environment, industry and external business forces.
- Planning provides the tools to help you communicate your intentions to others.
- Planning provides a coherent guide for day-to-day implementation.
Planning is described as “the function of selecting enterprise objectives and establishing the policies, procedures and programs necessary to achieve them” (Kerzner 2001 p 549). Whereas control is the process that allows the organization to react to changing circumstances, review and make the necessary adjustments to achieve the organizations goals.
Control is not just used to describe financial controls through revenue and expense management. Control is monitoring progress, checking performance and intervening when changes need to be made to bring the activity back to plan.
Control incorporates managing quality, resources, information and change. Mullins (2002 P 766- 770) states that “management control is primarily a process for motivating and inspiring people to perform organizational activities”
The DogSmith leadership will help you plan and control your business activities whether they are your key tasks, financial, marketing or customer service. History is full of great products and services that failed simply because the business wasn’t operated profitably. To Run Your Dog Training & Pet Care Business Successfully, You Need to Master Business Finances, Manage Employees & Learn How To Market and Deliver Your Dog Training & Pet Care Services to Attract and Retain Customers… The DogSmith will show you how!
Bibliography
Kerzner, H. (2001) Project Management, New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc
Mullins, L.J. (2002), Management and Organizational Behavior, Edinburgh, Pearson Education Limited