Planification en gestion : nature, importance, types
La planification est la première des fonctions managériales essentielles. La planification est importante car, par nature, elle s'intéresse aux objectifs organisationnels et implique une prise de décision sur les voies et moyens souhaités pour atteindre les objectifs.
La planification est le processus par lequel les gestionnaires établissent des objectifs et définissent les méthodes par lesquelles ces objectifs doivent être atteints. La planification implique la sélection de missions et d'objectifs ainsi que les actions pour les atteindre ; cela nécessite une prise de décision, qui consiste à choisir parmi d’autres plans d’action futurs.
Il s’agit donc d’une approche rationnelle pour atteindre des objectifs présélectionnés.
Planning is thus taken as the foundation for future activities. Newman has thus defined it as, “Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done; that is a plan is a projected course of action.”
So, planning can be thought of as deciding on a future course of action. It may also be treated as a process of thinking before doing it.
Management has to plan for long-range and short-range future direction by looking ahead into the future, by estimating and evaluating the future behavior of the relevant environment and by determining the enterprise’s own desired role.
Planning involves determining various types and volumes of physical and other resources to be acquired from outside, to allocate these resources in an efficient manner among competing claims and to make arrangements for the systematic conversion of these resources into useful outputs.
As it is clear from the above discussion, plans have two basic components: goals and action statements.
Les objectifs représentent an end state — the targets and results that managers hope to achieve.
Action statements represent the means by which an organization goes ahead to attain its goals. Planning is a deliberate and conscious act by means of which managers determine a course of action for pursuing a specific goal.
Planning to a manager means thinking about what is to be done, who is going to do it, and how and when he will do it. It also involves thinking about past events (retrospectively) and about future opportunities and impending threats (prospectively).
Planning enquirers about organizational strengths and weaknesses and involves decision making about desired ways and means to achieve them.
There are, however, differences between decision making and planning. Decisions can be made without planning but planning cannot be done without making decisions.
Nature de la planification
La nature de la planification peut être comprise en examinant ses quatre aspects principaux. Ils sont;
C'est une contribution aux objectifs,
C'est la primauté parmi les tâches du manager.
C'est l'omniprésence, et
L'efficacité des plans résultants.
La contribution de la planification à l’atteinte des objectifs
Since plans are made to attain goals or objectives, every plan and all its support should contribute to the achievement of the organization’s purpose and objectives.
An organized enterprise exists to accomplish group objectives through willing and purposeful co-operation.
Primauté de la planification
Le fait que la planification soit la fonction principale de la direction est prouvé par le fait que toutes les autres fonctions telles que l'organisation, la dotation en personnel, menant et contrôler are designed to support the accomplishment of the enterprise’s objectives.
Planning quite logically, therefore, comes first avant d'exécuter toutes autres fonctions de direction as it involves establishing the objectives necessary for all group efforts. Also, all the other managerial functions must be planned if they are to be effective.
Likewise, planning and controlling are inextricably bound up. Control without a plan is meaningless because the plan provides the basis or standard of control.
Omniprésence de la planification
Planning is a unique and universal function of all managers.
The character and scope of planning may vary with each manager’s authority and with the nature of the policies and plans outlined by superiors, but all managers must have some function of planning.
Because of one’s authority or position in the managerial hierarchy, one may do more or less planning, but some kind or amount of planning a manager must do.
According to Weihrich and Koontz; “All managers, from presidents to first-level supervisors – plan.”
L'efficacité des plans
Plans should not only be effective, but also efficient. The effectiveness of a plan relates to the extent to which it accomplishes the objectives.
The efficiency of the plan, however, means its contribution to the purpose and objectives, offset by the costs and other factors required to formulate and operate it.
Plans are efficient if they achieve their objective at a reasonable cost when such a cost is the measure not only in terms of time, money or production but also in terms of satisfaction of the individual or group.
Both conceptual and practical reasons are put forward in support of planning. Two conceptual reasons supporting systematic planning by managers are limited resources and an uncertain environment.
Relever le défi de la rareté des ressources
Resource scarcity is a very important consideration for any organization today. There would be no need for planning if material, financial and human resources were unlimited and cheap.
Planners in both private business and public agencies are challenged to stretch their limited resources through intelligent planning.
Otherwise, wasteful inefficiencies would give rise to higher prices, severe shortages, and great public dissatisfaction.
Faire face à l’incertitude environnementale
The second most important conceptual reason is that organizations continually face environmental uncertainty in the course of accomplishing the tasks.
Organizations meet this challenge largely through planning safeguards.
Some organizations do this job better than others partly because of their different patterns of response to environmental factors beyond the organization’s immediate control.
Besides, managers have several practical reasons for formulating plans for themselves, their employees, and various organizational units, viz.,
pour compenser l'incertitude et le changement ;
concentrer l'activité organisationnelle sur un ensemble d'objectifs consciemment créés ;
fournir une feuille de route coordonnée et systématique pour les activités futures ;
accroître l'efficacité économique grâce à un fonctionnement efficace ; et
faciliter le contrôle en établissant une norme pour les activités ultérieures.
Planification et performances
Although organizations that use formal planning do not always outperform those that do not plan, most studies show positive relationships between planning and performance.
Effective planning and implementation play a greater part in high performance than does the amount of planning done.
Studies have shown that when formal planning has not led to higher performance, the external environment is often the reason.
Le rôle des objectifs et des plans dans la planification
Planning is often called the primary management function because it establishes the basis for all other functions.
Planning involves two important elements: goals and plans. Goals (often called objectives) are desired outcomes for individuals, groups, or entire organizations.
Plans hiérarchiques :
Ces plans sont élaborés à trois grands niveaux hiérarchiques, à savoir le noyau institutionnel, managérial et technique. Les plans pour ces trois niveaux sont :
Plan stratégique.
Plan administratif ou intermédiaire.
Les plans opérationnels peuvent également être classés selon la fréquence ou la répétitivité de l'utilisation. Ils sont largement classés comme :
Plans permanents :
Des plans permanents sont élaborés pour couvrir les problèmes auxquels les gestionnaires sont confrontés à plusieurs reprises. Un tel plan permanent peut être appelé procédure opérationnelle standard (SOP). Généralement, cinq types de plans permanents sont utilisés ;
Mission ou but
Stratégie
Stratégies
Règles
Procédures
Forfaits à usage unique :
Les plans à usage unique sont préparés pour des situations ou des problèmes uniques ou uniques et sont normalement jetés ou remplacés après une seule utilisation. Généralement, quatre types de forfaits à usage unique sont utilisés. Ceux-ci sont;
Objectifs ou buts
Programmes
Projets
Budgets
Des plans d'urgence:
Des plans d'urgence sont élaborés pour faire face aux situations qui pourraient survenir si ces hypothèses s'avéraient fausses. Ainsi, la planification d'urgence consiste à élaborer des plans d'action alternatifs à prendre si des événements perturbent un plan d'action prévu.
Planning is thus taken as the foundation for future activities. Newman has thus defined it as, “Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done; that is a plan is a projected course of action.”
So, planning can be thought of as deciding on a future course of action. It may also be treated as a process of thinking before doing it.
Management has to plan for long-range and short-range future direction by looking ahead into the future, by estimating and evaluating the future behavior of the relevant environment and by determining the enterprise’s own desired role.
Planning involves determining various types and volumes of physical and other resources to be acquired from outside, to allocate these resources in an efficient manner among competing claims and to make arrangements for the systematic conversion of these resources into useful outputs.
As it is clear from the above discussion, plans have two basic components: goals and action statements.
Les objectifs représentent an end state — the targets and results that managers hope to achieve.
Action statements represent the means by which an organization goes ahead to attain its goals. Planning is a deliberate and conscious act by means of which managers determine a course of action for pursuing a specific goal.
Planning to a manager means thinking about what is to be done, who is going to do it, and how and when he will do it. It also involves thinking about past events (retrospectively) and about future opportunities and impending threats (prospectively).
Planning enquirers about organizational strengths and weaknesses and involves decision making about desired ways and means to achieve them.
There are, however, differences between decision making and planning. Decisions can be made without planning but planning cannot be done without making decisions.
