14.1 Introduction to planning

Planning is an essential activity for any organisation that wants to succeed and achieve its objectives. In spite of this, it is an aspect of management that is often neglected or performed in a less than adequate fashion. Planning is the systematic process of establishing a need and then working out the best way to meet it. It is a process through which we decide objectives and activities, with their sequences and resources.

Planning answers six basic questions about any intended activity:

• What? (the goal or goals)
• When? (the timeframe in which it will be accomplished)
• Where? (the place to implement the plan)
• Who? (which people will perform the tasks)
• How? (the specific steps or methods to reach the goals)
• How much? (resources necessary to reach the goals)

These questions were integral parts of the process that led up to the publication of the OWNP final document, which sets out the overall plans and budget for the Programme. These same principles are the basis of planning and budgeting for the implementation of the OWNP by all the different levels of administration. The next section explains the process that led to the formulation of the OWNP plans and budgets. Subsequent sections describe the continuing processes used to put the overall plans into practice.