Today is our topic of discussion Definition of Planning
Definition of Planning
Definition:
It is the process where policy is directed in preparing the actions of a program, or ‘the process through which a decision is transformed into action’.
Aims & objectives/Advantage of planning:
1. Enhance national development of country.
2. Planning is necessary for the economic utilization of manpower, material and financial resources.
3. Health planning is essential to improve the health services.
4. Planning gives a rough estimate of the time required for a project.
5. Planning better defines the course of action that we propose to undertake.
6. Planning gives us a fairly good idea about the expenses involved in the project.
7. Planning helps us to get prepared for emergencies that may arise during the course of the project.
8. Planning helps avoid duplication of labor.
9. If a plan is followed, every one will have a clear idea about his or her role.
Stages of health education/steps of planning a health education program
1. Collecting baseline data and information – Age, sex, occupation, population, sanitary conditions, health behavior, beliefs, attitudes, feelings etc.
2. Identifying health and health education needs on priority basis
3. Establishing goal and objectives
4. Deciding contents to be taught – Example: For safe disposal of human excreta, contents may be: importance of safe disposal of excreta, faecal-oral transmission process of disease, techniques of constructing a pit latrine, proper location of constructing a pit latrine, proper use of latrine.
5. Deciding target group – For safe disposal of human excreta, guardian of family, opinion makers.
6. Deciding for appropriate methods and media – For safe disposal of human excreta – the methods could be interview, discussion, counseling, mini-lecture, demonstration, role playing. The media could be wall chart, flash cards, model, and posters.
7. Identifying necessary and available resources
8. Determining time and techniques for evaluation
9. Developing a detail plan of action
Characteristics of planning:
1. It must be purposeful and need based.
2. It must consider the socio-political environment.
3. It must consider the available resources and appropriate technology.
4. It must be participative and coordinative.
5. It must be systematic.
6. It must have identification with the organization. It must relate with the purpose of the organization
7. It must be documented in written form.
8. It must be adoptive and flexible-but not too flexible.
9. It must have continuity
Plan:
The outcome of planning is the plan or a plan is the blue-print of action, where policy is transformed into a program, or it is the detailed and systematic programme of action.
Programme:
It is an arrangement of a series of steps or actions, designed to reach a goal or objective.
Planning cycle:
Planning is a continuous and dynamic process characterized by flexibility to match the environmental and changing nature of realities. Thus an approved plan may need to be revised in the light of actual achievements and shortfalls. A planning cycle is comprised of following stages –
Fig: Planning cycle and it’s stages
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