Planning Method

A Planning Method is a method that can organize future activities through systematic procedures to achieve planning objectives.

• AKA: Planning Approach, Planning Technique, Planning Process.
• Context:
  • It can typically define Planning Goals through objective specification.
  • It can typically establish Planning Timelines through temporal scheduling.
  • It can typically allocate Planning Resources through systematic distribution.
  • It can typically identify Planning Constraints through limitation analysis.
  • It can typically sequence Planning Activities through logical ordering.
  • ...
  • It can often incorporate Planning Contingencies through risk mitigation.
  • It can often adapt Planning Adjustments through dynamic modification.
  • It can often integrate Planning Stakeholders through collaborative processes.
  • It can often evaluate Planning Alternatives through comparative analysis.
  • It can often support Planning Tasks through structured execution.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Simple Planning Method to being a Complex Planning Method, depending on its planning method complexity.
  • It can range from being a Short-Term Planning Method to being a Long-Term Planning Method, depending on its planning method temporal scope.
  • It can range from being a Rigid Planning Method to being a Flexible Planning Method, depending on its planning method adaptability.
  • It can range from being a Individual Planning Method to being a Collaborative Planning Method, depending on its planning method participation model.
  • It can range from being a Tactical Planning Method to being a Strategic Planning Method, depending on its planning method organizational level.
  • ...
  • It can utilize Planning Tools for plan development.
  • It can employ Planning Frameworks for structured organization.
  • It can leverage Planning Metrics for progress tracking.
  • It can integrate Planning Documentation for plan communication.
  • It can implement Planning Models for systematic representation.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Strategic Planning Methods, such as:
    • SWOT Analysis Planning Method for strategic planning through strength-weakness analysis.
    • Scenario Planning Method for future planning through alternative scenario development.
    • Vision Planning Method for organizational planning through vision articulation.
    • Strategic Planning Process for long-term planning through strategic objectives.
  • Project Planning Methods, such as:
    • Critical Path Planning Method for project planning through dependency mapping.
    • Agile Planning Method for iterative planning through sprint organization.
    • Waterfall Planning Method for sequential planning through phase definition.
    • PERT Planning Method for probabilistic planning through time estimation.
  • Resource Planning Methods, such as:
    • Capacity Planning Method for resource planning through utilization optimization.
    • Financial Planning Method for budget planning through monetary allocation.
    • Workforce Planning Method for human resource planning through staffing analysis.
  • Operational Planning Methods, such as:
    • Production Planning Method for manufacturing planning through output scheduling.
    • Supply Chain Planning Method for logistics planning through flow optimization.
    • Maintenance Planning Method for asset planning through preventive scheduling.
  • Computational Planning Methods, such as:
    • Planning Algorithms for automated planning through computational search.
    • Agent Planning Processes for autonomous planning through goal reasoning.
    • AI Planning Methods for intelligent planning through state-space search.
    • Reinforcement Learning Planning Methods for adaptive planning through reward optimization.
  • Organizational Planning Methods, such as:
    • Organizational Planning Processes for enterprise planning through hierarchical coordination.
    • Business Planning Methods for commercial planning through market analysis.
    • Team Planning Methods for collaborative planning through consensus building.
  • Personal Planning Methods, such as:
    • Time Management Planning Method for personal planning through priority setting.
    • Goal Setting Planning Method for achievement planning through objective definition.
    • Career Planning Method for professional planning through development pathway.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Reactive Methods, which respond to immediate situations rather than future activities.
  • Execution Methods, which implement existing plans rather than create them.
  • Analysis Methods, which examine past events rather than organize future actions.
  • Monitoring Methods, which track current states rather than plan future states.
• See: Method, Strategic Planning, Project Management, Resource Allocation, Scheduling, Forecasting Method, Decision-Making Method, Organizational Method, Planning Algorithm, Planning Task, Planning Model, Agent Planning Process, Strategic Planning Process, Organizational Planning Process, World Model.

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References

2017

• (Wikipedia, 2017) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning Retrieved:2017-5-31.
  • Planning (also called forethought) is the process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve a desired goal. It involves the creation and maintenance of a plan, such as psychological aspects that require conceptual skills. There are even a couple of tests to measure someone’s capability of planning well. As such, planning is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior.

    Also, planning has a specific process and is necessary for multiple occupations (particularly in fields such as management, business, etc.). In each field there are different types of plans that help companies achieve efficiency and effectiveness. An important, albeit often ignored aspect of planning, is the relationship it holds to forecasting. Forecasting can be described as predicting what the future will look like, whereas planning predicts what the future should look like for multiple scenarios. Planning combines forecasting with preparation of scenarios and how to react to them. Planning is one of the most important project management and time management techniques. Planning is preparing a sequence of action steps to achieve some specific goal. If a person does it effectively, they can reduce much the necessary time and effort of achieving the goal. A plan is like a map. When following a plan, a person can see how much they have progressed towards their project goal and how far they are from their destination.

2006

• (LaValle, 2006) ⇒ Steven M. LaValle. (2006). “Planning Algorithms." Cambridge University Press. ISBN:0521862051
  • QUOTE: This book presents a unified treatment of many different kinds of planning algorithms. The subject lies at the crossroads between robotics, control theory, artificial intelligence, algorithms, and computer graphics. The particular subjects covered include motion planning, discrete planning, planning under uncertainty, sensor-based planning, visibility, decision-theoretic planning, game theory, information spaces, reinforcement learning, nonlinear systems, trajectory planning, nonholonomic planning, and kinodynamic planning.

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