What is forward planning?

Answer 1

Forward Planning is used in conjunction with business forecasting, current economics Vs. "Where do we want to be in ## years/months etc?", and situation management to create a business or political plan that will either be initiated gradually over a set period, or at the very least, will not be initiated until a certain time, or certain circumstances are met. It is a strategy to ensure that critical decisions can be prepared long before there is a situation that will require it, and is generally based on the assumption (and forecast) that there will eventually be a situation that requires it.

Here is an example:

"

Joe Blog Enterprises has won 3 major widget projects. Let's call them 1, 2 and 3.

Currently projects 1 and 2 utilize all the resources that Joe Blog has. Project 3 has a deadline that is later than 1 and 2, but it is cutting a fine line.

"

Forward planning will be used here to create a process, and timeline for the project that will be started, and continue at specific deadlines where resources are planned to be freed up by the completion of stages within project 1 and/or 2.

Normally, a business should only have to make about 15% of critical decisions on the fly, and 85% in preparation.

Without Forward Planning, businesses would have to make ALL critical decisions on the fly, leaving no room for growth and development planning.