· Select the best course of action. · Develop an alternate plan. · Test plans for completeness. Following this sequence will not always assure a good plan, but it will eliminate many problems and pitfalls you would normally encounter in planning. Analyze  the  Objective First, you must break the objective into components and  establish  relationships  among  them.  You  must answer the questions: What specific operations must I achieve to accomplish the objective, and how are those operations related to each other? Then you must analyze each operation to determine what is needed to perform it. In this way, you form specific tasks. By grouping these tasks, you can determine the specific jobs to be assigned. Evaluate the Situation When you evaluate the situation, try to determine what you need to reach your goal. Use your knowledge and  experience  to  examine  available  resources,  policies, and  procedures.  Do  you  have  enough  manpower, supplies and equipment, space, and time to get the job done?  How  about  your  standard  operating  procedures (SOPs)  and  policies?  You  may  need  to  coordinate  with other managers and/or staff personnel to get what you need. If some are unable to help you, this will have an impact on your plans. To evaluate, in this case, means you must look at the situation carefully before you begin operations. Consider All Possible Alternatives Now that you know what has to be done and what is available, you are ready to consider how to do it. The objective, available resources, and situation all tend to limit  your  alternatives.  One  very  effective  technique  for generating alternatives is “brainstorming.” Gather a group  of  people  (your  workers,  peers,  and  other concerned  managers  are  excellent  resources),  explain the objective, what resources are available, and any existing limitations. Then ask for ideas. You must resist the temptation to arbitrarily prejudge or discard possible courses of action. Often a half-baked scheme will trigger a better idea from another source. Selecting the Best Course of Action After you have met with your people, choose the best course of action to carry out the mission. In making this  decision,  consider  the  methods  and  techniques required  by  each  possible  course.  Determine  which methods are most appropriate and which to avoid. If you choose a widely different course of action from that followed in the past, be prepared to design and develop new techniques as needed. Make sure your action will meet all required deadlines. Also, be certain that your plan fits the assigned objective, is feasible under present circumstances, and will dovetail with the command mission and established policies. You may develop a beautiful  plan;  but  if  the  manpower  requirements  for  it are out of line with available resources, you will be fighting an uphill battle. Once you have decided on a viable plan, you must design  controls  for  the  process.  Good  controls  will  allow you  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  effectiveness  and efficiency of your plan. They will let you identify and correct  problems  before  they  reach  epic  proportions.  A good  plan  must  be  flexible  enough  to  respond  to required  adjustments  dictated  by  the  control  process. Develop an Alternate Plan Once you have developed a gem of a plan, expect it to fail! An alternate plan can save the day if the worst should happen. If conditions should change or resources should  suddenly  become  unavailable,  your  original  plan could well become unworkable. So develop a full-blown alternate plan at the beginning; you may not have enough time later. Test All Plans for Completeness After you have selected the best course of action and an alternate plan, check them both for completeness. Do they answer the six questions what, when, where, how, why,  and  who?  Are  they  both  adequate?  Do  they comply with current directives? Look at the overall plans  and  at  the  details.  Another  brainstorming  session designed to pick holes in the plans might help. THE TIME ELEMENT IN PLANNING Comprehensive  planning  can  be  time-consuming. As a result, you will frequently need to go ahead with the  several  planning  steps  without  having  all  the  facts. Flexibility  is  the  key  to  planning  under  these circumstances.  You  must  allow  for  changes  as  new information   or   alternatives   occur.   Give   due 4-8