Planning in practice — a case study

Abstract

The previous chapters of the book have looked in some depth at the different planning tasks which were identified in Chapter 1 (Figure 1.3). Whereas the separate discussion of these planning tasks can help in understanding each task more fully there are some dangers that readers will forget that the tasks need to fit together within any organisation. For this reason this final chapter will be devoted to an in-depth look at one particular real world organisation and the way in which it approaches business planning. It is hoped to show how the various planning tasks are undertaken and some of the reasons for approaching planning in that way. Equally importantly the example will seek to illustrate some of the very real difficulties of making plans work out in practice and how the company’s circumstances affect the choice of planning ‘techniques’.