Page 11 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes According to Urwick, “Planning is a mental predisposition to do things in orderly way, to think before
acting and to act in the light of facts rather than guesses”. Planning is deciding best alternative among
others to perform different managerial functions in order to achieve predetermined goals.
According to Koontz & O’Donell, “Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do and who is to
do it. Planning bridges the gap between where we are to, where we want to go. It makes possible things to
occur which would not otherwise occur”.

Steps in Planning Function

Planning function of management involves following steps:
1. Establishment of objectives
a. Planning requires a systematic approach.

b. Planning starts with the setting of goals and objectives to be achieved.
c. Objectives provide a rationale for undertaking various activities as well as indicate
direction of efforts.

d. Moreover objectives focus the attention of managers on the end results to be achieved.
e. As a matter of fact, objectives provide nucleus to the planning process. Therefore,
objectives should be stated in a clear, precise and unambiguous language. Otherwise
the activities undertaken are bound to be ineffective.
f. As far as possible, objectives should be stated in quantitative terms. For example,
Number of men works, wages given, units produced, etc. But such an objective
cannot be stated in quantitative terms like performance of quality control manager,
effectiveness of personnel manager.
g. Such goals should be specified in qualitative terms.
h. Hence objectives should be practical, acceptable, workable and achievable.
2. Establishment of planning premises

a. Planning premises are the assumptions about the lively shape of events in future.
b. They serve as a basis of planning.
c. Establishment of planning premises is concerned with determining where one tends
to deviate from the actual plans and causes of such deviations.
d. It is to find out what obstacles are there in the way of business during the course of
operations.

e. Establishment of planning premises is concerned to take such steps that avoid these
obstacles to a great extent.
f. Planning premises may be internal or external. Internal includes capital investment
policy, management labour relations, philosophy of management, etc. Whereas
external includes socio- economic, political and economic changes.

g. Internal premises are controllable whereas external are non-controllable.
3. Choice of alternative course of action
a. When forecast are available and premises are established, a number of alternative
course of actions have to be considered.

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