The principles of good planning are more or less the same for a long-term strategy as for an annual workplan. However, a strategy concentrates on policy directions, while a workplan is about the details of implementation. In this publication, our context is strategic planning, i.e., looking 5-10 years into the future. However, we believe that operations managers will find this manual to be helpful to them, as well.
We provide a framework of principles, strategic approaches, and worksheets. The worksheets are to help you make a self-assessment of how to strengthen planning in your own situation. The guidelines can be helpful at two levels:
1. FOR AGENCY EXECUTIVES AND SENIOR MANAGERS. - This publication can be a reference for senior managers in government ministries and agencies as they review their planning systems for forest conservation and development. What ideas can be found here that can improve your planning framework and process? We recommend that you concentrate on "Developing an effective planning framework," PART ONE (CH 1-4). You should then briefly review PART TWO (CH 5-7) on "Strengthening the Planning Environment". Finally, you should quickly study the content and format of the worksheets in APPENDIX III.2. FOR TRAINERS AND PLANNING LEADERS. - The guidelines can assist planning leaders and trainers with ideas and materials. Should you be re-structuring your planning tasks, and are you looking for new planning tools?
For TRAINERS AND PLANNING LEADERS, you need to systematically cover the entire publication:
· the INTRODUCTION sets the stage in stressing changing perspectives and new demands for forest use and conservation towards sustainable forest development which shape the new approaches and process in forestry planning.· CH 1 is about issues that define a planning agenda. This agenda has inter-sectoral and macroeconomic aspects, enterprise aspects, environmental aspects, social aspects, and sustainability aspects.
· CH 2 provides you with several planning methods and tools. Especially if you are leading a training session or planning exercise, you should review these methods early. This will help you decide how to use them in the different stages of your work.
· CH 3 reviews the conclusions about problems and needs for improvements and provides a fresh look at the planning process as a cycle of continuous improvement. A planning team, and the individuals to whom it reports, must clearly understand this cycle.
· CH 4 presents ten key concepts that add value to the planning process.
· CH 5 will focus on methods of people-centered participation. From the viewpoint of a public agency, this is planning's outward orientation - its face to the external environment.
· In CH 6, the subject is how to negotiate conflicts, both within your agency and with interest groups.
· CH 7 discusses how to improve the planning framework within your agency. This is your internal environment.
· At the end of the publication, we present three appendices. The first is a glossary to define planning terms. Many terms have meanings not found in ordinary dictionaries. Secondly, we provide references for those of you who want to go deeper into planning concepts and methods. Thirdly, you will find 43 worksheets. You should review them to identify the ones which are most important to you. You can photocopy these worksheets for training sessions and planning meetings. You will be able to select and combine worksheets to make different packages (or "menus").
An effective planner translates principles into actions. This happens only through learning-by-doing. To users of this publication, we wish you much success as you practice what you will be learning.
