Plan vs Planning

Let’s not start with government this time, let’s start with individual. What a person does to achieve something in his life? What does s/he do to become successful? Reading the title of this essay, you must have already presumed the answer is ‘PLAN’. Indeed, almost all of the people in this world have planned, whether it is doing school assignment or preparing breakfast before leaving office, whether it is saving the lives of millions of people through heroic action or murdering someone. Whatever, the action is- most of the time, people plan, consciously or unconsciously.

In this essay, I will be highlighting both the ‘Plan’ and the ‘Planning’ as a process, most of the time linking it to different institutions and countries. Plan is a set of actions that have been thought of as a way to do or achieve something (Meriam Webster Dictionary), whereas, planning is the process of making plan to make something done.

It is with no doubt that the success that several institutions of Nepal such as Chaudhary group, Maiti Nepal, Bhabhatini super market, Bajeko Sekwa is achieving because of the right plan they prepared and implemented in tremendously successful approach. People are frequently hearing their stories of struggle and their way towards success, some have even wrote a book and most of their articles and interviews are published in newspapers. That means, they have shared to the public that how they became successful, what are the struggle they did and what are reasons behind achieving this change which we can see in the national market/society today. Now, the question is why other similar institutions are not achieving the success what these institutions have being achieving? Approaches are open, plans are exposed, team is visible, market is similar – but why other such institutions have not been achieving so well? Answers to these questions can differ from person to person, whereas, I have highlighted a reason that have been impacted the change and degree of progress.

Though, every progress and plan seems visible, what is really invisible in any institution is ‘Planning Process’ and on another hand society, market and problem – dynamics, changes every situation bringing different results. Plan is very essential, but it is only a roadmap. It will definitely be difficult to walk according to plan. But, what really matters is strategy to move to achieve plan which I call ‘Planning Process’. There are several factors that affect the process of moving ahead. Time is never the same, so the planning process should never be the same. Planning goes together with implementation. Most of the people in Nepal say, Nepal is lacking behind because we cannot implement the policies and plan made. But, I feel that we are not moving ahead because we do not successfully implement the policies and plans made. We are lacking behind because we are not analyzing our real context/situation and we even don’t bother to understand the social and economic dynamics that our country has. Picking up successful policies of other countries and trying to make change will not always help our country because, we do not have similar situation and people do not have similar knowledge or belief. This is why we fail most of the time. Rather, the tool to work in a fluctuating situation is frequent planning in each and every step we take. Planning process is essential whether it is progressive or regressive steps that we take. It is believed that degree of interaction between the actors defines the potentiality to solve the problems and challenges they face.

However, to conclude my write up, I believe plan is a vision or a roadmap which will not be accomplished until and unless there is effective and efficient planning in every action. One is incomplete without the other.