Planning (Management)
Definition: Identifying alternatives, selecting the best one, and developing budgets to guide execution.
Three-Stage Structure
| Stage | Question | Example (TSN) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Identify alternatives | What options exist? | NHL rights, CFL rights, NBA rights, golf tournaments |
| 2. Select best alternative | Which achieves our objectives? | NHL—aligns with Canadian audience, highest ROI |
| 3. Develop budget | How much can we spend? | $X million for broadcast rights, production, talent |
Key Insight
Plans are usually expressed as budgets—formal, quantitative, future-oriented. If there's no budget attached, it's probably not planning in the managerial accounting sense.
TSN Examples
- Deciding which sports broadcasting rights to pursue next season
- Selecting the programming mix that maximizes viewership objectives
- Setting the annual budget for production costs and on-air talent
Common Trap
Mixing planning with directing. Planning happens before execution. If you're assigning people to tasks, you've moved into directing. Planning sets the "what" and "how much"—not the "who does what today."
North: Where this comes from
- What are the Four Management Functions (parent framework)
- Strategic Management (longer-term planning horizon)
East: What opposes this?
- Reactive Management (no forward planning)
- Directing and Motivating (execution, not direction-setting)
South: Where this leads
- Budgets (primary output)
- Controlling (Management) (compares actual to planned)
West: What's similar?
- Goal Setting (planning at individual level)
- Resource Allocation (distributing budget across alternatives)