Why do you need a plan?
Of course, as you learned from the last paragraph, there is no point in making such a plan, for example, if you want to set yourself the goal of buying a wardrobe. Nobody will postpone the purchase for fifteen years.
But if you want to buy an apartment, a car, save up for a trip around the world or study at a prestigious university abroad, then such a plan is especially suitable for you. Let us repeat once again: long-term is long-term, which means you need to write down the points to achieve the goal for three or more years in advance, dividing them into small subtasks.
It’s easiest to follow a plan when it’s broken down into sub-points: earn 50 thousand every month, invest 100 thousand every six months, etc. Small goals seem more achievable and with each step they bring you closer to the main task.
Also, you shouldn’t try to earn a million in three years if you get a couple of tens of thousands a month without taking into account food, utilities and other needs. Carefully weigh all the pros and cons before drawing up a plan, work it out to the smallest detail, take into account unforeseen force majeure situations, and then the result will satisfy you 100%.
Below is an example of a long-term plan, the goal of which is to buy a car worth one million rubles within four years. Of course, this should be without credits and loans.
Long-term planning at the enterprise
The article is devoted to long-term planning in an enterprise. The stages of drawing up a financial plan are considered, and long-term planning as a management function is considered. The basis for long-term planning is a deep technical and economic analysis of the capabilities of the enterprise, each of its workshops and production areas. Long-term planning helps make decisions on complex problems of the entire organization, including on an international scale.
Key words: long-term planning, strategy, development plan, activity analysis, financial plan
The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that in the modern world, each enterprise, in order to operate effectively, needs to analyze previous periods, based on the analysis, draw up plans for its future activities. All this is necessary for the company to make a profit and develop more and more every year. Many authors have addressed this topic, and each of them focused on the importance of the long-term plan in the development of the enterprise.
As already noted, for the successful operation and development of an enterprise it is necessary to take into account and analyze past periods, therefore there is a direct connection between planning, accounting and analysis, each direction complements the other. It is their interdependence that makes it possible to achieve greater economic and financial results in the future.
One of the most important processes in the efficiency of an enterprise is long-term planning. The term planning represents a management function. In modern conditions, it is necessary to logically determine the paths of development of an enterprise; it is necessary to set goals for each sector of activity and the work of all structural divisions [1].
Currently, the essence of long-term planning has acquired significant importance. This type of planning differs from others in that it provides for a long-term forecast and is developed for a period of 10–20 years.
In the process of long-term planning, general principles of guiding the enterprise towards the future (development concept) are developed; the strategic direction and development program, content and sequence of activities that ensure the achievement of the goals are determined.
The basis for long-term planning is a deep technical and economic analysis of the capabilities of the enterprise, each of its workshops and production areas [3]. At the same time, it is necessary to identify the leading and most promising areas of production.
The development of a long-term forecast plan takes place in several stages. The first stage is to draw up a draft plan, and here its indicators are calculated using aggregated calculation methods. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the data from marketing research that was carried out when developing a strategic plan [1]. An analysis of the dynamics of sales volumes over past periods is also carried out, then indicators of the actual availability and condition of production facilities are clarified. And based on this data, the enterprise’s production program and product sales plan for the future should be developed. Using this program, you can determine the future directions of the enterprise's innovative activities.
At the next stage, the cost of production is analyzed, the planned profit and profitability of production are calculated. Based on this, possible ways to reduce the cost of products (works/services) are being developed.
At the final stage of developing a long-term plan, a financial plan of the enterprise is drawn up, which uses the calculations made at the previous stages [2]. This plan includes items of income and expenses for each planned year. When developing a long-term plan, it is necessary to take into account various options for the development of the enterprise, since external conditions, such as price dynamics, fluctuations in demand, benefits, etc., are constantly changing.
Long-term planning helps make decisions on complex problems of the entire organization, including on an international scale. For example, the directions and amounts of capital investments are determined; technical innovations are being introduced; products are updated; the form of foreign investment is determined, etc.
An important component of long-term planning is the financial plan. One of its tasks is to provide the production and trading process with the necessary financial resources [4]. Also, with its help, financial relations with other business entities should be established; to identify ways of the most profitable investment of capital and reserves for its use. The objectives of financial planning include increasing profits, which is possible by saving money.
Next, we will consider such a point as a financial planning strategy. The content of the strategy is to determine its income (profit) centers and cost centers. Planning of financial indicators is carried out using certain methods.
Planning methods represent certain methods and techniques for calculating indicators. When planning financial indicators, the following methods are used:
– normative;
– calculation and analytical;
– balance;
– method for optimizing planning decisions;
– economic and mathematical modeling.
The financial strategy implemented in a specific mechanism for the functioning of an enterprise must be based on special principles that are suitable for the current state of the market economy.
There are a number of basic principles of the modern organization of finance of Russian enterprises (see Fig. 1). They were determined by summarizing foreign experience in organizing corporate finance, the experience of domestic enterprises, and analyzing the approaches of commercial banks to assessing the financial activities of their clients.
Fig.1. Principles of organizing finances of domestic enterprises
The implementation of these principles must be carried out when developing a financial strategy and organizing the financial management system of a particular enterprise. This should take into account:
- field of activity;
– industry affiliation;
– types of activities (export, import);
– organizational and legal forms of entrepreneurial activity.
Based on the objects and components of the financial strategy, proposals are developed for the formation of a specific enterprise strategy in several options (at least three). It should be noted that a quantitative assessment of the proposals and an assessment of the impact of these proposals on the structure of the enterprise’s balance sheet must be given.
When developing a financial strategy, you need to pay special attention to the completeness of identification of cash income, the mobilization of internal resources, the maximum reduction in production costs, whether profits are correctly distributed and used, the correct determination of working capital needs and whether the enterprise’s capital is used rationally. When developing a financial strategy, it is necessary to take into account the risk of non-payments, inflation surges and other force majeure (unforeseen) circumstances. Also, it must correspond to the assigned tasks and, if necessary, be adjusted and changed [2].
It should be noted that an integral part of the formation of a financial strategy is the development of internal standards that are successfully used in foreign enterprises. With their help, you can determine, for example, ways of income distribution.
Thus, we can summarize that the successful result of an enterprise’s financial strategy is ensured when the theory and practice of the strategy are mutually balanced. And also success will be observed when financial strategic goals coincide with real economic and financial opportunities during the strict centralization of financial strategic management. It should also be noted that long-term planning as a management function means the desire to take into account in advance all external and internal factors that provide normal conditions for the successful functioning and development of the enterprise. This planning can determine the creation of a set of measures with the help of which the procedure for achieving specially defined goals is established, while at the same time taking into account the possibility of the most efficient use of resources by each production unit and all enterprises.
Literature:
- Vasilchenko M. / Enterprise planning (cheat sheet) - electronic version
- Gryaznova A. G., E. V. Markina E. V. / Finance. Textbook / Finance and Statistics - 2012
- Zemtsov A. A., Osipova T. Yu. / Financial planning in households. Textbook / Tomsk State Institute - 2014
- Savkin R.V. / Enterprise planning: textbook / Dashkov and Co. / 2013 - electronic version
Financial planning
The financial plan is inextricably linked with the development of economic and social issues. It reflects the use of material resources, as well as the planned cost of finished products. Also, when drawing up this document, the use of existing material reserves and financial resources should be provided in order to improve the production process.
A financial plan is similar in form to a balance sheet. It must clearly state all the items that relate to the revenue and expenditure parts. The income section displays transactions such as income from participation in capital, interest on deposit accounts, etc. Speaking about costs, they note depreciation, debt repayment, and so on.
Plans and planning
Planning is the activity of determining the future state and functioning of the company. It plays a huge role in the activities of the organization and carries several important functions:
- determining the development prospects of the enterprise;
- ensuring savings in material resources;
- reducing the risk of ruin and bankruptcy due to unforeseen fluctuations in the economy;
- timely response to changes in market conditions;
- increasing work efficiency.
A plan is an approved document that contains a specific list of actions, goals, methods and digital indicators compiled for a specified period. In addition, it includes information about available and missing resources, which are designed to ensure the most complete compliance of the results obtained with those previously stated.
What are the plans?
In accordance with various classification criteria, the following types of plans are distinguished (for better clarity, we have presented the material in the form of a table).
Sign | Kinds |
By time | Short term. Medium term. Long-term. |
By purpose | Tactical. Operational. Strategic. |
By accuracy | Detailed. Enlarged. |
By area of application | Corporate. Workshops. |
By content | Production and sales of products. Supplies. Personnel. Costs Financial and investment. Social. |
By reference | Reactive (due to some events or based on previous experience). Interactive (involve the interaction of past, future and present indicators). |
All of the listed qualification characteristics can exist either separately or intersect in one planning document.
Defining a long-term strategy
Strategic planning is the process of determining the desired future state of an enterprise through analysis, forecasting and goal setting. We can say that this is a specific set of actions to create long-term prospects for the organization.
Strategic planning may include the following:
- distribution of material and technical resources between divisions of the organization;
- responding to changes in the external environment, as well as conquering one’s own niche in the market;
- possible future change in the organizational form of the enterprise;
- coordination of management actions in the internal environment;
- analysis of past experience in relation to future plans.
The strategy of the enterprise is developed by the top managers of the company. It must be supported by financial calculations based on retrospective analysis. One of the main requirements for such plans is flexibility, because the external environment is quite unstable. Also, when developing a strategy, you need to take into account the fact that the costs of its implementation must be fully justified by the expected results.
Enterprise development
The enterprise development plan implies fundamental changes in both the economic and organizational systems of the company. At the same time, significant financial and technological growth should be observed. The central place is occupied by an increase in the volume of products produced and, as a consequence, net profit.
A strategic development plan for an enterprise can be developed in the following main areas:
- improvement of the production program;
- introduction of achievements of scientific and technological progress;
- increasing production efficiency by increasing labor productivity and material productivity;
- a plan for the construction of new structures, as well as the installation of new equipment;
- improvement of personnel structure and composition;
- improving the social status of workers;
- introduction of environmentally friendly production systems.
Principles of planning
All types of plans are drawn up on the basis of certain principles:
- objective necessity dictated by modern economic conditions;
- all indicators must be specific and have a numerical dimension;
- the plan must have clear time boundaries;
- all figures must be realistic and justified (based on the availability of resources at the enterprise);
- the form of the program must be flexible so that it is possible to adapt to changes in the external and internal environment;
- planning should be carried out comprehensively and cover all areas of the enterprise’s activities;
- programs for all structural divisions should not contradict each other;
- all plans drawn up and certified are binding;
- focus on achieving maximum economic results;
- At each stage, several alternatives must be developed, among which the optimal one is subsequently selected.
Compliance with these principles allows you to make plans realistic, detailed, and most importantly - effective.
Business plan
To attract investment or to receive a loan to develop your own business, you need to correctly present your idea. To do this, it is necessary to draw up a business plan, which provides information about the organization, as well as its financial indicators. It consists of the following sections:
- First, a short summary is drawn up that reflects the general content of the document;
- further describes the goals of the project, as well as the tasks that are designed to ensure their achievement (this component of the plan should reflect not only the philosophy of the organization, but also its focus on material results);
- information about the company's activities;
- analysis of the situation in the industry, as well as a description of the competitive environment;
- target audience and markets;
- marketing strategy and promotional activities;
- production technology;
- organizational structure and activities to support activities;
- information on the planned number and structure of personnel;
- financial part (this component of the plan must contain calculations of all economic indicators);
- enterprise responsibility;
- unforeseen circumstances and business liquidation.
Drawing up an operational plan
The operational work plan allows you to ensure the implementation of the strategic goals of the enterprise. Unlike long-term plans, this type regulates the current activities of the company. Such a document may cover a period of up to three months.
The contents of the operational plan can be described as follows:
- the organizational structure of the enterprise, which must undergo changes or remain in the same state;
- manipulations with the existing technological base or the acquisition of new equipment;
- increasing the efficiency of economic efficiency in general or its individual indicators;
- determining the profitability of the coordinates of the enterprise itself or its main counterparties;
- improvement of inventory management procedures in order to ensure their savings;
- improvement of product quality control processes at all stages of its production;
- increasing the company's reputation among suppliers and clients by improving its image.