Planning (planning)

Planning is nothing but an activity to set goals to be achieved along with the means to achieve that goal. As presented by Louise E. Boone and David L. Kurtz (1984) that: planning May be defined as the process by which managers set objectives, asses the future, and develop courses of action Designed to accomplish these objectives. While T. Hani Handoko (1995) points out:
"Planning (planning) is the selection or setting organizational goals and determining strategies, policies, projects, programs, procedures, methods, systems, budgets and standards required to achieve the goal. Decision-making involved in this function. "
The importance of planning in particular is to provide clarity of direction for every activity, so that each activity can be arranged and carried out as efficiently and effectively as possible. T. Hani Handoko the nine argued that the planning benefits of planning: (a) assist the management to adapt to environmental changes, (b) assist in the crystallization agreement on major issues, (c) allows managers to understand the whole picture, (d) assist placement more appropriate responsibility, (e) provide for granting an order to operate, (f) facilitate the coordination among various parts of the organization, (g) making goals more specific, detailed and easier to understand, (h) minimize the uncertain job and (i) saving time, effort and funds.

Gito Indriyo Sudarmo and Agus Mulyono (1996) suggested the main steps in the planning, namely:

   1. Determination of objectives by meeting the following requirements: (a) use simple words, (b) has a flexible nature, (c) have the nature of stability, (d) is in the balance of resources, and (e) covers all necessary measures .
   2. Defining a good combination of circumstances, which include elements of human resources, natural resources, and capital resources.
   3. Formulate activities to be carried out clearly and forcefully.

The same thing is also expressed by T. Hani Handoko (1995) that there are four stages in the planning, namely: (a) set a goal or set of goals, (b) formulating the present circumstances, (c) identify all the ease and constraints, (d) develop a plan or series of activities to achieve destination.
In another section, Indriyo Gito Sudarmo and Agus Mulyono (1996) argued that on the basis of the wide scope of problems and range contained in a plan, then the planning can be divided into three forms, namely: (1) global plan that is comprehensive and objective determination long term, (2) strategic plan is a plan drawn up to determine the objectives of activities or tasks that have strategic significance and has a long-term dimensions, and (3) operational plan is a plan of activities to sustain the achievement of short-term term goal long, both in the global planning and strategic planning.

Strategic planning lately become very important in line with the development environment is very fast and very difficult to predict, such as the very rapid development of technology, managerial work is increasingly complex, and the acceleration of other external environmental changes.
On the other hand, T. Hani Handoko explained briefly about the steps in the preparation of strategic planning, as follows:

   1. Determination of the mission and goals, which include a general statement about the mission, philosophy and goals. Formulation of mission and purpose is a key responsibility of top managers. This formulation is influenced by the values that brought the manager. These values may include social issues and ethics, or common problems such as type of product or service to be produced or how the operation of the company.
   2. Development company profile, which reflects the internal condition and the ability of the company and is the result of internal analysis to identify objectives and strategy now, as well as detailing the quantity and quality of resources-company resources are available. Company profile shows the company's success in the past and its ability to support the implementation of activities as the implementation of the strategy in achieving the objectives in the future.
   3. Analysis of the external environment, with a view to identifying ways and in what environmental changes can affect the organization. In addition, companies need to identify more specific environments, such as providers, market organization, competitors, labor markets and financial institutions, where these forces will directly affect the company's operations.

Although opinions on further illustrates the strategic planning in a business context, but essentially the concept of strategic planning can be applied also in the context of education, especially at the level of schooling, because it is education in Indonesia today is facing many internal and external challenges, which require planning really can guarantee sustanabilitas education itself.