2.9. Why plans fail 

The following are some important reasons why plans are not successful 

• Planning is not integrated into the total management system 
• A lack of understanding of the different steps of the planning process 
• Concerned parties not participated or contributed in the planning process 
• Management expects that plans will be realized with little effort 
• Too much attempted at once 
• Failing to operate by the plan 
• Inadequate input in planning 
• Unforeseen (unexpected) changes in the environment 

Any plan should address the following basic questions 

1. Where are we now? 

Assessment 

2. Where do we want to go? 

Objectives, Targets 

3. How will we get there? 

Strategies 

4. How do we put the plan into practice? 

Implementation 

5. How do we know whether we reached there? 

Monitoring & evaluation