Planning

Planning is the (psycholgical) process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired future on some scale. This thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of a plan, or integration of it with other plans. The term is also used to describe the formal procedures used in such an endeavor, such as the creation of documents, diagrams, or meetings to discuss the important issues to be addressed, the objectives to be met, and the strategy to be followed. Beyond this, planning has a different meaning depending on the political or economic context in which it is used.

In public policy
Planning refers to the practice and the profession associated with land use planning, urban planning or spatial planning. In many countries, the operation of town and country planning system is often referred to as 'planning' and the professionals which operate the system are known as 'planners'.

In organizations
Planning is also a management function, concerned with defining goals for future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and resources to be used in order to attain those goals. To meet the goals, managers may develop plans such as a business plan or a marketing plan.