Planning vs. Scheduling: planning always precedes scheduling
Planning is WHAT needs to be done and the resources required as well as possible barriers
Scheduling determines when activities can/should be done in a logical relationship and determining durations

Seven Steps to Plan Anything:
1.  Assessment of the current situation (where are we now?  what do we know?)
2.  Define and set goals (where do we want to go?  What do we want to accomplish?  What are the desired results?)
3.  Develop one or more action plans for how best to achieve the goals
4.  Set the time, cost, resource constraints
5.  Determine the methods and procedures for making the action plans happen.
6.  Implement the plan (take action or authorize action)
7.  Monitor what happens (information and control system at work, controls are put in place during the planning)

Terms: 
Mission: the reason an organization exists
Goals-Objectives: desired results (short or long term)
Policies: Guidelines for what can/can't be done in the area of operations
Procedures: step-by-step chronological sequences of actions to be taken
Strategic Plan: Top-level, longer-range plan dealing with continuing purpose of the organization
Operational Plans: deal with execution of top-level strategic plans on a month-to-month, week-to-week basis
Implementation Plans: specific parts of operational plans (aka detailed action plans)
Single Use Plan: a plan used just once, i.e. to move an office, or a project plan
Standing Plan: covers repetitive situations, i.e. responding to proposals, processing invoices, reviewing shop drawings, etc.
Performance standards: covers employee performance

Activities or tasks that need controlling in an engineering firm:  anything that needs planning needs controlling.  General management, production management, etc.

Proper control does not equal omnipotent power.  It is the process of assessing progress toward goals and taking corrective action where deviations occur.

To establish a reliable control system, ask:
	--Where?
	--What?
	--What Standards?

Control system should be a guiding light to lead people, not a whip to keep them in line.

Don't ask who is to blame, ask why/how it happened and what can be done to prevent it from happening again