Pre-planning

[BlackCoat2k10]

Understand where the OP is coming from, but I've always thought of "pre-planning" as the "requirements gathering" phase, before the actual planning starts... i.e. what am I planning for, and what does my plan need to achieve.

This tbh. I see it exactly the same, it's just the word 'Pre-Plan' is used to give it more managerial power / emphasis, 'Requirements Gathering' sounds long in the tooth compared to the Pre-Latter (). It's just another fancy sounding word that gets thrown about by small weiners. I see no place for it in the English Language.

 

[Sunbed]

Terms like pre-planning probably arose (in error) from process models such as PRINCE2. For example PRINCE2 has 'starting up a project' > 'initiating a project' and 'planning a project' is a distinct activity in the latter phase. When 'planning' becomes a distinct activity in a business e.g. developing a particular type of report, that's when terms like pre-planning are informally created as a distinction for the benefit of others in the business.

So yes, it's all 'planning', but the distinction is usually there for a reason.

 

[ttaskmaster]

But how do you know what you need to look at in order to know how to make the plan?

Generally, if one does not know what to look at in order to make a plan, either one looks at everything and narrows it down, or (in the case of employed problem-solving) one does not understand the problem and should probably not be employed in such a role!

Is there a problem?
Where is the problem?
Who/What is the problem?
How long has there been a problem?
Why is there a problem?

Finally - Does it need a solution?
If the answer to the last question is 'Yes' and you have answered all the earlier ones sufficiently, then you can start making a plan. Without that knowledge, you cannot plan appropriately.

 

[abbotsmike]

Or as is the case in an engineering role in a Sales led environment

Does it need a solution - Maybe, but they've already sold it, so we best design it!
Then we go and plan and design!