Alternating between action and reflection, it provides for the actors to review their actions and their achievements at each step. This is the order in which it is usually done. However, it is also possible to carry out the situation analysis first, and then the goal setting. In partial summary, it can be said that change occurs when in the future people behave in changed ways. In the present, one prepares for this by clarifying the desired future, analysing the present, developing plans for achieving the future, and building adequate flexibility and responsiveness into the plans.
Action follows planning Desirably, action follows planning.
The planning is intended as a catalyst for action. Because plans will not fit the future, action can be expected to develop a life of its own. In other words, planning need not be precise beyond the early steps. Effective plans are those that are specific for the present, and are guided by a distant and shared vision. Between these extremes there is too much unpredictability for clarity.