Which technique you choose for a given decision will be influenced by the importance and complexity of the decision. As a preview to a discussion of techniques, then, let's consider a few preliminary ideas that will help identify some decision making levels. While decision making without planning is fairly common, it is often not pretty. Planning allows decisions to be made in a much more comfortable and intelligent way. Planning even makes decisions easier by providing guidelines and goals for the decision.
Planning allows the establishment of independent goals.
The vision which will shape the decisions is set apart from surrounding events. Decisions are not made only as reactions to external stimuli. Managers now steer the organization, individuals now steer their lives, rather than being steered by external forces. Planning provides a standard of measurement. A plan provides something to measure against, so that you can discover whether or not you are achieving or heading toward your goals.