Planning is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired future on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behaviour. This thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of a plan, or integration of it with other plans, that is, it combines forecasting of developments with the prepararation of scenarios of how to react to them.

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.

The planning process provides the framework for developing conservation plans on the basis of ecological, economic, social, and policy considerations. Implementation of these plans may then be facilitated by utilizing technical, educational, and financial assistance programs from NRCS or other sources.

The same planning process is used to develop conservation plans and areawide conservation plans or assessments, but different activities are required to complete each step of the process. Guidance in this handbook is separated accordingly into conservation planning and areawide conservation planning. On-site visits with the client are an integral part of the planning process.

Conservation plans are normally developed with an individual decision-maker. An areawide conservation plan or assessment reflects the desired future conditions developed in conjunction with the client and other stakeholders in the area. The stakeholders may, or more likely may not, be decision-makers for implementing planned activities.

1. It should be set by person having authority
2. The goal should be realistic
3. Specific
4. Acceptability
5. Easily measurable