The Planning Process

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Planning Process Interview Questions

• How do you use the decision-making in your role as a manager?

Decision making is a big role in my day to day activities. From the time I come into work until long after I leave, I am faced with different decisions. Some decisions are simple fixes, as if they were second nature. Then I have decisions facing who to get to replace different employees. How to staff extra posts that will be opening up within the next two weeks, month, and three months. Sometimes, we can hire a few people, as we already know that we will need them after the jobs are done, but we rely on our present employees to fill in those necessary spots. We are paid a premium to staff those openings, so this is our way of helping employees make some extra money, as well as staff the openings accordingly.

• What role does contingency planning play in your role as a manager? How do you apply critical thinking to contingency planning?

Contingency planning is preparing for the unexpected, right? Ok, well it is hard to plan for the unexpected. I don’t have much experience in that, but I think that if I were to come up with a contingency plan, I would look at my past experiences when dealing with issues. For example, coming up with a plan for new posts, to keep it on the same topic, I would look back at previous experiences and see what went wrong. That way I could put a plan in place to prevent those issues from happening again. I believe I just answered the question about critical thinking. The ability to go back and review what went wrong and how to fix it, is a key example of critical thinking.

• What roadblocks do you encounter when trying to apply creativity to your decision-making process?

To be honest, there is a lot of resistence when upper management is given a new idea, especially if the idea is not something that they would normally do. The company I work for sees everything from a “black and white” view point. I believe, however, that there is a grey area, which is the part that allows creativity to shine bright. I have a lot of talented employees on my staff that could contribute so much more, but their light is diminished by the dictator role the company has.

• Are any business settings more in need of contingency planning than others? If so, why might they require contingency planning?

I work in the security industry, which I would say that it definently needs contingency planning. Big corporations require a lot of security, which there are times when extra is needed. It is always key to keep some kind of back up plan or contingency plan in place for extra positions. Also, with the world in chaos, as it is, security is very important to the safety of our clients and their customers. Having procedures set in place to make sure that the officers are ready for nearly every threat that can occur. This involves refresher lessons and putting the officers through drills at least once a year. Training pamflets are passed out periodically throughout the year to keep the officers up to date on different procedure changes, as well.

• What parts of planning are most likely to require a back-up play? Why?

I believe that schedule planning and planning for a threat are two of the parts that require a back up plan. As I said in my previous answer, there are many threats and emergencies on a regular basis. Being vigulent is something we try to instil on our officers, as it is important to know the warning signs of a potential emergency. If it can be prevented before it becomes a threat, the client’s business does not suffer.

• What additional information do you think a future manager should know about decision-making, contingency planning, and critical thinking?

Sometimes you have to make decisions on the go. This means that you might not have time to think deeply about a decision you have to make. Sometimes emergencies arise and you need to make sure you are ready for anything that might happen. This is a part of contingency planning, which I think would be in your best bet to try and keep a contingency plan for almost every plan you make.

When making decisions, I believe it is best to come up with some on your own, but also collaborate with your other managers. When you put different ways of thinking into the mix, you never know what outcome might be. One of the other managers bring a whole new light to the situation, which can help you make a decision best for everyone involved.

Make sure that you are thinking “outside of the box”. Utilize the creative nature of your team and your own mind (if upper management will allow it). If you find a postion with a company that promotes creativity, hold on to it, as you will be allowed to think in different ways and will be praised for your creativity and innovation.

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