One of the most valued skillsets that every commander needs to possess is proper planning skills. Matters not if it is a tactical operation, planned public event, in-house project or even your vacation plans- it all comes down to the basics. Planning is not as simple as the uninitiated think, there is a process and if followed it can produce a solid product. We are told to ‘trust the process’ and this can be done if the process evolution is performed correctly.
Traditionally, in emergency services there are three basic plans we encounter in our career. The first that comes to mind is the tactical plan. Search warrants or tactical team callouts and active shooter integrated response planning. Then the organizational plan within your department- organizational structure, asset management and deployment of resources for the year and coupled with budgeting. Support plans for planned and evolving events (civil disobedience) fall under this category as well. Once you attain command level, you will be working on your long-term strategic plan(ing) for the future of your department. Succession planning, futurist trends to adjust/add staffing and budgetary sustainment. Let me offer you a couple of glaring examples of where futurist needs were not captured in the plan. When computers became commonplace within police usage, some budgeted it as a one-time expense. Some did not foresee the renewal of software licenses for instance. The first wave of computers was very expensive and some projected long life-spans of the machines due to the investment costs. Another example is that of succession planning for your key staffers, do you have a plan or retirement projection timetable? One year of surprised retirements can wreak havoc on your organization’s effectiveness. Seek to capture senior staffers institutional knowledge before they walk out of the door. Transition planning of key staff is very important.
I always enjoy the first-time supervisor’s first attempts at planning. When the product is reviewed, I can predict the biggest rookie planning mistake -no alternate plans. I repeat constantly do you have “but, what if then thinking”. Often, they imagine that the plan is so perfect there is no need to answer my question. Here is the reality statement. Your Primary Plan may be the best intended and laid out plan. However, in Policeland as in all of emergency services – “Stuff Happens”. This creates the perennial Plan B or your Alternate Plan which is a variant or less-preferred method of accomplishment. Often it monitored concurrently with primary plans. What are the wild cards here? There are three elements to each plan that should be factored in. The most frequent are natural occurring variables – the weather. Secondly, to my chagrin are the technological issues that could manifest. Again, technology has improved our performance but when it fails it can derail formulated plans. Our over-reliance on technology can be an Achilles Heel. Finally, the ‘the human factor’ can convolute the best made plans. Simple as critical staffing needs- somebody checks off sick. There could be adversarial human caused events. These could be accidental or criminal. The accidental “Bubba Factor” where the intoxicated persons made poor decisions – accidents, injuries, or just plain unsafe acts. The criminal events the police understand and prepare for, not so with our emergency services colleagues.
On ‘dark sky’ days, every plan must have a Contingency plan. This plan will not be as fast, inexpensive or convenient as the first two methods. It will not be the easiest but is capable of accomplishing the task. Often young planners rarely consider this path for it is their ‘last resort’. Some feel that if you go this deep into the weeds you are planning to fail. This does infer that your best laid plans are flawed. Not by any means! If you do not plan to this level, one day you will fail. This is usually the order to make it work at all costs despite the obstacles. Finally, every plan must have an Emergency plan. These are often incorporated around the safety briefs (ICS form 208). These plans are often last resort and created by exigent circumstances. Remember the formula of Active Event + Explicit/Implied Threat to Life and/or Safety = Exigent Circumstances. When you get to this stage it will be life and safety risks. If you reach this juncture, be prepared for significant delays, costs, and/or impacts. Safety should be a key element in all four prior plans, failure here means injury or death. It cannot be compromised.
Old Sage Advice
Whenever you sit down at the table to start a plan, remember the acronym of POETE (I). First you plan the objective that you are tasked with. Then you organize the execution of completing the plan. Next you equip or review the needs for staffing, materials, assets and funding to complete the task. Next step is to train the staff in the plan and its goals. If this requires a staff meeting, a table top or full exercise of the plan you do it. From there you evaluate how the plan of action is going. I added the “I” to the old acronym that of improvement. This type of planning is not linear but a constant loop of refinement. At any stage should you need to revisit a prior element, do so! Constant improvement creates excellence. As I have said, planning is not an exciting part of the job we signed up for. Never forget it is an essential task to officer safety and departmental performance,
