Standing Plans Standing plans consist of policies, procedures, and regulations. They exist to guide you in the absence of higher authority. They enable you to make rational, informed, consistent decisions and plans without constantly  consulting  higher  levels  of  command. Standing plans exist until canceled or changed by higher authority. POLICIES. —Policies are an expression of top management’s attitudes toward specific actions or events. You are required to abide by Navy policies whether or not you agree with them. Examples of policy are equal opportunity programs, promotion policies, fraternization, and zero tolerance. PROCEDURES.  —Procedures establish the sequence and accuracy required for you to accomplish specific actions. You, as a manager, establish procedures to accomplish many routine jobs such as check-in or check-out,  maintenance  actions,  preventive maintenance,  inspections,  and  predeployment preparations. When a procedure has become obsolete or requires modification, change or cancel it! Considerable time and effort is wasted every day through compliance with outdated procedures. When procedures cross departmental lines, you must coordinate with the other departments to avoid confusion  and  ruffled  feathers.  Well-thought-out procedures, however, will make your life easier. They put routine matters on automatic pilot and allow you to concentrate on managing the exception rather than the rule. Good procedures will do the following: Free the manager’s time from routine matters Ease coordination Save man-hours Increase efficiency and effectiveness Increase your control Simplify delegation of authority Clarify responsibility REGULATIONS. —Regulations are often used to effect policies and plans. They provide specific direction concerning required or prohibited actions in given circumstances. Regulations frequently carry a penalty for noncompliance. You are already familiar with many regulations such as the following: Hair length and style restrictions Hearing protection requirements Smoking restrictions Safety requirements Uniform  requirements PROGRAMS. —Programs set objectives and specify the main steps or actions you must take to obtain them. A comprehensive program will provide information concerning the following: Step-by-step goals Policies Rules Required physical and human resources Strategies PROJECTS. —An effective way for you to deal with program management is to break the program goals into manageable projects. A project should have a clearly defined goal with a definite beginning and end. This approach to major or complex objectives will give you greater flexibility in scheduling, planning, and delegation. It allows you, the manager, to concentrate on managing the various aspects of the program while dividing the detail work among your subordinates. A side benefit of this technique is increased involvement and program support from your subordinates. People are just naturally more interested in something they are personally involved in because it becomes “our project” instead of “their project.” PLANNING STEPS In planning, you should think ahead and select the best course of action to reach an objective. Your plan forms the basis for future management actions. Develop all the steps required to conduct a smooth operation and watch it move toward the objective. Every plan, whether simple or complex, written or mental, contains certain essential elements: an objective, resources, procedures, and controls. Planning becomes easier if you follow a logical sequence in your thinking. The following steps may be helpful: Analyze the objective. Evaluate the situation. Consider all possible alternatives. 4-7