Planning is the best form of Intelligence
Planning is the best form of Intelligence
Islam stresses a lot on the importance of planning. This is not only reflected in the Qur’an, but also in the Prophetic Tradition, such as in the statement of the Prophet of Islam: “There is no Intelligence like Planning”. Planning ahead and for all contingencies is truly a form of intelligence. This is something humans have been blessed with and found nowhere else in nature except perhaps in the case of Ants, Bees and Spiders, creatures which interestingly form the titles of chapters in the Qur’an.
Today Planning has become a key tool in business. Project Planning is also conducted at Masters’ level and there is a globally recognized program called PMP (Project Management & Planning). Project Managers are in high demand globally and can work in any industry from construction to software with the PMP or Master’s qualification. They do not have to be experts in Construction or software.
Planning for us as businessmen is an essential part of our life. Many organizations come up with an annual plan prior to the end of the financial year. This includes budgeting, sales forecast etc. Their annual plan is divided into 12 months. Each month’s work is divided into weekly achievements and to ensure successful execution a weekly performance review is conducted.
God says very clearly “He is the best of Planners” This alone goes to show how important planning is.
Time Management
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is considered to be the most influential person who ever lived by Michael Hart, the author of 100 Great Lives, and not for nothing. How one man could have devoted his energies to multiple roles as a spiritual leader, a lawgiver, a ruler, an army commander and a family man among other responsibilities was amazing.
If there’s one thing the Prophet knew well, it was the importance of time management. Time was of the essence to his mission which despite great odds finally ended in success. Time is the only thing in our short lifespan which we cannot increase, which makes it all the more important why we should spend it wisely, both for spiritual upliftment and worldly gain. Ensuring all employees are effectively utilized in any business is important especially in the service industry, where the employee man hour rate is the basis upon which it earns.
To give an example, the software industry uses resource management optimizer software (JIRA) to ensure all employees time is put to good use and maximum efficiency. Employees are assigned multiple tasks and each task has budgeted hours and completion date. During the daily performance review, the Team Leader ensures that the employees have completed each task on the scheduled date within the budgeted hours. Indeed, ensuring employee productivity in any organization is a priority, not just in the service industry, but elsewhere as well where productivity really matters. Thus it is recommended that resource management software is applied across all white collar employees.
Sense of Urgency & Execution Skills
The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was a very efficient leader. He had excellent XQ (Execution Quotient) i.e. ability to get things done. The secret of his efficiency was his sense of urgency. Once a task was decided he would formulate a plan with relevant parties and execute it as fast as possible. This was evident in his many actions from winning over tribal chiefs to the many campaigns he led to ensure Islam triumphed and a commonwealth based on the brotherhood of man finally emerged. That he was supremely successful in this nobody will deny.
We know in our personal life that anything we decide to do later, rarely gets done. One delay leads to another, which is why procrastination is regarded almost as a sin in Islam.