Describe any five limitations of planning.

Planning is a systematic process of deciding in advance what is to be done in future.
Planning has some limitations and they are:
(i) Planning leads to rigidity: In an organisation, a well-defined plan is drawn up with specific goals to be achieved within a specific time frame. These plans then decide the future course of action and managers may not be in a position to change it. This kind of rigidity in plans may create difficulty.
(ii) Planning involves huge costs: When plans are drawn up huge costs are involved in their formulation. These may be in terms of time and money. Detailed plans require scientific calculations to ascertain facts and figures. The costs incurred sometimes may not justify the benefits derived from the plans.
(iii) Planning is a time-consuming process: Sometimes plans to be drawn up take so much of time that there is not much time left for their implementation.
(iv) Planning reduces creativity: Planning is an activity which is done by the top management. As a result, middle management and other decision makers are neither allowed to deviate from plans nor are they permitted to act on their own. Thus it reduces initiative and creativity.
(v) Planning does not guarantee success: The success of an enterprise is possible only when plans are properly drawn up and implemented. Any plan needs to be translated into action or it becomes meaningless. Thus mere plan does not guarantee success as there are a lot of factors related to it.