One of the most important characteristics of successful planning efforts is the use of a defined planning process. There are several different planning processes used by Government entities and by the private sector. Some examples of Government/public-sector planning processes include:

• Federal Plan Development Process (FPDP)
• Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Planning P
• Hazard Mitigation Planning Process

An example of a private-sector planning process is the Six Sigma Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve,
Control (DMAIC) method.

Regardless of the planning process you use, the fundamental common activities/tasks for these planning processes are to:

• Determine the problem you are trying to solve
• Develop an analytical approach to determine as much about the problem as possible
• Develop alternative options on how to solve the problem
• Complete the writing of the plan, involving as much of the community of interest as possible
• Conduct periodic testing and reviews of plan