ABSTRACT
Change in any organisation generally takes place as a response to a problem or "performance gap", or to the perception of an individual or group who believe that such a problem exists. Both decision-making and problem-solving are part of the process of managing change but neither activity encapsulates the total process even in the smallest primary school. The secret of successful transition management is to create a structure staffed by people whose main responsibility is to ensure that the change is successful and that it takes place as smoothly as possible. Planning is the process of preparing a set of decisions for action in the future directed at achieving goals by optimum means. Planning usually requires the identification of objectives to be achieved in the medium- or long-term rather than the attempt to match a set of immediate and unco-ordinated responses to a perceived situation.
