In summary, there are the four distinct stages to produce a management plan:-

A management plan is produced by gathering and collating information about a site or geographical area (process of information collection). This information is then used to define the features to be protected. The definition of features requires selecting attributes by which their conditions to be measured, and listing the most important factors that will affect the condition of each feature or limit site operations.

In this 'making plans' topic map, the different requirements for information may be considered as a logical sequence, or set of stages, starting with a vision, and running clockwise to the stage of defining the features. However, a particular area does not have to be defined before any other.

The action plan which follows on from gathering information is the very minimum required to operate an effective management system. It defines the jobs necessary to target management objectives which have a bearing on the condition of valued features. Importantly, it includes projects saying how management efforts are to be monitored and reported.

Then, objectives are set for each feature to target the work necessary to maintain or enhance its condition.

Taking into account the attributes of each feature to be measured, and the main limiting factors in meeting the objectives, the final stage is to describe, as a set of integrated projects, how work will be carried out to meet the objectives, and how progress will be monitored and reported upon. This is the action plan. An action plan guides with the day to day operations of management through work schedules etc.

In summary, planning as a process therefore involves a programme of collecting information and using it to produce an action plan which consists of projects that target limiting factors and monitor the state of features.