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Understanding the Planning P in PRATUS

The Planning P workflow in PRATUS helps incident management teams organize operational planning, coordinate response activities, and build Incident Action Plans (IAPs) using a structured, ICS-aligned process.

Within the Incident Workspace, the Planning P provides a guided workflow that connects planning meetings, operational objectives, assignments, resources, and ICS forms into a single operational process.

This article provides a high-level overview of how the Planning P works in PRATUS and how the different parts of the workflow connect together.

What is the Planning P?

The Planning P is a standardized incident management process used within the Incident Command System (ICS) to guide operational planning during an incident or event.

The process helps teams:

  • Establish operational objectives
  • Develop strategies and tactics
  • Assign work
  • Coordinate resources
  • Conduct planning meetings
  • Produce an Incident Action Plan (IAP)
  • Manage operational periods

In PRATUS, the Planning P workflow is designed to mirror this operational planning cycle digitally within the Incident Workspace.

How PRATUS supports the Planning P workflow

PRATUS supports the Planning P by organizing the workflow into guided phases that align with the ICS planning process.

Within the Incident Workspace, users move through the Planning P using a progress tracker displayed along the left side of the screen.

Each phase of the workflow:

  • Presents relevant ICS forms
  • Supports operational collaboration
  • Tracks planning progress
  • Retains previously entered information
  • Contributes to the final IAP

The workflow is intended to support both:

  • building operational documentation
  • facilitating the live planning process itself

For example, planning meetings can be conducted directly within PRATUS using integrated agendas, forms, notifications, and operational views.

Understanding operational periods

An operational period is a defined span of time during which incident objectives and assignments are carried out.

Examples may include:

  • a 12-hour operational shift
  • a 24-hour operational cycle
  • a designated event window

In PRATUS, the Planning P workflow is used to prepare for upcoming operational periods.

As teams move through the workflow, they:

  1. Define objectives
  2. Develop assignments
  3. Coordinate resources
  4. Finalize operational documentation
  5. Generate the IAP for the next operational period

At the end of the workflow, authorized users can advance the operational period, making the next IAP active within the system.

This process repeats throughout the lifecycle of the incident.

How forms connect together

One of the core concepts in PRATUS is that ICS forms are connected rather than managed independently.

Information entered earlier in the workflow can automatically populate related forms later in the process.

Examples include:

  • Operational objectives flowing into downstream planning workflows
  • Strategies and tactics linking directly to operational objectives
  • Work assignments generating ICS 204 Assignment Lists
  • Resource requirements appearing across operational planning forms

This connected workflow helps:

  • reduce duplicate data entry
  • maintain consistency across forms
  • improve operational visibility
  • streamline IAP development

Users can also access all available ICS forms at any time through the More Cards option within the workflow.

The overall Planning P workflow in PRATUS

At a high level, the Planning P workflow in PRATUS follows this progression:

1. Incident setup

An incident or event is created within Incident Workspace.

Teams establish:

  • incident structure
  • personnel assignments
  • operational context
  • initial planning information

2. Objectives and planning

Command and planning staff define:

  • operational objectives
  • strategies
  • tactics
  • priorities

This information becomes the foundation for the operational period.

3. Assignment and resource coordination

Teams develop:

  • work assignments
  • operational tasks
  • resource requirements
  • assignment ownership

Assignments can be linked to Incident Roster positions and work teams.

4. Planning meetings and coordination

Planning meetings can be conducted directly within PRATUS using:

  • agendas
  • ICS forms
  • split-screen operational views
  • meeting scheduling tools

This helps teams coordinate operational planning activities throughout the workflow.

5. IAP generation

As planning progresses, PRATUS combines operational information into an Incident Action Plan (IAP).

Users can:

  • preview documents
  • export ICS forms
  • review assignments
  • finalize operational plans

6. Operational period advancement

Once planning is complete, authorized users can advance the operational period.

The newly approved IAP becomes active, and teams begin executing assignments for the current operational period.

The Planning P process then repeats for the next operational cycle.

Planning P as an operational workspace

PRATUS is designed to function as more than a document repository.

The Planning P workflow connects:

  • meetings
  • forms
  • assignments
  • resources
  • notifications
  • mapping
  • operational coordination

into a single operational workspace intended to support incident management activities in real time.

Throughout the workflow, teams can:

  • track planning progress
  • monitor assignments
  • coordinate operational activities
  • manage documentation
  • prepare for future operational periods