The Framework [NRF] employs common criteria to measure key aspects of response planning: (1) Acceptability. A plan is acceptable if it can meet the requirements of anticipated scenarios, can be implemented within the costs and timeframes that senior officials and the public can support, and is consistent with applicable laws.(2) Adequacy. A plan is adequate if it complies with applicable planning guidance, planning assumptions are valid and relevant, and the concept of operations identifies and addresses critical tasks specific to the plan's objectives. (3) Completeness. A plan is complete if it incorporates major actions, objectives, and tasks to be accomplished. The complete plan addresses the personnel and resources required and sound concepts for how those will be deployed, employed, sustained, and demobilized. It also addresses timelines and criteria for measuring success in achieving objectives, and the desired end state. Completeness of a plan can be greatly enhanced by including in the planning process all those who could be affected. (4) Consistency and Standardization of Products. Standardized planning processes and products foster consistency, interoperability, and collaboration. (5) Feasibility. A plan is considered feasible if the critical tasks can be accomplished with the resources available internally or through mutual aid, immediate need for additional resources from other sources (in the case of a local plan, from State or Federal partners) are identified in detail and coordinated in advance, and procedures are in place to integrate and employ resources effectively from all potential providers. (6) Flexibility. Flexibility and adaptability are promoted by decentralized decisionmaking and by accommodating all hazards ranging from smaller-scale incidents to wider national contingencies. (7) Interoperability and Collaboration. A plan is interoperable and collaborative if it identifies other plan holders with similar and complementary plans and objectives, and supports regular collaboration focused on integrating with those plans to optimize achievement of individual and collective goals and objectives in an incident. (DHS, NRF, 2008, 74-75) (8) Planning Fundamentals: The challenge of planning for protecting lives, property, and the environment within is made easier if the planners apply these common characteristics to the planning process: (8.a) Planning is an orderly, analytical, problem-solving process. It follows logical steps from plan initiation to analysis of objectives, to development and comparison of ways to achieve the objectives, and to selection of the best solution. While using a prescribed planning process cannot guarantee success, inadequate plans and planning are proven contributors to failure. (8.b) Planning guides preparedness activities. It provides a common framework to guide preparedness by establishing the desired end state and the tasks required to accomplish it. This process identifies the capabilities required. Capabilities provide the means to accomplish a mission and achieve desired outcomes by performing critical tasks, under specified conditions, to target levels of performance. Exercises provide opportunities to demonstrate and evaluate performance, while periodic assessments of plans identify lessons learned and provide the means to share best products and practices. (8.c) Planning helps deal with complexity. Homeland security problems are most often complex and interrelated. The National Strategy for Homeland Security attaches special emphasis to planning for catastrophic events that embody the greatest risk of mass casualties, massive property loss and immense social disruption. Planning provides the opportunity for a jurisdiction or regional response structure to work through these very complex situations and their unique associated problems. Planning helps decision makers understand how their decisions might affect the ability of their and neighboring jurisdictions to achieve response goals. (8.d) This planning process addresses all hazards. The causes of incidents across the spectrum of homeland security can vary greatly, but the effects do not. This means planners can address incident functions common to all hazards. For example, floods, wildfires, and hazardous materials releases may lead a jurisdiction to issue an evacuation order. Even though each hazard's characteristics (e.g., speed of onset, size of the affected area) are different, many general tasks for conducting an evacuation are the same. Differences in the speed of onset may influence when an evacuation order is given, but the process of issuing an evacuation order does not change. All-hazards planning ensures that planners identify common tasks and determine who is responsible for accomplishing those tasks. (8.e) Planning does not need to start from scratch. Planners should capitalize on the experiences of others. The State is a valuable resource for the local jurisdiction. Many States publish their own standards and guidance for emergency planning, conduct workshops and training courses, and assign their planners to work with local planners. By reviewing existing emergency or contingency plans, planners can: (8.e.a) Identify applicable authorities and statutes, (8.e.b) Gain insight into community risk perceptions, (8.e.c) Identify organizational arrangements used in the past, (8.e.d) Identify mutual aid agreements with other jurisdictions, and (8.e..e) Learn how some planning issues were resolved in the past. (8.f) Planning depicts the anticipated environment for action. This promotes early understanding and agreement on planning assumptions and risks, and provides the context for interaction. Effective planning identifies clear tasks and purposes, promotes frequent interaction among stakeholders, guides preparedness activities, establishes procedures for implementation, provides measures to synchronize actions, and allocates or reallocates resources. Planners should review the existing plans for questionable assumptions, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, omissions, and vagueness. Critiques of recent operations and exercises in the jurisdiction will help planners develop a list of topics to address when updating plans. (9) Planning must involve all relevant partners. Just as coordinated operations depend on teamwork, good planning requires a team effort. The most realistic and complete plans are prepared by a team that includes representatives of the Federal agencies, State, local, and Tribal governments, private sector representation, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that will have to execute the plan. (10) Planning assigns tasks, allocates resources, and establishes accountability. Decision makers must ensure planners have the resources needed to accomplish the planning requirements as well as provide the necessary organizing, staffing, equipping, and resource allocation to implement the plans. Decision makers ensure this by organizing, staffing, equipping, and allocating resources. (11) Planning includes senior officials throughout the process to ensure both understanding and buy in. Potential planning team members have many day-to-day concerns. For a team to come together, potential members must be convinced that planning has a higher priority, and the person to convince them is the jurisdiction's chief executive. Planning helps decision makers anticipate and think critically, reducing time between decisions and actions. The more involved decision makers are in planning, the better the planning product is. This includes reminding the chief executive that planning is an iterative, dynamic process that ultimately facilitates his or her job in an emergency. (12) Planning is influenced by time, uncertainty, risk, and experience. These factors define the starting point where planners apply appropriate concepts and methods to create solutions to particular problems. Since this involves judgment and balancing of competing demands, plans cannot be overly detailed, followed to the letter, or so general that they provide insufficient direction. (13) Planning not only tells those within the planning community what to do (the task) and why to do it (the purpose), it also informs those outside the jurisdiction about how to cooperate and provide support and what to expect. Planning identifies important constraints (what must be done) and restraints (what must not be done) that affect freedom of action and expectations. (14) Planning is fundamentally a risk management tool. Uncertainty and risk are inherent in response planning and operations. Risk management during planning identifies potential hazards and assesses the probability and severity of each to mission accomplishment. Decision makers determine and communicate acceptable levels of risk. (FEMA, (Interim) Integrated Planning System (IPS) for Homeland Security (Draft Version 2.3), July 3, 2008 copy, pp. 2-4 through 2-6)