14 Levels of Planning Examples

Operating a business without direction is like driving a car without a map. You’ll get there, but with missed exits, wrong turns, and dead ends. A clear-cut business plan works the same way as MAPS.ME or Google Maps. It helps organizations grow faster and gives structure to daily operations. Instead of being in the dark, owners have a clear pass to success.

There are several levels of planning companies use to achieve their long and short-term objectives. These blueprints can work for organizations of various sizes and industries. This article explains the 3 levels of business planning and offers several essay examples.

🔝 Top-14 Levels of Planning Examples

1. Middle Managers Driving Change in Organization
2. Alibaba Company: Strategic Information Needs
3. Activities Management for Achieving Results
4. Business Issues and the Contexts of Human Resources
5. British Petroleum Company's Business Planning
6. Hong Kong Greenking Food Stuff Co Ltd.: Case Study
7. Service Delivery Excellence: Engineering, Construction
8. Market Orientation and Productivity Regarding the Organization Strategy
9. Food and Beverages at Southwestern University Football Games
10. Target Corporation and the Four Management Functions
11. Integrated Supply Chain in Business
12. Generic Types of Business Processes and IT Systems
13. HRM Practices and Their Role in Organizations
14. Body of Knowledge of Internet of Things

📖 Various Levels of Planning Explained

Companies use 3 types of outlines: strategic, tactical, and operational. Each has a unique set of components that make it valuable. When combined, the levels of planning raise productivity and shape the future of a business.

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is the foundation of a company. It determines the organization’s vision, objectives, and values. These principles influence every decision during a company’s lifespan. For example, its relations with media and customers. Strategic plans set the stage for the next 2 to 10 years.

There are several levels of strategic planning companies should adopt:

✔️ Vision	It’s important to project what the company can look like in 3, 4, or 5 years. This might be something fantastical or down to earth. The important thing is that top managers know what they want.
✔️ Mission	Understand why the company works and what it hopes to achieve.
✔️ Values	An organization must have a set of values for its employees and managers to follow.

Tactical Planning

This type shows how the company is going to accomplish its objectives. Such models cover less than a year of a company’s life. They help transform poetic mission statements into achievable goals. Tactical plans serve as blueprints for intentions outlined in the strategic template. These flexible documents can list every conceivable task and include the following:

1. Concrete goals with set deadlines. Organizations wanting to increase sales must break this goal into manageable pieces. Targets must be clear, like opening a new store in 4 months.
2. A dedicated budget. Tactical plans must include budgetary calculations. An organization needs to see how much it will spend on goals.
3. Resources. This document lists the assets a company can direct toward achieving objectives. For example, human and financial resources.
4. Marketing and funding. Lastly, the paper details marketing, funding, retailing, and production strategies.

Operational Planning

Operational plans are the most detailed of the three and deal with daily activities. Such papers have time-constrained objectives like shipping out 20 pairs of t-shirts by 13:00. Various organizations outside business use it as well. It includes medical and educational institutions. There are two kinds of operational plans: single-use and ongoing.

The first helps organizations deal with one-time events or activities. For example, when dealing with a marketing campaign for partners or conducting a one-time sales program. These blueprints usually have a very specific and structured nature.

Ongoing plans cover long periods of time and many situations. There are several versions of these documents:

• Policy. They instruct managers about dealing with various issues. This includes hiring and termination policies.
• Procedure. Such documents cover steps of completing company objectives. These can be instructions on training procedures or buying raw materials.
• Rule. These papers regulate the way a company operates. Standard rules include a limit on the number of sick days or dress code guidelines.

If you are further interested in business planning, check out some of our essay examples below.