Operational Planning Guide & Free Essay Examples

Operational planning is a crucial element of successful management in any organization. It involves developing and implementing effective strategies to ensure smooth and efficient day-to-day operations. Good operational planning helps businesses achieve their goals and stay competitive in today’s fast-paced marketplace. In this article, we will explain operational planning, how to conduct it, and provide some good examples.

🔝 Top-10 Operational Planning Examples

1. Information Technology in Business Decision-Making
2. Alibaba Company: Strategic Information Needs
3. Activities Management for Achieving Results
4. Power Vs. Control in Organizations – What Is the Difference?
5. Online Travel Websites Marketing Strategy
6. Supply Chain Management Tools and Techniques
7. Strategic Human Resource Management and Objectives
8. Operations Management and Capacity Planning
9. Business Plan: UNIK AutoCare Services Limited
10. SIEMENS Company Operational and Logistical Strategies

🥇 Operations Plan Explained

Every company that wants to achieve its goals needs a practical roadmap, such as an operational plan. Operational planning can help with understanding the vision of the business, setting goals, and outlining concrete strategies to achieve them. It plays a vital role in firms’ development since it assists in completing costly projects on schedule and within budget.

What Is Operational Planning?

Operational planning involves prioritizing tasks an organization will focus on in the coming months. The plan details future finances, requirements, and other crucial elements that ensure the company achieves its objectives. Moreover, it outlines individual responsibilities, enabling employees to understand their role in contributing to the company’s success. By using operational planning alongside strategic planning, organizations can assist their staff in making informed decisions about business strategy.

Operational Planning Vs. Strategic Planning

Although both strategic and operational plans are vital to an organization’s success, they mean different things. The first difference is that the strategic plan focuses more on the organization’s overall vision and considers long-term goals at least 5 years ahead. In contrast, the operations plan focuses on specific projects the company will carry out in the nearest future (typically over the next fiscal year). Another difference involves the modification aspect. The business can evaluate its strategic plan once a year to see if it still works in case significant changes occur within or outside the organization. The operational plan, however, needs to be reviewed every month since it focuses on short-term goals.

📒 Types of Operations Plan

The operational plan clearly shows each department’s work process and identifies the business profitability. There are 2 main types of operational plans: single-use plans and standing plans.

📌 What Are the 5 Steps in the Operational Planning Process?

An operations plan is straightforward but requires the daily evaluation of everything the company does to achieve the goal. There are 6 practical steps you need to consider while creating an effective operational plan.

Step 1 – Come up with a strategic plan

Creating a strategic plan is crucial for gaining insight into a company’s long-term objectives and determining its market position. Additionally, it can help break down larger goals into smaller, achievable tasks to can accomplish daily.

Step 2 – Identify the goal

Since goals set the direction of a company, it’s vital to identify the objective the business will focus on. The goal must be specific, measurable, and realistic for every employee to clearly understand what has to be achieved.

Step 3 – Understand the company’s vision

Recognizing and grasping a company’s vision before starting any project will help minimize risks and solve problems that occur during the process. What does the leadership consider success? Create a vision for one department and compare it to the organization’s global vision.

Step 4 – Assign roles

Team members must be assigned roles and responsibilities based on their skills and knowledge. It’s also important to be specific about reporting systems for the team members and the deadlines they need to meet. Consulting with each worker individually and motivating them with bonuses will help.

Step 5 – Create an operational plan

An operational plan outlines the team’s steps to achieve objectives within a specific time range. To create such a plan, highlight critical goals, quality standards, and resource requirements. Also, it’s essential to focus on the deliverables that the operational plan will bring.

Step 6 – Monitor and update the operational plan

Monitor the progress and adjust the plan if needed to keep things on track. Hold the team to the deadlines; if one is missed, alter the strategy to stay on schedule. You can also analyze the team’s performance with the help of work reports created during the project.

🤓 Operational Planning Examples

We’ve prepared 2 great operational plan examples—take a look!

Example 1 – Manufacturing Company

• Goal: Increase company production output by 15%.
• Timeframe: 1 year.
• Required resources: Training, efficiency studies, and innovative equipment.
• Tasks: Identifying tactics to optimize materials handling processes, learning how to set up new equipment, and identifying ways to ask prospective clients to pay for their orders in advance.
• Budget: 10,000$.
• Monitoring technique: Each day and week, check the entire production of the manufacturing plant to see if there has been an increase in output.

Example 2 – Marketing Business

• Goal: Increase the number of clients by 20%.
• Timeframe: 2 years.
• Required resources: Additional staff members, customer service training, increase in phone lines, extra advertisements.
• Tasks: Learn how to engage the clients and advertise the company over the phone, find new ways to promote through email marketing, and find the network to produce new leads for the organization.
• Budget: 2,000$.
• Monitoring technique: Analyze new customers over the next two years and why they chose this company.

📝 Operational Planning Research Paper Examples

1. Operation Management: Productivity and Efficiency
   Business essay sample: Operations management involves a transformation process. The transformation process is the technical aspects, where conversions of resources into outputs take place.
2. Business Concept for Small Business
   Business essay sample: This paper gives a detailed description of a small business venture and the most appropriate strategy that will be considered to maximize profitability.
3. Operational Analysis and Effectiveness in Organization
   Business essay sample: The role of operations in the day to day functioning of organizations is very important, especially in the manufacturing sector.
4. British Petroleum Company's Business Planning
   Business essay sample: British Petroleum Company have contributed immensely to the growth of the economy globally; the company concentrates on different business activities in the oil and gas industry.
5. New Tours and Travel Business Venture: Business Plan
   Business essay sample: This paper therefore is a feasibility study cum business plan for a new tours and travel business venture in the leisure tour and travel industry.
6. Business Plan and How to Build It
   Business essay sample: The purpose of this paper is to help highlight strategies and models suitable for turning the proposed idea into a reality.
7. Business Plan in the Cultural Industry
   Business essay sample: Cultural industries are today the most thriving businesses offering wide business opportunities that are yet to be exploited. This follows the changing of today’s societies which have transformed to be multicultural.
8. Florist Boutique + Café: Business Plan
   Business essay sample: The business plan is going to be prepared on a combined flower shop and coffee house known as “Florist Boutique + Café”.
9. Coca Cola Operations Management
   Business essay sample: Coca-Cola Company is a worldwide soft drink company with an international market presence in over 200 countries.
10. IBM: History, Innovations and Future Strategy
    Business essay sample: IBM is currently working to construct a computing system that can not just comprehend questions asked but also answer those questions as quickly and precisely as possible.
11. Business School in London: Business Plan
    Business essay sample: The school will require various personnel to facilitate its operations. These will include educators and support staff to facilitate the process of education.
12. Thornton Printing Company's Operations Management Problem
    Business essay sample: This article gives an example of Thornton printing company which experienced the problem of poor communication strategies which resulted in poor quality control in its operations.
13. Summary of Supply Chain Logistics Management
    Business essay sample: Supply chain management covers many strategies to ensure efficiency in operations. There is a need to establish appropriate logistics to ensure the supply chain management success.
14. Pepsi’s Investment in the Australian Market
    Business essay sample: Pepsi is the second-largest food and beverage business in the world. Launching an energy drink to the market right now is a good and timely investment.
15. An American Tragedy: How a Good Company Died
    Business essay sample: The case is an illustration of an American company Burgmaster, which struggled to compete with international competitors due to the trade policy pressure.
16. Strategic Management Research Project for Caterpillar Inc.
    Business essay sample: Caterpillar Inc. is a large US-based company designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling heavy equipment mainly for the construction and mining industries.

💡 Essay Ideas on Operational Planning

1. Food and Beverages at Southwestern University Football Games
   Business essay sample: The president of Southwestern University has noticed the increasing capacity of the stadium, hence forming a strategy to ensure that the number is accommodated.
2. Bandtech Company's Business Plan
   Business essay sample: This paper provides a breakdown of the business plan for Bandtech including advantages and weaknesses that are likely to be encountered during the operational stage.
3. Tech Components International Firm's Strategic Plan
   Business essay sample: As a medium-sized electronics component business, Tech Components International aims to increase sales through engagement with the global supply chain through local channels.
4. Target Corporation and the Four Management Functions
   Business essay sample: There are four management functions that leaders apply in creating, implementing, and monitoring organizational objectives: planning, organizing, leading and controlling.
5. Backwell IXL: Company Analysis
   Business essay sample: This report describes the management fundamentals and quality management concepts of Backwell IXL Company regarding its historical background, company structure, strategy, product.
6. The Role and Effects of Budgeting. Beyond Budgeting
   Business essay sample: The paper aims to identify the shortcomings of traditional budgeting exercises and how the removal of budgeting is likely to influence the control functions in any organization.
7. Jawil Food and Drinks Restaurant’s Business Plan
   Business essay sample: Jawil restaurant’s mission is to serve Chicago residents a variety of cultural dishes and the best drinks at affordable prices without compromising on quality, health, and safety.
8. Operations Management in Gruppo Guido Company
   Business essay sample: Gruppo Guido is a construction firm based in Italy that specializes not only in actual construction but also in project management.
9. Domino’s Pizza Firm’s Operational Management
   Business essay sample: This report presents an analysis of the operational management of Domino’s Pizza enterprise. It elaborates on the key strategies and functional issues that affect the business.
10. Operational Management: Flow Process Charts and Network Charts
    Business essay sample: This paper analyzes operational management: Flow process charts and network charts, activity sequencing and workload scheduling, plan operation to meet stated objectives.
11. An Analysis of H&M’s Operations Management
    Business essay sample: This paper will address three important areas of H&M's activity, namely, its approach to operations management, the significance of supply chain coordination for its success.
12. Business Issues and the Context of Human Resources
    Business essay sample: The provisions underscore the minimum wage range, taxes, workplace safety, employees’ rights, and equal employment practices that a company ought to comply with during its operation.
13. Burger King Company's Operations Management
    Business essay sample: The paper highlights the key areas of operations management in Burger King, provides the process chart for hamburger production, and examines the lean principles.
14. Digital Transformation Business Model in the UK
    Business essay sample: Operation management in several manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom is the backbone responsible for facilitating the organizations' activities.
15. Role of Operations Manager
    Business essay sample: Employees communicate and network with one another and external stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, competitors, and governmental agencies.
16. Body of Knowledge of Internet of Things
    Business essay sample: One of the critical enablers of effective transportation and logistics include the internet of things (IoT). This technology has immense benefits in the industry.

👍 Good Operational Planning Essay Examples to Write about

1. McPherson Charles Operations Strategy
   Business essay sample: This essay focuses on the operations strategy adopted by McPherson Charles, organizational objectives, and how the company addresses them.
2. Operations Management in Business Organizations
   Business essay sample: Operations management is a complex process that refers to all activities regarding the products or services that a company provides.
3. Discussion of Q-Robotics Business Plan
   Business essay sample: The project offers the development and manufacture of robots for washing the windows of skyscrapers and the Q-Robotics company will sell robots directly as products.
4. Caterpillar Inc.'s Strategic Management and Sales Increase
   Business essay sample: This report focuses on Caterpillar Inc.’s strategic management and the approaches that the company has exercised to increase its sales and remain competitive.
5. Golden Events Company's Business Plan
   Business essay sample: This report details a proposed business plan for Golden Events, an event planning and management company. The firm's chief goal is to organize, schedule, and manage events.
6. Developing an Understanding of Cultural Differences in Business Companies
   Business essay sample: We will in this document present to you the business idea that we have developed after analysis of our different cultures
7. The Turnaround at the Preston Plant: Operations Management
   Business essay sample: The report highlights the benefits of establishing control in the operations, and the strategic quality conformance based on the case of the Preston plant.
8. Nucor Aligns Company Goals With Employee Goals
   Business essay sample: In the event of establishing a labor union in Nucor, there will be an essential impact on the company's dynamics.
9. Emergency Operation Plan: Importance and Key Elements
   Business essay sample: Successful emergency management requires detailed preliminary plan design, training for all program participants, and continuing assessment and improvement of the program.
10. Nails Zone: Business Model and Plan
    Business essay sample: Nail Zone is a full-service nail business salon that is dedicated to providing quality customer services in a calm and relaxing setting.
11. The Quick Bites’ Food Truck: Business Plan
    Business essay sample: This report has outlined the planned business venture to open a food truck called Quick Bites in Southwest Florida.
12. Management: Moyon Tea Business Plan
    Business essay sample: The goal is to expand the brand into a franchise. MOYON is meant to represent the disruption of the industry, a healthy alternative to coffee, and a modern social experience.
13. Bridgestone Corporation's Strategic Report
    Business essay sample: This paper will analyze Bridgestone's strategies before preparing a strategic report and recommendations for the organizational redesign.
14. Business Plan For Luiz’s Home Bakery
    Business essay sample: This paper presents a business plan for a home bakery, a small-scale family business specializing in baked products. It is presented in the form of a case study.