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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Operational planning</span></span>
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<p><b>Operational planning</b> (<b>OP</b>) is the process of implementing <a href="Strategic_goal_(business)" class="mw-redirect" title="Strategic goal (business)">strategic plans</a> and objectives to reach specific goals.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In an <i>Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior</i>, Barbara Carlin and Marina Sebastijanovic suggest that operational planning is one of the four basic types of planning involved in organizational management.<sup id="cite_ref-cs_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-cs-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Function_and_preparation">Function and preparation</h2></div>
<p>An operational plan (or operations plan) describes the specific steps in any given <a href="Strategic_planning" title="Strategic planning">strategic planning</a> model and explains how and what portion of resources will be put into operation during a given operational period: in the case of <a href="Budget#Corporate_budget" title="Budget">commercial-</a> or <a href="Government_budget_balance" title="Government budget balance">government budget balance</a>, a <a href="Fiscal_year" title="Fiscal year">fiscal year</a>. An operational plan is the basis for, and justification of, an annual <a href="Operating_budget" title="Operating budget">operating budget</a> needed to achieve an overall strategic plan.
</p><p>An operational plan draws from an organization's strategic plans to describe program missions and goals, program objectives, and program activities. While an operational plan may differ depending on the sector, the core components of an operational plan includes <a href="Benchmarking" title="Benchmarking">benchmarking</a> and determining how progress is measured.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The operations plan is both the first and the last step in preparing an operating budget request. As the first step, the operations plan provides a plan for resource allocation; as the last step, the OP may be modified to reflect policy decisions or financial changes made during the budget development process.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Operational plans are generally prepared by the people who will be involved in implementation. There is often a need for cross-departmental dialogue as plans created by one part of the organization inevitably have implications for other parts.
</p><p>Operational plans should contain:<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<ul><li>Identifying clear objectives to be achieved</li>
<li>Details that are aligned with the strategic plan</li>
<li>Ensuring staffing and resource requirements</li>
<li><a href="Performance_management" class="mw-redirect" title="Performance management">Performance management</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Integrated_business_planning" title="Integrated business planning">Integrated business planning</a></li>
<li><a href="Government_Performance_and_Results_Act" title="Government Performance and Results Act">Government Performance and Results Act</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2></div>
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<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">The other basic types are strategic, tactical, and <a href="Contingency_plan" title="Contingency plan">contingency</a> planning.<sup id="cite_ref-cs_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-cs-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></span>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">
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</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://harappa.education/harappa-diaries/operational-planning/">"Operational Planning: Meaning, Examples And Benefits"</a>. <i>Harappa School of Leadership</i>. 19 December 2021<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">1 March</span> 2023</span>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-cs-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-cs_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-cs_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Barbara Carlin and Marina Sebastijanovic, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://uhlibraries.pressbooks.pub/mana3335/chapter/1-2-planning/">1.2 Planning</a>, in <i>Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior</i>, <a href="OpenStax" title="OpenStax">OpenStax</a>, subject to <a href="Creative_Commons_Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" class="mw-redirect" title="Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>, accessed on 6 January 2025</span>
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<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFDavenport2003" class="citation book cs1">Davenport, Thomas (April 1, 2003). "Chapter 5: Market Savvy: How Ideas Interact with Markets". <i>What's the Big Idea? Creating and Capitalizing on the Best New Management Thinking</i>. Harvard Business School Press. pp. <span class="nowrap">99–</span>104. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>9781578519316</bdi>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFDavenport2003" class="citation book cs1">Davenport, Thomas (April 1, 2003). "Chapter 5: Market Savvy: How Ideas Interact with Markets". <i>What's the Big Idea? Creating and Capitalizing on the Best New Management Thinking</i>. Harvard Business School Press. p. 97. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>9781578519316</bdi>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2020/12/08/how-to-turn-a-corporate-strategy-into-an-operational-plan/?sh=11add3c95928">"How To Turn A Corporate Strategy Into An Operational Plan"</a>. <i>Forbes</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2 March</span> 2023</span>.</cite></span>
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