Timothy Coy
13/07/2012
Section 1
Assessment activity 1
In your own words, describe the purpose of the operational plan and its relationship to the strategic plan.
The purpose of the operational plan is to focus on shorter term objectives usually within 1 up to 3 years. For plans of 2 to 3 years, a more detailed breakdown of shorter timeframes should be included within the body of the document. An operational plan provides detailed information on planning, resource, implementation and funding for projects normally developed from the strategic plan. An operational plan should contain indicators to measure progress and performance. When written an operational plan will be defined by the following questions
- Where are we now?
- Where do we want to be?
- How do we get there?
- How do we measure our performance?
Operational plans also comprise responsibility, allocation and contingency for variation.
Contingency planning is the development of alternative plans to be placed in effect if certain unexpected events occur. There are four main advantages to contingency planning:
1) it helps the organisation get into a better position to cope with unexpected developments;
2) indecision, uncertainty, and delays are reduced when something unusual happens;
3) the organisations responses are likely to be better thought out and more rational; and
4) managers are forced to think in terms of possible outcomes, rather than just the most likely outcome.
Operational plans are normally derived from strategic plans; a strategic plan provides formal long term direction for an organisation’s mission, objectives and strategies. These plans define
What do we do?
Who do we do it for?
How do we get there? / How do we succeed?
Assessment activity 2
Consultation can be undertaken both formally and informally. Outline some of the tools that can be used for formal consultation and discuss there various merits.
Formal tools for