It is an official document in which those responsible for an organization or entity establish a series of objectives that they wish to meet. In other words, it is a general strategy that indicates what you want to achieve and what are the steps to achieve it. Normally an operating plan is carried out on an annual basis and for this reason the acronym POA is used, that is, Annual Operating Plan.
The goal of any operational plan is for an organization to locate, visualize and project itself. Obviously, these types of strategies are designed to achieve certain goals. In short, it could be said that to execute something successfully, there must be prior planning.
General considerations on operational plans
Any operational plan (of a private company, an NGO or a public body) has to contemplate a series of ideas:
- The operational plan document generates information for correct decision-making in order to achieve the strategic objectives.
- The process of preparing an operational plan could be synthesized into three main questions: what is the current situation of an entity? Where do you want to go? and finally, how are we going to achieve the desired objectives?
- The success of an operational plan depends on several factors. On the one hand, that the document has been prepared in an adequate manner and with the maximum possible rigor. Second, the people involved in the plan need to be involved in the project (the best strategy without proper involvement becomes dead paper). Third, the plan has to incorporate elements of anticipation so that it is possible to adapt to any type of circumstances. Finally, it is highly advisable that the plan is the result of consensus and the participation of all the people involved in the project.
Possible errors related to operational plans
- The first mistake would be to make a plan but not believe in it.
- Any strategy or plan works well if there is someone leading the project, so the absence of leadership weakens the effectiveness of the plan.
- If the available information is not reliable, the operational plan cannot work.
- Certain mental barriers become a brake.
- Organizational systems must be operational and it is not acceptable that some of the functions to be performed are on nobody's ground.
- If the work team is not involved in the plan, it is very likely that the project will fail.
Photos: Fotolia - Gstudio / Stockillustrator
