Earlier, project management was an all-inclusive process involving planning, implementation, monitoring and control of materials, finances, human resources, marketing and operations. But now, businesses have bifurcated management processes into material management, marketing management, IT management, HR management and so on so that every department is handled separately and together they lead to a successful business. Just like management, planning is also of different types. In this post, we’ll understand more about operational planning. But first, let’s dive into the basics.
What is planning?
Planning is one of the basic managerial functions which entails defining the goals of a company; determining the resources accountable to realize the goals and creating a project blueprint. In a nutshell, planning is the process of deciding the outline of the work. In an organization, a manager is responsible to prepare different plans including a marketing plan, business plan and operational plan. The plans when implemented effectively perk up leadership and output in the organization. Usually, three steps are followed to prepare a plan in a better way.
Steps involved in the planning process
Devising a plan
The first step is to create a plan. To formulate an effective plan, the manager must focus on the strengths of the organizations. He must also make a note of factors that greatly impact the organization and the kind of people that hold the utmost significance for the organization. This helps the manager to convey the organization’s vision to his employees effectively.
Defining the success of the plan
An organization without a goal is like an arrow without direction. Hence, every organization should set long-term and short-term goals that it strives to achieve. Furthermore, there is a need to establish different project milestones in the path of accomplishment of goals.
Put it in action: The planned outline may not always lead to the desired result. Hence, managers should keep track of project activities and analyze the numbers. If needed, managers should make changes in the work or developing new and effective plans. This helps in better management of the work.
What is Operational Planning?
Just as the name suggests, operational planning involves the creation of an outline of operations/activities to be followed while pursuing organizational goals. Operational planning in management defines day-to-day processes. These plans include rules & regulations, procedures, activities & workflow as well as policies that are significant for the achievement of laid objectives.
This type of planning is a part of operations management and plays an important part in the business. Effective operational planning takes business toward success. Hence, individuals who are capable of preparing a definite operation plan, secure better positions in the organization.
Scope of Operation Planning and Management
Operations are the lifeblood of every organization. Without properly planned operations, there might be lots of confusion in the organizations thereby leading to inefficiencies. On the other hand, operation planning streamlines the workflow and enhances productivity. So, organizations are embracing operation planning in their business model.
In this competitive era, the demand for operation managers is elevating as they have the acumen to create an effective operational plan. The professionals are paid well by the organization bestowing to their significance in the organization. The individuals with an operations management degree can easily earn approximately ₹4,45,000 yearly as an average salary. Those with more than 5 years of experience can earn about ₹7,15,000 per annum or even more than that.https://www.payscale.com/research/IN/Job=Operations_Manager/Salary
Clearly, there is a decent scope in the field of operations management. You can capitalize on the job openings of the field after acquiring the knowledge and skills by pursuing a course in operation management. If you don’t have time for a regular course, you can pursue a distance management course from MIT School of Distance Education (MIT-SDE). It offers an up-to-date, industry-specific and practical-based course in operation management. So, get admissions at MIT-SDE and pave way for a lucrative career.