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How To Write the Operations Plan Section of the Business Plan

Susan Ward wrote about small businesses for The Balance for 18 years. She has run an IT consulting firm and designed and presented courses on how to promote small businesses.

Stage of Development Section

Production process section, the bottom line, frequently asked questions (faqs).

The operations plan is the section of your business plan that gives an overview of your workflow, supply chains, and similar aspects of your business. Any key details of how your business physically produces goods or services will be included in this section.

You need an operations plan to help others understand how you'll deliver on your promise to turn a profit. Keep reading to learn what to include in your operations plan.

Key Takeaways

• The operations plan section should include general operational details that help investors understand the physical details of your vision.
• Details in the operations plan include information about any physical plants, equipment, assets, and more.
• The operations plan can also serve as a checklist for startups; it includes a list of everything that must be done to start turning a profit.

In your business plan , the operations plan section describes the physical necessities of your business's operation, such as your physical location, facilities, and equipment. Depending on what kind of business you'll be operating, it may also include information about inventory requirements, suppliers, and a description of the manufacturing process.

Keeping focused on the bottom line will help you organize this part of the business plan.

Think of the operating plan as an outline of the capital and expense requirements your business will need to operate from day to day.

You need to do two things for the reader of your business plan in the operations section: show what you've done so far to get your business off the ground and demonstrate that you understand the manufacturing or delivery process of producing your product or service.

When you're writing this section of the operations plan, start by explaining what you've done to date to get the business operational, then follow up with an explanation of what still needs to be done. The following should be included:

Production Workflow

A high-level, step-by-step description of how your product or service will be made, identifying the problems that may occur in the production process. Follow this with a subsection titled "Risks," which outlines the potential problems that may interfere with the production process and what you're going to do to negate these risks. If any part of the production process can expose employees to hazards, describe how employees will be trained in dealing with safety issues. If hazardous materials will be used, describe how these will be safely stored, handled, and disposed.

Industry Association Memberships

Show your awareness of your industry's local, regional, or national standards and regulations by telling which industry organizations you are already a member of and which ones you plan to join. This is also an opportunity to outline what steps you've taken to comply with the laws and regulations that apply to your industry. 

Supply Chains

An explanation of who your suppliers are and their prices, terms, and conditions. Describe what alternative arrangements you have made or will make if these suppliers let you down.

Quality Control

An explanation of the quality control measures that you've set up or are going to establish. For example, if you intend to pursue some form of quality control certification such as ISO 9000, describe how you will accomplish this.

While you can think of the stage of the development part of the operations plan as an overview, the production process section lays out the details of your business's day-to-day operations. Remember, your goal for writing this business plan section is to demonstrate your understanding of your product or service's manufacturing or delivery process.

When writing this section, you can use the headings below as subheadings and then provide the details in paragraph format. Leave out any topic that does not apply to your particular business.

Do an outline of your business's day-to-day operations, including your hours of operation and the days the business will be open. If the business is seasonal, be sure to say so.

The Physical Plant

Describe the type, site, and location of premises for your business. If applicable, include drawings of the building, copies of lease agreements, and recent real estate appraisals. You need to show how much the land or buildings required for your business operations are worth and tell why they're important to your proposed business.

The same goes for equipment. Besides describing the equipment necessary and how much of it you need, you also need to include its worth and cost and explain any financing arrangements.

Make a list of your assets , such as land, buildings, inventory, furniture, equipment, and vehicles. Include legal descriptions and the worth of each asset.

Special Requirements

If your business has any special requirements, such as water or power needs, ventilation, drainage, etc., provide the details in your operating plan, as well as what you've done to secure the necessary permissions.

State where you're going to get the materials you need to produce your product or service and explain what terms you've negotiated with suppliers.

Explain how long it takes to produce a unit and when you'll be able to start producing your product or service. Include factors that may affect the time frame of production and describe how you'll deal with potential challenges such as rush orders.

Explain how you'll keep  track of inventory .

Feasibility

Describe any product testing, price testing, or prototype testing that you've done on your product or service.

Give details of product cost estimates.

Once you've worked through this business plan section, you'll not only have a detailed operations plan to show your readers, but you'll also have a convenient list of what needs to be done next to make your business a reality. Writing this document gives you a chance to crystalize your business ideas into a clear checklist that you can reference. As you check items off the list, use it to explain your vision to investors, partners, and others within your organization.

What is an operations plan?

An operations plan is one section of a company's business plan. This section conveys the physical requirements for your business's operations, including supply chains, workflow , and quality control processes.

What is the main difference between the operations plan and the financial plan?

The operations plan and financial plan tackle similar issues, in that they seek to explain how the business will turn a profit. The operations plan approaches this issue from a physical perspective, such as property, routes, and locations. The financial plan explains how revenue and expenses will ultimately lead to the business's success.

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Operations and Management Business Plan (+Sample in PDF)

Aug.03, 2023

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Table of Content

1. What Is a Management and Operations Plan?

RephraseA manageme­nt and operations plan is a crucial document that outlines the­ direction and management of an organization or e­nterprise. Typically create­d with a specific objective in mind, such as achie­ving company growth, expanding operations, or launching new products, this plan de­tails the organization’s goals and objectives. It provide­s a roadmap for achieving these goals, se­rves as a refere­nce for monitoring progress, and allows for nece­ssary adjustments along the way.

The plan provide­s a comprehensive outline­ of the roles and responsibilitie­s of every manager and staff me­mber within the organization. This crucial information ensure­s effective coordination among the­ management team and he­lps facilitate goal attainment. Additionally, a well-de­veloped manageme­nt and operations plan plays a significant role in attracting and retaining inve­stors and customers.

2. Management and operations business plan Sample

The following management and operations business plan will be based on the successful startup of a new facility management business. Professional Busine­ss Planning service is focused on cre­ating a sustainable facility management busine­ss that prioritizes delivering a unique­ customer experie­nce through comprehensive­ services and cost-effe­ctive solutions.

Facility Management

The main focus will be on providing tailore­d Facility Management service­s to our clients. These se­rvices may include facilities mainte­nance, energy manage­ment, environmental compliance­, landscaping, housekeeping, and se­curity. We also offer after-hours support and mainte­nance to ensure all clie­nt needs are me­t professionally and in a timely manner.

The strategic and business plan operations management will maintain a comprehensive inventory of facility management supplies, crisis management, and equipment, including tools, cleaning and janitorial supplies, and appliance parts. The busine­ss will also keep inventory of safe­ty supplies, including non-slip mats, fire extinguishe­rs, and first-aid kits.

Objectives and Goals

The primary goal of the management and operations of a business plan is to establish a reputation as a reliable and trusted provider of facility management services. The components indicated in the operations and management section of the business plan will strive to develop and maintain close relationships with clients to provide the highest quality of service possible. A business plan’s operations and management section will also work to ensure that each client is satisfied with the quality and value of the services they receive.

The best business plans to launch its facility management services no later than six months after beginning operations. Initially, the business plan management operation and organization will focus on acquiring new clients and establishing a quality service process. After this initial stage­, the business will aim to grow its service­s and customer reach by targeting ne­arby communities and neighboring businesse­s.

Employees and Organizational Structure

The management and operations in the business plan will employ a full-time staff of three and three part-time employees. The staff will have­ several key re­sponsibilities, including scheduling service­s, addressing customer inquiries, managing facilitie­s, and keeping track of inventory. The­y will also undergo comprehensive­ training to ensure exce­llent customer service­. The business will also have a de­dicated service te­chnician available on-call and an administrative assistant to handle custome­r inquiries and scheduling.

3. Operations and management business plan examples

When de­veloping a business plan for operations and manage­ment, it’s crucial to carefully consider the­ unique goals and objectives of the­ business. For instance, if you’re starting a re­staurant, you need to give care­ful thought to aspects such as menu options, operating hours, staffing re­quirements, and other factors that are­ vital for ensuring the success of your e­stablishment. The same consideration must be given when starting a salon, home care business, or law firm. Running differe­nt types of establishments re­quires a tailored approach, including specific staffing and policie­s. Creating a successful operations and manage­ment business plan involves taking a holistic vie­w of the business while ke­eping the customer front and ce­nter.

For a restaurant, an operations and management business plan examples should include key elements like the types of foods they will serve, pricing, and a detailed schedule for opening and closing by Professional Business Plan Writers . The Restaurant Business Plan should also include plans for hiring and managing staff and the necessary systems and procedures to ensure the restaurant runs smoothly. A salon will also have to consider how they will attract customers, manage services, and care for client safety and satisfaction. Home care and law firms should include detailed plans for recruiting, selecting, and training staff; organization policies; service offerings; and customer service processes.

Overall, management and operations in a business plan for service should outline all operational processes, personnel management, customer service, and marketing tactics for the business to succeed. From food offerings to staff selection, business owners should clearly outline their plan of action and adhere to their operations and management business plan for success.

4. Unlock the Path to Growth and Profit with OGS Capital: The ‘Go-To’ Management Plan Experts

At OGS Capital, we are­ experts in operations and manage­ment business plan consulting. With over 15 ye­ars of experience­, our team of skilled business and ope­rations strategists is dedicated to he­lping businesses like yours achie­ve growth and profitability. We have a de­ep understanding of the intricacie­s involved in developing e­ffective operations and manage­ment business plans and specialize­ in creating personalized strate­gies that address each clie­nt’s unique needs.

We provide­ Professional Business Planning Services, starting with our thorough business assessment se­rvices. Our consultants offer personalize­d guidance based on their e­xtensive industry expe­rtise.

At our company, we prioritize­ strategic customer targeting in our ope­rations and management business plan de­velopment service­s. Our expertise lie­s in creating accurate customer se­gmentation models and impactful market positioning plans. The­se plans enable you to e­ffectively identify the­ most suitable customers for your products and service­s, maximizing your chances of capturing your target market.

With OGS Capital by your side every step of the way, you can be confident that your plan will be completed to the highest quality and efficacy standards. Contact us today to unlock your path to success.

Q.How do you write management and operations in a business plan?

In the manage­ment and operations section of a busine­ss plan, it is crucial to provide details about the various tasks re­quired to run your business and the role­s and responsibilities of each te­am member. This section should addre­ss important questions such as who makes decisions, who handle­s daily operations, and how the staff hierarchy is structure­d. Additionally, you should include information on how the business acquire­s resources and manages finance­s.

Q.What is an example of an operation management plan?

An example­ of an operational management plan is a compre­hensive blueprint that outline­s strategies and steps to e­nhance the efficie­ncy and effectivene­ss of producing and delivering goods and service­s. This plan includes specific details about proce­dures for improving processes, se­lecting equipment, allocating labor re­sources, managing inventory, and ensuring quality control. It also e­ncompasses provisions for monitoring, evaluating, and making adjustments to ope­rational changes. Furthermore, the­ plan identifies potential risks and provide­s strategies to mitigate the­m effectively.

Download Operations and Management Business Plan in PDF

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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How to Write an Operations Plan Section of your Business Plan

Free Operations Plan Template

Ayush Jalan

• December 14, 2023

Your business plan is an elaborate set of instructions stating how to run your business to achieve objectives and goals. Each section describes a part of the process of reaching your desired goal. Similarly, the operations plan section of your business plan explains the production and supply of your product.

An operations plan is formed to turn plans into actions. It uses the information you gathered from the analysis of the market , customers, and competitors mentioned in the previous parts of your business plan and allows for the execution of relevant strategies to achieve desired results.

What Is an Operations Plan?

An operations plan is an in-depth description of your daily business activities centered on achieving the goals and objectives described in the previous sections of your business plan. It outlines the processes, activities, responsibilities of various departments and the timeframe of the execution.

The operations section of your business plan explains in detail the role of a team or department in the collective accomplishment of your goals. In other words, it’s a strategic allocation of physical, financial, and human resources toward reaching milestones within a specific timeframe.

A well-defined operational plan section of your business plan should be able to answer the following questions:

• Who is responsible for a specific task or department?
• What are the tasks that need to be completed?
• Where will these operations take place?
• When should the tasks be completed? What are the deadlines?
• How will the tasks be performed? Is there a standard procedure?
• How much is it going to cost to complete these tasks?

How to Write an Operations Plan Section?

Creating an operational plan has two major stages, both addressing different aspects of your company. The first stage includes the work that has been done so far, whereas the second stage describes it in detail.

1. Development Phase

In this stage, you mention what you’ve done to get your business operations up and running. Explain what you aim to change and improvise in the processes. These are the elements your development section will contain:

Production workflow

: Explain all the steps involved in creating your product. This should be a highly informative, elaborate description of the steps. Here, you also mention any inefficiencies that exist and talk about the actions that need to be taken to tackle them.

Supply chains

Quality control, 2. manufacturing phase.

The development stage acquaints the reader with the functioning of your business, while the manufacturing stage describes the day-to-day operation.

This includes the following elements:

Outline of daily activities:

Tools and equipment:, special requirements:, raw materials:, productions:, feasibility:, why do you need an operations plan.

An operations plan is essentially an instruction manual about the workings of your business. It offers insight into your business operations. It helps investors assess your credibility and understand the structure of your operations and predict your financial requirements.

An operations plan reflects the real-time application of a business plan.

Internally, an operations plan works as a guide, which helps your employees and managers to know their responsibilities. It also helps them understand how to execute their tasks in the desired manner—all whilst keeping account of deadlines.

The operations plan helps identify and cut the variances between planned and actual performance and makes necessary changes. It helps you visualize how your operations affect revenue and gives you an idea of how and when you need to implement new strategies to maximize profits.

Advantages of Preparing an Operations Plan:

• Offers Clarity: Operational planning, among other things, makes sure that everyone in the audience and team are aware of the daily, weekly, and monthly work. It improves concentration and productivity.
• Contains A Roadmap: Operational planning makes it much easier to reach long-term objectives. When members have a clear strategy to follow: productivity rises, and accountability is maintained.
• Sets A Benchmark: It sets a clear goal for everyone about what is the destination of the company and how to reach there.

Operations Plan Essentials

Now that you have understood the contents of an operations plan and how it should be written, you can continue drafting one for your business plan. But before doing so, take a look at these key components you need to remember while creating your operational plan.

• Your operations plan is fundamentally a medium for implementing your strategic plan. Hence, it’s crucial to have a solid strategic plan to write an effective operations plan.
• Focus on setting SMART goals and prioritizing the most important ones. This helps you create a clear and crisp operations plan. Focusing on multiple goals will make your plan complicated and hard to implement.
• To measure your goals, use leading indicators instead of lagging indicators. Leading indicators is a metric that helps you track your progress and predict when you will reach a goal. On the other hand, lagging indicators can only confirm a trend by taking the past as input but cannot predict the accomplishment of a goal.
• It is essential to choose the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) . It is a good practice to involve all your teams while you decide your KPIs.
• An operations plan should effectively communicate your goals, metrics, deadlines, and all the processes.

Now you’re all set to write an operations plan section for your business plan. To give you a headstart, we have created an operations plan example.

Operations Plan Example

Operations plan by a book publishing house

Track and Accomplish Goals With an Operations Plan

Drafting the operations plan section of your business plan can be tricky due to the uncertainties of the business environment and the risks associated with it. Depending on variables like your market analysis, product development, supply chain, etc., the complexity of writing an operations plan will vary.

The core purpose here is to put all the pieces together to create a synergy effect and get the engine of your business running. Create an effective operations plan to convey competence to investors and clarity to employees.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What role does the operations plan play in securing funding for a business.

The operations plan defines the clear goals of your business and what actions will be taken on a daily basis to reach them. So, investors need to know where your business stands, and it will prove the viability of the goals helping you in getting funded.

What are the factors affecting the operations plan?

• The mission of the company
• Goals to be achieved
• Finance and resources your company will need

Can an operations plan be created for both start-up and established businesses?

Yes, both a startup and a small business needs an operations plan to get a better idea of the roadmap they want for their business.

About the Author

Ayush is a writer with an academic background in business and marketing. Being a tech-enthusiast, he likes to keep a sharp eye on the latest tech gadgets and innovations. When he's not working, you can find him writing poetry, gaming, playing the ukulele, catching up with friends, and indulging in creative philosophies.

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An Ultimate Guide for Better Operations

• Operates towards success
• Describe business milestones
• Plan such as financials, budget planning 
• Turn your goals into an actionable plan

• Grasshopper

Operations Plan

• Lesson Materials Operations Plan Worksheet
• Completion time About 40 minutes

The operations section of your business plan is where you explain – in detail – you company's objectives, goals, procedures, and timeline. An operations plan is helpful for investors, but it's also helpful for you and employees because it pushes you to think about tactics and deadlines.

In the previous course, you outlined your company's strategic plan, which answers questions about your business mission. An operational plan outlines the steps you'll take to complete your business mission.

Your operations plan should be able to answer the following:

• Who – The personnel or departments who are in charge of completing specific tasks.
• What – A description of what each department is responsible for.
• Where – The information on where daily operations will be taking place.
• When –The deadlines for when the tasks and goals are to be completed.
• How much – The cost amount each department needs to complete their tasks.

In this session, we explain each item to include in your operations plan.

Goals and Objectives

The key to an operations plan is having a clear objective and goal everyone is focused on completing. In this section of your plan, you'll clearly state what your company's operational objective is.

Your operational objective is different than your company's overall objective. In Course One , you fleshed out what your strategic objective was. Your operational objective explains how you intend to complete your strategic objective.

In order to create an efficient operational objective, think SMART:

• Specific – Be clear on what you want employees to achieve.
• Measurable – Be able to quantify the goal in order to track progress.
• Attainable & Realistic – It's great to be ambitious but make sure you aren't setting your team up for failure. Create a goal that everyone is motivated to complete with the resources available.
• Timely – Provide a deadline so everyone has a date they are working towards.

Different departments will have different operational objectives. However, each department objective should help the company reach the main objective. In addition, operational objectives change; the objectives aren't intended to be permanents or long term. The timeline should be scheduled with your company's long-term goals in mind.

Let's look at the following example for a local pizza business objective:

• Strategic objective : To deliver pizza all over Eastern Massachusetts.
• Technology department operational objective : To create a mobile app by January 2017 to offer a better user experience.
• Marketing department operational objective : To increase website visitors by 50% by January 2017 by advertising on radio, top local food websites, and print ads.
• Sales department operational objective : To increase delivery sales by 30%, by targeting 3 of Massachusetts's largest counties.

Sales department operational objective: To increase delivery sales by 30%, by targeting 3 of Massachusetts's largest counties.

Production Process

After you create your objectives, you have to think strategically on how you're going to meet them. In order to do this, each department (or team) needs to have all the necessary resources for the production process.

Resources you should think about include the following:

• Suppliers – do you have a supplier (or more) to help you produce your product?
• Technology team: app developing software
• Marketing team: software licenses for website analytical tools
• Sales team: headsets, phone systems or virtual phone system technology
• Cost – what is the budget for each department?

In addition to the production process, you'll also need to describe in detail your operating process. This will demonstrate to investors that you know exactly how you want your business to run on a day-to-day basis.

Items to address include:

• Location – where are employees working? Will you need additional facilities?
• Work hours – will employees have a set schedule or flexible work schedule?
• Personnel – who is in charge of making sure department tasks are completed?

Creating a timeline with milestones is important for your new business. It keeps everyone focused and is a good tracking method for efficiency. For instance, if milestones aren’t being met, you'll know that it's time to re-evaluate your production process or consider new hires.

Below are common milestones new businesses should plan for.

When you completed your Management Plan Worksheet in the previous course, you jotted down which key hires you needed right away and which could wait. Make sure you have a good idea on when you would like those key hires to happen; whether it’s after your company hits a certain revenue amount or once a certain project takes off.

Production Milestones

Production milestones keep business on track. These milestones act as "checkpoints" for your overall department objectives. For instance, if you want to create a new app by the end of the year, product milestones you outline might include a beta roll out, testing, and various version releases.

Other product milestones to keep in mind:

• Design phase
• Product prototype phase
• Product launch
• Version release

Market Milestones

Market milestones are important for tracking efficiency and understanding whether your operations plan is working. For instance, a possible market milestone could be reaching a certain amount of clients or customers after a new product or service is released.

A few other market milestones to consider:

• Gain a certain amount of users/clients by a certain time
• Signing partnerships
• Running a competitive analysis
• Performing a price change evaluation

Financial Milestones

Financial milestones are important for tracking business performance. It's likely that a board of directors or investors will work with you on creating financial milestones. In addition, in startups, it's common that financial milestones are calculated for 12 months.

Typical financial milestones include:

• Funding events
• Revenue and profit goals
• Transaction goals

In summary, your operations plan gives you the chance to show investors you know how you want your business to run. You know who you want to hire, where you want to work, and when you expect projects to be completed.

Download the attached worksheet and start putting your timelines and milestones together on paper.

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Writing A Business Plan: Operations And Management

Feb 1, 1997

Generally, there are seven major components that make up a business plan. They are:

1. Executive summary

2. Business description

3. Market strategies

4. Competitive analysis

5. Design and development plans

6. Operations and management plans

7. Financial factors

The operations and management plan is designed to describe just how the business functions on a continuing basis. The operations plan will highlight the logistics of the organization such as the various responsibilities of the management team, the tasks assigned to each division within the company, and capital and expense requirements related to the operations of the business. In fact, within the operations plan you'll develop the next set of financial tables that will supply the foundation for the "Financial Components" section. The financial tables that you'll develop within the operations plan include:

*The operating expense table

*The capital requirements table

*The cost of goods table

There are two areas that need to be accounted for when planning the operations of your company. The first area is the organizational structure of the company, and the second is the expense and capital requirements associated with its operation.

Organizational Structure

The organizational structure of the company is an essential element within a business plan because it provides a basis from which to project operating expenses. This is critical to the formation of financial statements, which are heavily scrutinized by investors; therefore, the organizational structure has to be well-defined and based within a realistic framework given the parameters of the business.

Although every company will differ in its organizational structure, most can be divided into several broad areas that include:

*Marketing and sales (includes customer relations and service)

*Production (including quality assurance)

*Research and development

*Administration

These are very broad classifications and it is important to keep in mind that not every business can be divided in this manner. In fact, every business is different, and each one must be structured according to its own requirements and goals.

Terence P. McGarty in his book, Business Plans That Win Venture Capital , lists four stages for organizing a business:

1. Establish a list of the tasks using the broadest of classifications possible.

2. Organize these tasks into departments that produce an efficient line of communications between staff and management.

3. Determine the type of personnel required to perform each task.

4. Establish the function of each task and how it will relate to the generation of revenue within the company.

Once you have structured your business, however, you need to consider your overall goals and the number of personnel required to reach those goals.

In order to determine the number of employees you'll need to meet the goals you've set for your business, you'll need to apply the following equation to each department listed in your organizational structure:

In this equation, C represents the total number of customers, S represents the total number of customers that can be served by each employee, and P represents the personnel requirements. For instance, if the number of customers for first year sales is projected at 10,110 and one marketing employee is required for every 200 customers, you would need 51 employees within the marketing department.

10,110 ÷ 200 = 51

Once you calculate the number of employees that you'll need for your organization, you'll need to determine the labor expense. The factors that need to be considered when calculating labor expense (LE) are the personnel requirements (P) for each department multiplied by the employee salary level (SL). Therefore, the equation would be:

P × SL = LE

Using the marketing example from above, the labor expense for that department would be:

51 × $40,000 = $2,040,000

Once the organization's operations have been planned, the expenses associated with the operation of the business can be developed. These are usually referred to as overhead expenses. Overhead expenses refer to all non-labor expenses required to operate the business. Expenses can be divided into fixed -- those that must be paid, usually at the same rate, regardless of the volume of business -- and variable (or semivariable) -- those which change according to the amount of business.

Overhead expenses usually include the following:

*Maintenance and repair

*Equipment leases

*Advertising & promotion

*Packaging & shipping

*Payroll taxes and benefits

*Uncollectible receivables

*Professional services

*Loan payments

*Depreciation

In order to develop the overhead expenses for the expense table used in this portion of the business plan, you need to multiply the number of employees by the expenses associated with each employee. Therefore, if NE represents the number of employees and EE is the expense per employee, the following equation can be used to calculate the sum of each overhead (OH) expense:

OH = NE × EE

In addition to the expense table, you'll also need to develop a capital requirements table that depicts the amount of money necessary to purchase equipment you will use to establish and continue operations. It also illustrates the amount of depreciation your company will incur based on all equipment elements purchased with a lifetime of more than one year.

In order to generate the capital requirements table, you first have to establish the various elements within the business that will require capital investment. For service businesses, capital is usually tied to the various pieces of equipment used to service customers.

Capital for manufacturing companies, on the other hand, is based on the equipment required in order to produce the product. Manufacturing equipment usually falls into three categories: testing equipment, assembly equipment, and packaging equipment.

With these capital elements in mind, you need to determine the number of units or customers, in terms of sales, that each equipment item can adequately handle. This is important because capital requirements are a product of income, which is produced through unit sales. In order to meet sales projections, a business usually has to invest money to increase production or supply better service. In the business plan, capital requirements are tied to projected sales as illustrated in the revenue model shown earlier in this chapter.

For instance, if the capital equipment required is capable of handling the needs of 10,000 customers at an average sale of $10 each, that would be $100,000 in sales, at which point additional capital will be required in order to purchase more equipment should the company grow beyond this point. This leads us to another factor within the capital requirements equation, and that is equipment cost. If you multiply the cost of equipment by the number of customers it can support in terms of sales, it would result in the capital requirements for that particular equipment element. Therefore, you can use an equation in which capital requirements (CR) equals sales (S) divided by number of customers (NC) supported by each equipment element, multiplied by the average sale (AS), which is then multiplied by the capital cost (CC) of the equipment element. Given these parameters, your equation would look like the following:

CR = [(S &3247; NC) × AS] × CC

The capital requirements table is formed by adding all your equipment elements to generate the total new capital for that year. During the first year, total new capital is also the total capital required. For each successive year thereafter, total capital (TC) required is the sum of total new capital (NC) plus total capital (PC) from the previous year, less depreciation (D), once again, from the previous year. Therefore, your equation to arrive at total capital for each year portrayed in the capital requirements model would be:

TC = NC + PC - D

Keep in mind that depreciation is an expense that shows the decrease in value of the equipment throughout its effective lifetime. For many businesses, depreciation is based upon schedules that are tied to the lifetime of the equipment. Be careful when choosing the schedule that best fits your business. Depreciation is also the basis for a tax deduction as well as the flow of money for new capital. You may need to seek consultation from an expert in this area.

The last table that needs to be generated in the operations and management section of your business plan is the cost of goods table. This table is used only for businesses where the product is placed into inventory. For a retail or wholesale business, cost of goods sold , or cost of sales , refers to the purchase of products for resale -- the inventory. The products that are sold are logged into cost of goods as an expense of the sale, while those that aren't sold remain in inventory.

For a manufacturing firm, cost of goods is the cost incurred by the company to manufacture its product. This usually consists of three elements:

1. Material

3. Overhead

As in retail, the merchandise that is sold is expensed as a cost of goods, while merchandise that isn't sold is placed in inventory. Cost of goods has to be accounted for in the operations of a business. It is an important yardstick for measuring the firm's profitability for the cash-flow statement and income statement.

In the income statement, the last stage of the manufacturing process is the item expensed as cost of goods, but it is important to document the inventory still in various stages of the manufacturing process because it represents assets to the company. This is important to determining cash flow and to generating the balance sheet.

That is what the cost of goods table does. It is one of the most complicated tables you'll have to develop for your business plan, but it is an integral part of portraying the flow of inventory through your operations, the placement of assets within the company, and the rate at which your inventory turns.

In order to generate the cost of goods table, you need a little more information in addition to what your labor and material cost is per unit. You also need to know the total number of units sold for the year, the percentage of units which will be fully assembled, the percentage which will be partially assembled, and the percentage which will be in unassembled inventory. Much of these figures will depend on the capacity of your equipment as well as on the inventory control system you develop. Along with these factors, you also need to know at what stage the majority of labor is performed.

Part six of seven. Tomorrow, we'll cover the financial factors that go into your plan. Tips are updated daily at 8:30am PST or 11:30 EDT.

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Operational Planning: How to Make an Operations Plan

The operations of your business can be defined as the sum of all the daily activities that you and your team execute to create products or services and engage with your customers, among other critical business functions. While organizing these moving parts might sound difficult, it can be easily done by writing a business operational plan. But before we learn how to make one, let’s first understand what’s the relationship between strategic and operational planning.

Operational Planning vs. Strategic Planning

Operational planning and strategic planning are complementary to each other. This is because strategic plans define the business strategy and the long-term goals for your organization, while operational plans define the steps required to achieve them.

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What Is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is a business document that describes the business goals of a company as well as the high-level actions that will be taken to achieve them over a time period of 1-3 years.

What Is an Operational Plan?

Operational plans map the daily, weekly or monthly business operations that’ll be executed by the department to complete the goals you’ve previously defined in your strategic plan. Operational plans go deeper into explaining your business operations as they explain roles and responsibilities, timelines and the scope of work.

Operational plans work best when an entire department buys in, assigning due dates for tasks, measuring goals for success, reporting on issues and collaborating effectively. They work even better when there’s a platform like ProjectManager , which facilitates communication across departments to ensure that the machine is running smoothly as each team reaches its benchmark. Get started with ProjectManager for free today.

What Is Operational Planning?

Operational planning is the process of turning strategic plans into action plans, which simply means breaking down high-level strategic goals and activities into smaller, actionable steps. The main goal of operational planning is to coordinate different departments and layers of management to ensure the whole organization works towards the same objective, which is achieving the goals set forth in the strategic plan .

How to Make an Operational Plan

There’s no single approach to follow when making an operation plan for your business. However, there’s one golden rule in operations management : your strategic and operational plans must be aligned. Based on that principle, here are seven steps to make an operational plan.

• Map business processes and workflows: What steps need to be taken at the operations level to accomplish long-term strategic goals?
• Set operational-level goals: Describe what operational-level goals contribute to the achievement of larger strategic goals.
• Determine the operational timeline: Is there any time frame for the achievement of the operational plan?
• Define your resource requirements: Estimate what resources are needed for the execution of the operational plan.
• Estimate the operational budget: Based on your resource requirements, estimate costs and define an operational budget.
• Set a hiring plan: Are there any skills gaps that need to be filled in your organization?
• Set key performance indicators: Define metrics and performance tracking procedures to measure your team’s performance.

Free Operational Plan Template

Leverage everything you’ve learned today with our template. This free operational plan template for Word will help you define your budget, timeline, KPIs and more. It’s the perfect first step in organizing and improving your operations. Download it today.

What Should be Included in an Operational Plan?

Your operational plan should describe your business operations as accurately as possible so that internal teams know how the company works and how they can help achieve the larger strategic objectives. Here’s a list of some of the key elements that you’ll need to consider when writing an operational plan.

Executive Summary

An executive summary is a brief document that summarizes the content of larger documents like business plans, strategic plans or operation plans. Their main purpose is to provide a quick overview for busy stakeholders.

Operational Budget

An operational budget is an estimation of the expected operating costs and revenues for a given time period. As with other types of budget, the operational budget defines the amount of money that’s available to acquire raw materials, equipment or anything else that’s needed for business operations.

It’s important to limit your spending to stay below your operational budget, otherwise, your company could run out of resources to execute its normal activities. You can use our free operating budget template for Excel to track your operating costs.

Operational Objectives

It’s essential to align your operational objectives with your strategic objectives. For example, if one of your strategic objectives is to increase sales by 25 percent over the next three years, one possible operational objective would be to hire new sales employees. You should always grab your strategic plan objectives and turn them into one or multiple action items .

Processes & Workflows

Explain the various business processes, workflows and tasks that need to be executed to achieve your operational objectives. Make sure to explain what resources are needed, such as raw materials, equipment or human resources.

Operational Timeline

It’s important to establish a timeline for your operational plan. In most cases, your operational plan will have the same length as your strategic plan, but in some scenarios, you might create multiple operational plans for specific purposes. Not all operational plans are equal, so the length of your operational timeline will depend on the duration of your projects , workflows and processes.

Hiring Plan

Find any skills gap there might be in your team. You might need to hire a couple of individuals or even create new departments in order to execute your business processes .

Quality Assurance and Control

Most companies implement quality assurance and control procedures for a variety of reasons such as customer safety and regulatory compliance. In addition, quality assurance issues can cost your business millions, so establishing quality management protocols is a key step in operational planning.

Key Performance Indicators

It’s important to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the productivity of your business operations. You can define as many KPIs as needed for all your business processes. For example, you can define KPIs for marketing, sales, product development and other key departments in your company. This can include product launch deadlines, number of manufactured goods, number of customer service cases closed, number of 5-star reviews received, number of customers acquired, revenue increased by a certain percentage and so on.

Risks, Assumptions and Constraints

Note any potential risks, assumptions and time or resource constraints that might affect your business operations.

What Are the Benefits of Operational Planning?

Every plan has a massive effect on all team members involved, and those can be to your company’s benefit or to their detriment. If it’s to their detriment, it’s best to find out as soon as possible so you can modify your operational plan and pivot with ease.

But that’s the whole point of operational planning: you get to see the effect of your operations on the business’s bottom line in real time, or at every benchmark, so you know exactly when to pivot. And with a plan that’s as custom to each department as an operational plan, you know exactly where things go wrong and why.

How ProjectManager Can Help with Operational Planning

Creating and implementing a high-quality operational plan is the best way to ensure that your organization starts out a project on the right foot. ProjectManager has award-winning project management tools to help you craft and execute such a plan.

Gantt charts are essential to create and monitor operational plans effectively. ProjectManager helps you access your Gantt chart online so you can add benchmarks for operational performance reviews. You can also create tasks along with dependencies to make the operation a surefire success.

Whether you’re a team of IT system administrators, marketing experts, or engineers, ProjectManager includes robust planning and reporting tools. Plan in sprints, assign due dates, collaborate with team members and track everything with just the click of a button. Plus, we have numerous ready-made project reports that can be generated instantly, including status reports, variance reports, timesheet reports and more.

Related Operations Management Content

• Operational Strategy: A Quick Guide
• Operations Management: Key Functions, Roles and Skills
• Operational Efficiency: A Quick Guide
• Using Operational Excellence to Be More Productive

Operational planning isn’t done in a silo, and it doesn’t work without the full weight of the team backing it up. Ensure that your department is successful at each benchmark. ProjectManager is an award-winning pm software dedicated to helping businesses smooth out their operational plans for a better year ahead. Sign up for our free 30-day trial today.

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How to Write the Operations Plan Section of Your Business Plan

• Written By Dave Lavinsky

The Operations Plan is a component of your business plan that is like the engine of your car. The operations plan holds the key parts of your business and it shows how those parts work together to keep the business running. If you are starting a business or your business is growing, the operations plan also shows that your business is more than just a good concept. It shows why the business is running smoothly and how key milestones ahead will be met as the business grows. The operations plan is the powerhouse engine in your business plan . Let’s start that engine together.

What is the Operations Plan in a Business Plan?

The key to putting your operations plan together is choosing which processes show how your business works and what the expected outcomes will be as a result. Include the processes that you believe are most important even if they are basic or simple. And, if you think your business is too new to create an operations plan, think again. Every business has processes, no matter how large or small they may be. Your operations plan may be considered by potential investors or lenders; make it the best it can be.

Components of a Comprehensive Operations Plan

The best operations plan includes a list of key processes with short explanations that detail each process. Some explanations will also include a brief sentence explaining how the key process will help the business meet the expected key milestones. For example, “Our Marketing team will post on social media each time our product sales reach one of our sales goals. This will drive new customers to our product offering.”

Main components of an operations plan:

Product Development

Describe how the product is being developed and if it is currently offered or is on target for launch. Include the production process for testing, improvements or revisions.

Key milestone : Note the forecast for new product development to expand the product line.

Manufacturing

Describe the process of manufacturing, from the first step to the delivery of products. This may include several bullet points. Add facilities maintenance in this section. Also, include the management processes of the staff.

Key milestone : Include a brief forecast with plans to increase manufacturing capabilities.

Administration/Human Resources

Include a description of day-to-day activities that are overseen by staff members, including facilities management, safety, reports and compliance, hiring staff and training.

Key milestone : Add a sentence regarding staff training for leadership as the business grows.

List the process of purchasing parts, services, products, and raw materials. Include a sentence about financial oversight of expenditures to control costs.

Key milestone : Indicate how the staff is preparing for purchasing increases to meet higher manufacturing demands.

Customer Service

List the processes that comprise customer service, including any customer relationship management software (CRM) or other processes that interact with customers. Provide details on processes for customer retention.

Key milestone : Add a sentence describing staff training to build customer relationships.

Describe how your business conducts sales, whether through online channels, via wholesale or retail sales, or by other means. Explain why the process works for your business and how it is positioned to be successful because of the sales process.

Key milestone : Indicate how planned sales strategies will expand to meet key milestones.

Note the process of current marketing campaigns and the response of the target audience. Note how responses are scored on social media.

Key milestone : Include operational plans for building brand awareness, key selling points, and entry positions.

At this stage of business, the finance process should be clearly outlined, with current and any expected funding included. Also, include a sentence about how the business has structured a repayment plan for any loans and is making on-time payments.

Key milestone : Describe any anticipated funding options that have already been put into place.

Accounting/Payroll:

Describe in a few sentences how timely accounting is completed on a regular basis. Add a sentence about the payroll system and the software that runs it.

Key milestone : Add a note about increasing software programs in accounting to increase performance during growth.

Include a sentence about the process of oversight for the business. Add the process of documentation, filings, and oversight of any copyrights, patents, or trademarks. Include any licensing payments that add revenue to the business.

Key milestone : Include a description of the legal process already in place to accommodate expansion and long-term growth.

How to Write the Operations Plan For Your Business

Now that you’ve read about the main components in a business operations plan, it’s time to connect them in writing your own operations plan. To do this, you can follow the easy steps ahead as you construct each process.

Remember, you may not need all of the processes listed here. You will want to choose those that make sense for your business and, if needed, add some others. When completed, your operations plan will flow smoothly from start to finish.

• Consider your Business Goals . Write out each goal. Read them as you decide which processes to include in your operations plan and think about how soon you will want to meet the company goals.
• Create a Process List . Look at the list of components and decide how to make them into a list for your own business. Don’t write out full descriptions yet. We’re building the list first. How do processes start in your business?
• Finance (get funding)
• Product Development (buy a truck, provide services, equipment, tools)
• Manufacturing (maintain the garage and tow truck)
• Sales (make sales calls)
• Customer Service (answering texts, and emails)
• Marketing (getting referrals from friends)
• Accounting/Payroll (paying yourself and the bookkeeper)
• Legal (risk management assistance)
• Start filling in the Process Descriptions . Use the examples above to describe the processes of your business. A few sentences that explain each process are all you need in the operations plan.
• For example, key milestones for your tow truck business might be:
• Tow at least five vehicles daily during each week (sales/marketing)
• Buy a second tow truck within 6 months (finance)
• Add a second tow truck driver within 6 months (human resources)
• Buy a commercial truck within 12 months (finance/product development)
• Finish your Operations Plan . Re-read each Process Description and complete the Key Milestones for each operations section.

Sample Operations Plan for Badger Drains & Plumbing

Badger Drains & Plumbing, based in Milwaukee, WI, is dedicated to providing top-notch residential and commercial plumbing services. Our operations plan outlines the key processes that make our business run smoothly and how we plan to meet our key milestones as we grow.

Our services, instead of physical products, are continuously refined based on customer feedback and technological advancements in plumbing. This includes adopting newer, more efficient ways to conduct pipe repairs, installations, and maintenance services.

Key milestone : To introduce environmentally friendly and cost-effective plumbing solutions within the next year.

Our staff handle day-to-day operational tasks, prioritizing safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. This includes everything from scheduling service calls to conducting routine safety checks and equipment maintenance.

Key milestone : Implement a leadership development program for senior technicians to prepare them for managerial roles as the company expands.

We procure high-quality plumbing materials, tools, and technologies from reputable suppliers, ensuring we have the necessary inventory to meet customer demand without excessive expenditure.

Key milestone : Strengthen relationships with key suppliers to negotiate better prices and ensure priority fulfillment as service demand increases.

Customer service is a pillar of our operations, involving not just resolving issues but proactively enhancing customer satisfaction through follow-ups and feedback collection using CRM software.

Key milestone : Introduce a loyalty program by the end of the next quarter to increase customer retention rates.

Sales efforts are directed through personal client interactions and digital marketing to generate leads, with a strong focus on the benefits of choosing Badger Drains & Plumbing for reliability and professionalism.

Key milestone : Achieve a 20% increase in annual contracts by targeting commercial entities in the Milwaukee area.

Our marketing is focused on local SEO, targeted ads, and social media engagement to connect with the Milwaukee community, emphasizing our quick response times and quality service.

Key milestone : Launch a community-oriented campaign to increase brand visibility and customer engagement by participating in local events and sponsorships.

Our current financing includes business revenue and a small business loan, with a diligent approach to budgeting and a clear plan for loan repayment and future investments.

Key milestone : Secure a line of credit to fund an expansion of services within the next two years.

Accounting/Payroll

We use modern software solutions to ensure accurate and timely financial and payroll management, allowing us to focus more on serving our customers and less on back-office tasks.

Key milestone : Transition to a more comprehensive software suite that integrates CRM and finance for better overall management efficiency.

Our legal framework encompasses regular reviews of compliance, documentations, and the management of any intellectual property, ensuring all operations are above board.

Key milestone : Establish a retainer partnership with a legal firm specializing in small businesses to prepare for interstate licensing and expansion.

By following this operations plan, Badger Drains & Plumbing aims to enhance its service offerings, optimize operational efficiency, increase productivity, and achieve sustainable growth, maintaining its commitment to being Milwaukee’s trusted plumbing service provider.

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Why do we offer PlanBuildr? We are business owners. We know your time is valuable. And, we know a comprehensive business plan is vital when it’s time to obtain funding or secure investors. Not all of us are writers, but we all know good value when we see it. Try PlanBuildr for free !

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How to Write the Operations Section of Your Business Plan

2 min. read

Updated January 3, 2024

The operations plan covers what makes your business run. It explains the day-to-day workflows for your business and how you will deliver the product or service that you offer. As part of your plan, it’s your chance to describe what you’ve set up so far and that you understand what is still left to make your business fully operational.

• How to write about business operations

Like some of the other sections in your plan, the information you include fully depends on your type of business. If you run a subscription box service you’ll need to cover how you source and fulfill each order. If it’s a service-oriented business (like a mechanic or coffee shop) you’ll need to go into more detail about your location as well as the tools and technology you use.

The important thing is that the information here fully addresses how your business runs.

What to include in your operations plan

The components of your operations plan fully depend on what’s necessary to produce your product or service. For most, you’ll be adding details about your location and facilities, the technology being used, and any equipment or tools.

Location and facilities

The information you include about your business location fully depends on the state, city, and neighborhood you’ve chosen. This will determine the specific taxes, registration, licenses, permits, zoning laws, and other regulations you’ll be subjected to.

Once you’ve legally established your business be sure to reference the relevant paperwork and legal documentation in this section. You may also want to point to mockups of the building, copies of legal agreements, and any other supporting documentation for how valuable the property is and how it helps your business function.

Sourcing and fulfillment

How will you create your product/service and what will it cost? You’ll include detailed breakdowns in your financial plan, but here you’ll talk about what it will take, who you will work with, and any alternatives.

How and when to write about technology

Is your product or service driven by a specific technology or process? Let investors, banks, or other necessary parties know why it’s a valuable part of your business.

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• Why you need an operational plan

Understanding your business operations makes your processes real. It ensures that you have organized steps in place to produce a product or service.

For investors, this helps prove that you know what you’re doing and can back up the rest of your plan with actual work that makes it happen. For you as a business owner, it’s a starting point for optimization. You have a blueprint for how things work. And as you run your business, can begin to identify opportunities for improvement.

If you don’t cover operations as part of your business plan, then you’re flying blindly. There’s no documented process for how things should work and no connection to the other strategic elements of your business.

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Kody Wirth is a content writer and SEO specialist for Palo Alto Software—the creator's of Bplans and LivePlan. He has 3+ years experience covering small business topics and runs a part-time content writing service in his spare time.

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Business Plan - Operations Section

Operations Section of the Business Plan

Written by Jason Gordon

Updated at April 21st, 2024

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What goes into developing an operational Plan?

All of the components that allow your business to create value.

The operations portion of the business plan serves two purposes:

• Allow you to take a holistic approach to your business, and
• Provide interested third parties with a description of your business.

The operational plan outlines the particular components that allow your business to create value.Below, we discuss the primary components of the business operations plan, including: a description of the product produced, the business location, personnel, inventory, suppliers, payment processing (credit policies and accounts receivable/payable). You will describe each of these sections in detail to the extent that it is relevant or applicable to your business. You will need to outline where are you in the creation of your business. Specifically, what steps have you taken to put your business in motion? Now, what do you have left to accomplish?  

What is Product or Service Development?

How do you plan to make your product or carry out your service? Start with an outline of the process for delivering value to your customers. You will need to account for the necessary production activity at each stage. Outline the day-to-day activity necessary to carry out your business.

• Production Process/How Services Carried Out:  Here you should outline the process of manufacturing your product. If you provide a service, you should outline all of the moving parts and individuals necessary to carry out the service. Provide a generally checklist or flowchart for delivering value.
• Production Timeline : Explain how long it takes to produce a unit, and when you'll be able to start producing your product or service. Include factors that may affect the time frame of production and how you'll deal with potential problems, such as rush orders.
• Production Feasibility : You will want to give an overview of any research or testing you have done to prove the feasibility of producing your product in accordance with your operational plans. This could include Market Research, Questionnaires, Competitor Process Analysis, Beta Testing, etc.
• Vulnerability : You should identify any potential problems that could arise in the production process. How will you handle any such issues? What would be the effect on the business?
• Quality Control : How will you maintain oversight of the production or service provision process? Develop a plan for supervision of the process.
• Customer Service : What is your plan for customer service? This includes sales communication, return products, and customer follow-up.

Equipment and Other Assets

• Necessary Equipment : What equipment do you need to carry out the basic operations?
• Current Assets : You may already have some of the necessary equipment to carry out operations. Identify these assets and explain what asset requirements they fulfill.
• Equipment Priority : Some equipment is may be desirable but not a necessity. Ascribe a level of priority to obtaining it. The priority should be higher depending upon the likelihood of the equipment to increase production or efficiency.It may also be helpful to outline the equipment output, required maintenance/repair, and expected life.
• Equipment Pricing : Outline a projected cost for purchasing (new or used) and renting the necessary equipment. You need to explain your rationale for your decision.
• Equipment Financing : Explain any financing arrangements. Make a list of your assets, such as land, buildings, inventory, furniture, equipment, and vehicles. Include legal descriptions and the worth of each asset.

Special Requirements

Are there any special requirements or situational factors necessary for carrying on your business? In this section, you will list any requirements that are unique to your business and would fall outside general expect ions. This could include special assets, economic conditions, legal conditions, etc.  

What qualities do you need in a location?

• Drawings of the building, copies of lease agreements, and/or recent real estate appraisals.
• What is the expected value of the land or buildings required for your business operations?
• Explain the significance of each physical location to your business.
• Amount of Space : Explain the use of space. Have a plan for space demands with the expected growth.
• Type of Building : Justify your decision to rent vs. buy, and a class of facility.
• Zoning : Make certain the anticipated activity meets the applicable zoning requirements. If not, explain a plan to request a variance or petition the municipality for re-zoning.
• Power and other utilities : What will be your specific power needs. Have estimates for the cost of power and the resources/regulatory approvals necessary to obtain such funding. A strong plan will discuss preliminary data and on-going discussions with the available utility providers.
• Access : What type of access do you need for your location? Detail how customers, employees, logistics personnel, etc., will access your business. Ex. Do you need easy walkin access? Is it convenient for customers and suppliers?
• Construction : Will you build or rent a building? You should explain the benefits of one over the other. This justification should include a cost/benefit analysis of each option.
• Costs : Determine a preliminary figure for costs associated with building/occupying the intended location. Examples of expenses include: rent/mortgage, maintenance, utilities, property taxes, insurance, construction/remodeling, etc. These numbers will become part of your financial plan.
• Hours of Operation : Indicate and give a justification for your intended hours of operation. Does your location support these hours of operation? Does it conflict with other local or resident businesses?

In this section, you provide an overview of the key personnel involved in the business and the types of positions that will be necessary. Basically, you are going to tell who will do what. Describe whether you intend to hire new personnel or contract with independent contractors to carry out business functions. You will need to account for the personnel requirements as the business grows.

• Startup Team : Who is part of your startup team? What will be their primary area of responsibility? Describe what you understand their role and duties to be and explain how they are qualified or competent for these duties.
• Types of Personnel : Give a general description of the main employees or positions that you will need to fill. This includes skilled, unskilled, and professionals. As part of this process, your will outline who performs the specific tasks at each stage of operations. Some of these positions may be filled by independent contractors who render services on a fee basis. If so, document the nature of these anticipated relationships. At first, there will only be a few positions. Try to determine the types of personnel that will be needed as the business grows.
• Number of employees : Construct a timeline depicting the growth in personnel in accordance with the projected business growth.
• Procedural Protocol : Begin by describing the procedures necessary to effectively carry out each position or function of the business. This is necessary to maintain operational stability as well as consistency in operations. This could include procedural steps or written manuals for carrying out individual stages of the operations.
• Methods for Recruiting Employees : This is most important for professional service or high-tech companies. You will need to have a plan for recruiting new service providers and skilled professionals. This will first require establishing job descriptions and desired employee skills. Note: A good place to start is documented any established relationship with local universities with technical programs and professional schools.
• Personnel Training : How will you conduct the training? What will be your plan for preparing new employees? Do you have a continuation plan in the event you lose a key employee? Be careful not to place too much operational importance on any single individual without developing a training plan for replacements.
• Compensation : Along with the description of personnel and timeline for employment, you will want to associate an estimated cost at each period in time. As such, you will need to devise a projected compensation structure for employees. It is important to develop a realistic plan that fits the companies revenue projections and incentivizes the employee to perform and remain with the business. The startup team or key leadership compensation (including benefits and equity options) is often the most difficult to structure.

Inventory & Materials

In this section, you explain where you are going to receive your inventory or the materials necessary to produce your product or carry out your service. You should indicate your suppliers or manufacturers and outline the nature or terms of your agreement.

• Inventory : What type of inventory (finished product, supplies, raw materials, etc.) will you keep on hand and where will you get it?
• Cost/Value of Inventory : You will need to use the projections for the cost of inventory in your financial projections. A key provision in the pre-money valuation (pre-equity funding) of your business will be an accurate assessment of the value of assets, including inventory.
• Inventory Turn-Over : At what rate will you need to restock your inventory? This is an important figure used in assessing the sales strength of the business. You will want to make a special note about how the inventory turn-over compares to industry averages.
• Special Inventory Requirements : You will also want to outline a plan for dealing with inventory requirements seasonally. This includes a plan for lead-time ordering.
• Inventory Control : You will have to establish a plan for monitoring and controlling inventory. This should be incorporated into an employee/personnel description.

Production Costs

All of the above information will be combined as an estimate of production costs to include in your financials. You may want to maintain separate figures regarding the cost of goods and the cost of labor. You may also want to create a third category of production costs for non-recurring, incidental costs associated with operations.  

Now is the place to provide detailed information about the companies/individuals who will supply you with the inventory/materials outlined above.

• Supplier Background : You should include background information on the supplier. This lends credibility to the stability/dependability of their service.
• Inventory Details : Attribute the type, amount, and cost of inventory supplied by each supplier. This should include a description of any anticipated fluctuations in the requirements or costs of the inventory. For example, you will want to outline the spikes in seasonal cost.
• Payment Terms : Outline the terms of performance of the supplier-purchaser relationship. What are the terms of payment? What are the terms of delivery?
• Back-Up Plan :It is important to have a back-up plan in the event you lose a supplier or the supplier is unable to meet for operational needs. This could include options of alternative suppliers. This avoids placing too much operational importance on third parties.

Payment Policies

In this section, you will outline how you will be compensated for the goods you sell or services you provide.

• Issuing Credit : Are you planning on accepting in-house credit? You will want to look at industry standards and the payment policies of your competitors. Don't forget, your payment policies can be a point of differentiation between you and those competitors. What will be the terms of payment for customers who purchase on account?
• Determining Who Can Purchase on Credit : You will have to have some established policies in place to determine who can purchase on credit and under what terms. Remember, you will have to comply with applicable laws prior to carrying out a background check. Also, extending credit could implicate fairness or anti-discrimination in lending laws.
• Terms of Credit : What will be the term of payment? If you extend credit you will need to decide on the terms of repayment and the interest, if any, attributable to giving the credit. What will be the rate of interest charged and penalties for late payment? Will there be a discount for early payment?
• Security Interests : Will you take a security interest in the goods sold? If so, do you have a standard documenting these transactions?
• Slow-Paying or Non-Paying Customers :You will need a policy for dealing with slowpaying customers. What process will you establish for reminding, urging, and possibly threatening customers to render payment? You should outline an escalating plan for requesting payment, such as making a phone call, sending a letter, using a collection agency, and hiring a collection attorney.
• Credit Cards : If you accept commercial credit, doyou have a service provider to process the payment?
• Costs of Extending Credit : Any time that you extend credit there will be a cost involved. The cost could be the risk of the purchaser not paying or it could be the cost of capital over the credit period. Regardless, you will need to build these costs into your financials. For example, there always needs to be some allowance for bad accounts.

Managing Your Accounts Payable

As part of the operations process, you may be in the role of a creditor to a servicer or supplier. You should develop a plan for payment of accounts owed. The key considerations in developing a payment plan include: maintaining positive relations with the supplier/servicer, optimizing the use of available cash. If the supplier/servicer offers a discount for early payment then you should consider whether this option is in your best interest. If your business would greatly benefit from making a payment toward the end of the available period, then it may be worth extending the payment obligation out.  

Legal Environment

Establishing and maintaining operations will require the crossing of numerous legal hurdles. You should describe the anticipated legal issues in advance and outline a plan for addressing them. Below are some sample, but common, legal issues.

• Entity Selection and Formation : Outline your justification for choosing a given entity structure. Explanations should include: taxation, equity funding, and ownership and control.
• Business License, Professional Licenses, Inspections, and Zoning Requirements : Identify all of the licensing requirements for carrying on your business. This includes the licensing of your business, personnel, property, etc.
• Insurance and Bonding Requirements : Outline the requirement for bonding of professional insurance. You should indicate the plan for obtaining coverage, as well as the cost of such coverage.
• Permits : Certain business activities in specific places require special permits. You must conduct the necessary background research on the legal requirements and provide a synopsis of how you will handle those requirements.
• Workplace and Environmental Regulations : Outline a plan for the necessary workplace inspections and standards. These standards can drastically affect your construction plans and applicable costs. Environmental regulations include proper documentation and accountability for waste, waste and environmental surveys of the location, etc.
• Employment Laws : Develop a plan for legal compliance with all employment laws. This includes hiring/firing procedures, employee benefits (Health Insurance, etc.), worker's compensation, affirmative action (if accept federal contracts), etc.
• Taxation : Federal tax registration, state tax registration, estimated tax payments, employee payroll withholdings, sales tax registration and withholding, property tax, etc.
• Protecting Intellectual Property : You will need to develop a plan for protecting and maintaining all applicable forms of intellectual property, including: trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents. In some cases, protecting your intellectual property can be very costly (such as patent filings). Account for these costs within the financials.

After working through this business plan section you will have a detailed operating plan and a comprehensive outline of what actions need to be taken next in developing the business.

Related Topics

• Business Plan, Part 1 (Outline Overview)
• Business Plan, Part 2 (The Executive Summary)
• What is a Mission Statement?
• What is a Values Statement?
• Setting Company Goals
• Business Plan, Part 4 (Market Analysis)
• Business Plan, Part 5 (Competitive Analysis)
• Business Plan, Part 6 (Marketing Plan)
• Business Plan, Part 7 (Operations)
• Business Plan, Part 8  (Management and Organization)
• Business Plan, Part 9 (Financial Projections)
• Business Plan, Part 10 (Appendices)
• Business Plan , (Final Modifications)

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Operational Planning: How to Make an Operational Plan

June 6, 2022 - 10 min read

Having a strategic plan is essential to any company, but it’s not enough. To ensure that the broader organizational goals are within reach, you need an operational plan for day-to-day work. 

Using templates to manage your operation plan can help simplify your complex processes and save you time. You know how a shopping list helps you remember what to buy at the store? Templates are like that for your work. And Wrike has many templates ready to go for different kinds of jobs. 

For example, you can use the retail trade template to see what step comes next when adding something new for customers to buy. Then there’s the business operations template , which helps you and your team keep track of your business plan without getting wires crossed. And when you need to manage bills, you can use the invoice tracking template . All these templates are great tools for keeping an operational plan ticking over.

In this blog post, we’ll explain what an operational plan is, show you how to create one without feeling overwhelmed, and provide you with an example of an operational plan. We’ll also share our prebuilt templates to get you up and running quickly.

What is an operational plan?

An operational plan is a document that outlines the key objectives and goals of an organization and how to reach them.

The document includes short-term or long-term goals in a clear way so that team members know their responsibilities and have a clear understanding of what needs to be done.

Crafting an operational plan keeps teams on track while guiding them in making crucial decisions about the company's long-term strategy.

Operational planning vs strategic planning

Though related to each other, these two planning strategies differ in their focus.

Operational planning is the process of the day-to-day work to execute your strategy. It ensures you have all the resources and staff necessary to get work done efficiently.

On the other hand, strategic planning is about looking ahead into the future, identifying the upcoming pipeline, and figuring out how you can prepare for it.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, nearly 7 million Americans are self-employed, with an additional 10 million employed by small businesses. 

If you're working at a large corporation, chances are your company will have some form of strategic goals in place. However, if you're one of the millions who work remotely and independently, your success will rely on operational planning instead.

What are the key elements of an operational plan?

The success of operational planning largely depends on setting realistic expectations for all teams.

Here are the key elements of a functional operational plan:

• Clearly define the ultimate vision or objective for the plan
• Review and break down the smaller goals for the operating budget, team, and resources required to put the plan into action
• Assign budgets, team members, key stakeholders, and resources
• Monitor progress with consistent reports
• Refine the operational plan and be ready to pivot if needed

Ensure all teams understand the parameters of success. Doing this shows how their work contributes to wider company goals and ensures better decision-making for the business operation.

How to create an operational planning process

Think of an operational plan as a key component in a team puzzle. It provides employees with a manual on how to operate the company.

It should be created in tandem with other foundational documents like an organizational mission statement, vision document, or business strategy. Daily, it can help answer questions such as:

• Who should be working on what?
• How can we mitigate those risks?
• How will resources be assigned for different tasks?
• Are there any internal and external risks facing the business?

To create a successful operational plan, it's important to define goals clearly. Here are several steps that will help you develop a functional operating plan:

Start with the strategic plan

Before defining an operational goal, make sure your strategic objectives are in place and relevant.

Prioritize the most critical activities first

Once these goals have been decided on, prioritize the most critical activities required to achieve these aims.

Stop diluting team efforts and let them focus on the most important goals first. Doing this means everyone works on a smaller set of tasks, instead of spreading themselves thin in multiple areas. It also helps in optimizing available resources.

Use predictive indicators

For a robust operational plan, consider using key performance metrics or indicators that can help you determine project progress and lend visibility to team activities. 

While lagging indicators look backward, leading indicators look to the future. Think of the plan as a car — the rear-view mirror would be a lagging indicator, while the windshield would be the leading indicator.

A leading indicator could be a new product, higher customer satisfaction levels, or new markets. Examples of lagging indicators include the number of people who attended an event or the monthly operating expenses for specific departments. 

Instead of lagging indicators, use leading indicators. Lagging metrics will show that your efforts are falling short only after you execute the operations.

Leading KPIs include predictive measures that allow early identification of problems before they become critical and impact business performance negatively.

Get team buy-in

The key to defining appropriate KPIs is involving the whole team in the process. Meet to discuss the business goals and figure out what measurements are right for the team instead of working independently or outsourcing them.

Ensure consistent communication

Communication is key. By understanding your company's metrics and what they mean, you'll be able to work together more effectively with colleagues to reach common goals.

Operational plan example

Let’s say that a company plans to increase production volume by 50% at the end of a fiscal year.

When the company goal is clear, the team will make a strategic plan with three main components: marketing, sales, and operations.

This can be further broken down into an operational plan, which will assign resources, teams, budgets, and timelines for different departments such as manufacturing, sourcing, accounts, finance, and logistics to achieve the increase in production. Such a plan should include a financial summary and financial projections as well.

Operational plan template

Think about the example above. The goals and parties involved are clear as part of the operational plan. At the same time, to remain on track, the plan requires continuous analysis and reviews. An operational plan template can be extremely helpful to achieve that.

An operational template can be a simple document that is reused for different plans by the same organization. However, it is also possible and extremely helpful to make use of project management software tools to create one.

For instance, Gantt charts can serve exactly that purpose. Using a Gantt chart as an operational plan template, it is possible to create and manage plans, track changes and edit project-related activities in real time. The chart allows clear visibility for timelines, tasks, responsibilities, and team members.

Operational planning advantages and disadvantages

Most businesses utilize an operational plan to keep track of their daily tasks. 

The plan outlines the day-to-day activities for running the organization — teams, managers, and employees are then able to visualize their contribution, which is crucial for reaching company goals.

But every process has two sides. Let’s review the operational planning advantages and disadvantages in more detail.

Operational planning advantages

Clarifies organizational goals.

An operational plan helps managers and department heads define their daily tasks, responsibilities, and activities in detail.

It also illustrates how individual team members contribute to the overall company or department goals. Without a clearly defined plan, managers and employees have no way to measure their daily tasks against predefined outcomes.

Boosts team productivity

Business owners are always looking for ways to increase productivity, which in turn translates into higher profits. One of the best and easiest ways to boost efficiency is through an operational plan.

Employees are more productive when they know their daily objectives and responsibilities. Conversely, if they're unsure of what is required of them, chances are their productivity will suffer. 

An operational plan provides this vital information to employees in each department and across the company as a whole.

Enhance organizational profitability

Having a plan helps in keeping projects and teams on track.

When operations are managed properly, teams are able to consistently increase revenue and develop new products.

Innovation pays off. A BCG survey points out that 60% of companies that are committed to innovation report steadily increasing revenues year after year. With an operational plan in place, teams are able to innovate better and faster.

Improves competitive advantages

Competitive advantages are made up of multiple levels and components.

Coordinating the different parts with an operational plan will make your workflows run more smoothly. This allows you to deliver high-quality deliverables on time, creating an outstanding customer experience and keeping you ahead of the competition.

Operational planning disadvantages

Possibility of human error.

Human error is a common problem in manufacturing that can often occur when transitioning from production to sale.

Operations management teams will need to coordinate effectively with diverse cross-functional teams such as finance, accounting, engineering, and human resources. In doing so, each team will have a clear understanding of the end goals of each department.

Interdependency amongst parts

One of the main disadvantages of implementing an operations planning process is that its success depends on coordination across parts.

Plans end up failing due to one part not working, which can have an adverse impact on the subsequent process. Disruptions in one process can end up affecting the entire process, making the entire operational plan useless.

Using Wrike for operational planning

Boost your organization’s efficiency by ensuring every project starts off on the right foot. Wrike’s award-winning project management tools can help you create and execute operational plans with various prebuilt templates . 

Establish your plan, monitor progress, and be prepared to pivot if necessary. With Wrike, you can share real-time data, making all milestones crystal clear for your team and helping them stay updated and on track.

These templates keep processes running smoothly so you can focus on doing your work well. Want to try them out? They’re just a click away.  

Choose the most suitable template and start a free two-week trial of Wrike today!

Yuvika Iyer

Yuvika is a freelance writer who specializes in recruitment and resume writing.

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Work Skills You Need on Your Resume in 2021

Navigating the highly competitive job market can be brutal. In a recent Jobvite survey, nearly three in four respondents said they believe finding a job has become much harder following the pandemic.  It’s clearer now more than ever how important it is for your resume to stand out. In fact, nearly 24% of hiring managers spend 30 seconds or less reviewing a resume to determine whether a candidate is qualified for a position or not. You quite literally have seconds to catch their attention before your resume ends up in the recycling bin with the rest of the candidates that didn’t make the cut. So, how exactly do you set yourself apart and stand out from the crowd? Highlighting your work skills on your resume is the best place to start. We did some digging and pulled together some work skills examples in various categories to inspire you to revitalize your resume.  Important social work skills for the workplace What are social work skills? Social skills, otherwise known as interpersonal skills, are essential in helping us communicate with one another in the workplace. These skills allow us to build relationships, interact, and communicate with those around us in a meaningful and effective way. This includes verbal and nonverbal cues.  Social work skills are essential in every job. Whether you work on a team, are in a client-facing role, or are an individual contributor reporting to a direct manager, solid social skills will help you succeed in your position.  Let’s take a look at some of the most important social work skills for the workplace:  1. Empathy One of the best ways to interact well with others is to put yourself in their shoes and understand how they feel. Empathetic people can understand how others are feeling and can identify with those feelings in some way.  Having empathy is a vital trait, especially for those who hold leadership positions. Being empathetic isn’t something you can force, and it doesn’t happen overnight if it doesn’t come naturally to you. This skill takes a conscious effort to build and will help you forge and maintain stronger workplace relationships. 2. Active listening Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation with a colleague and felt like they weren’t paying attention to a single word you were saying? Or have you ever been chatting with a coworker and felt like they heard you and gave you their utmost attention? The latter is known as active listening.  Active listening involves giving someone your full, undivided attention and it allows you to build trust and strong relationships with your colleagues and clients. Active listening requires practice, but it is a skill that can be acquired with proper training and effort. 3. Emotional intelligence At a high level, emotional intelligence refers to recognizing and being aware of the emotions of both yourself and other people. Those with high emotional intelligence are known for being self-aware and can practice self-regulation, particularly in stressful and potentially overwhelming situations at work. Emotional intelligence is critical in the workplace because it contributes to strong, long-term relationships and can help you manage and appropriately tailor your reactions.  4. Conflict resolution According to recent research, 65% of workers experienced conflict with another coworker. Conflict is inevitable in the workplace, which means developing a solid set of conflict resolution skills can help you manage and navigate these situations efficiently.  Conflict resolution is the ability to address the root cause of disagreements and devise a solution that works for all parties involved. You can use various techniques to help resolve conflicts, so it’s essential to learn and understand how to address different disputes. 5. Written communication Social skills refer to how we communicate with one another, which means written skills are a must. Some forms of written communication include emails, instant messages, documents, reports, slide decks, and your resume. Using appropriate grammar, proper spelling, and following formatting guidelines will allow you to communicate effectively with others. 6. Nonverbal communication When it comes to communication, it’s easy to think about what we are saying, but we don’t always focus on how we are saying it. Nonverbal skills can dramatically impact the way your message is received.  Your body language, eye contact, facial expressions, and tone can completely change the message you are trying to deliver to your coworkers. It’s important to be aware of these subtle cues so that you can make sure your message isn’t misconstrued or misinterpreted.  Work-related skills for virtual environments You might not be working with your colleagues side-by-side in the same office. In addition to the skills we discussed above, remote work requires some different skills and disciplines.  Below are a few competencies that you’ll definitely want to have when collaborating in virtual work environments:  Self-motivation: There’s a big difference between in-person office environments and virtual workplace settings. At the office, your manager can simply stop by your desk or quickly check in to see how things are going. While your supervisor can technically do the same via email or instant message, you ultimately don’t have anyone looking over your shoulder 24/7 at your home office (unless you have pets, children, or spouses nearby!). That means self-motivation and knowing how to hold yourself accountable to get your work done are vital to helping you thrive in a virtual role. Adaptability: Adaptability is beneficial in any setting, but it’s a particularly beneficial skill in virtual environments. Whether you’re working with a distributed team and constantly trying to navigate time zones or your presentation gets interrupted due to an unreliable internet connection, adaptability is an important skill to help you navigate the unexpected and ever-changing conditions you may find yourself running up against. Digital and technical knowledge: In virtual environments, employees work remotely and generally rely on several tools to collaborate and tackle their to-do lists. Between project management software, instant messaging, video conferencing, document sharing, and email, there are many different technologies to navigate daily. If you’re working in a virtual environment, it’s essential to feel comfortable using these platforms if you want to keep up with the pace of your work. It’s also worth mentioning that, while you still may be able to reach the IT help desk, you may not receive assistance as quickly as you would in an office setting. That means you might have to do some troubleshooting and problem-solving on your own. What teamwork skills are important for 2021? Teamwork makes the dream work, right?  Teamwork skills are a subset of skills that enable us to work well with groups of people (meaning, our teams) to achieve a shared goal or outcome. In 2021 and beyond, as we see a shift toward hybrid work models, honing in on your teamwork skills can help you land your dream gig. Here are the teamwork skills that are important to develop for 2021 and beyond: 1. Reliability Being reliable is arguably the most crucial teamwork skill. Those who are reliable can be depended on and trusted to do their part time and time again. They show a certain level of commitment to their work and colleagues, meet deadlines (or even get work in early), and follow through on any action or task they say they will do.  You want to be a reliable teammate so your colleagues and your employer will have faith in you. And the more trustworthy you are, the more responsibility you will be trusted with over time, which may boost your career growth in the long run. It’s even more important to showcase your reliability in a virtual workplace environment through clear and frequent communication. 2. Accountability Accountability goes hand-in-hand with reliability. But beyond being reliable, accountability is all about taking responsibility for one’s work — even when that includes mistakes or failures.  There’s no room for the blame game or pointing fingers on teams that work well with one another, which means you have to hold yourself accountable and take fault when necessary. Your teammates will likely think more of you if you’re willing to admit you’re wrong, as opposed to constantly shifting blame or pointing fingers when issues arise. 3. Respectfulness A little bit of respect goes a long way, especially at work. According to Indeed, respectfulness in the workplace reduces stress, increases productivity and collaboration, improves employee satisfaction, and creates a fair environment. You need to respect your team members, manager, and clients to do your best work together.  Acts of respect include acknowledging others and calling them by name, encouraging and exchanging opinions and ideas without judgment, giving credit where it’s due, and listening to and understanding your teammates. 4. Collaboration There is no successful teamwork without collaboration. Collaboration is working together with one or more people on a project or toward a shared goal.  When employees can work together and collaborate successfully, they can share ideas and come up with practical solutions to complex problems. Brainstorming, open discussions, workshops, and knowledge sharing sessions are all examples of collaboration that lead to great teamwork.  5. Persuasion Have you ever worked with a teammate who insists on working their way, even if the rest of the team agrees to pursue another route? How do you keep making progress on your project or goal if one team member isn’t on the same page? That’s where your skills of persuasion come in handy.  Sometimes you might have to persuade a team member to see another point of view and change their mind to benefit the rest of the group. But persuasive skills are more than just getting someone to change their mind and see your perspective — it’s about doing so in an empathetic and respectful way in order to maintain a healthy working relationship. 6. Constructive feedback for improvement You should be able to offer your teammate constructive feedback to help them improve and vice versa. Exchanging feedback not only benefits individuals and the team as a whole but also adds value to your organization by creating an opportunity for constant growth.  Giving feedback requires offering suggestions for improvement in a positive way, while receiving feedback requires listening with an open mind and a willingness to change.  Work skills that work on any resume Sure, there are specialized skills for different roles and industries. Engineers add their programming skills to their resume, project managers add project management certifications and relevant skills, and HR professionals add the performance management and HRIS systems they’ve previously used. While there are specialized skills you’ll want to emphasize on your resume based on your industry and role (and trust us, those are important), there are also some work skills that are relevant on any resume. These include:  Creativity: Creativity is an essential component of innovation and complex problem-solving. In its most basic form, creativity requires thinking about a problem or task differently and using your imagination to form and test new ideas. Problem-solving: All employers value problem-solving abilities because they want to hire people who can break down problems and develop effective solutions. To showcase your problem-solving skills, you might possess a range of qualities such as analysis, evaluation, decision-making, and communication. Time management: No employer wants to hire someone who doesn’t make good use of their time and will have a hard time getting their work done. Your future employer wants to know that you’ll be able to meet deadlines, effectively use your workday to get tasks accomplished, and handle your workload without a lot of babysitting. Examples of specific time management responsibilities include goal setting, prioritizing tasks, meeting deadlines, and minimizing or eliminating distractions for optimal focus. Leadership: Showcasing how you’ve demonstrated leadership in your previous roles can demonstrate to your future potential employer what type of employee you are. Being an effective leader can increase your advancement opportunities within your organization. Use specific examples of successful leadership on your resume for the most significant impact.  So how do you showcase these skills on your resume? Now that you know what work skills for resumes employers want to see, you’re bound to have this question: Where do you put them? Keep in mind that the goal of your resume is to prove that you’re a qualified, no-brainer fit for the role you’re applying for. That’s why your smartest move is to tailor your resume to a specific job. Take a fine-tooth comb to the job description and identify words or skills that are repeated or emphasized. Those are traits that you should be incorporating in your own resume (provided you honestly possess them, of course). The most important skills should go as close to the top of your document as possible, because remember, hiring managers are only skimming for a few seconds. As for where you can work these skills in, you have a number of options, including:  Your professional summary at the top of your document A dedicated key skills section where you can bullet out your most relevant abilities Your past positions, where you can demonstrate how you applied your skills in previous jobs Finally, remember that many of your work skills and social work skills — from communication and time management to problem-solving and active listening — will be on display throughout the hiring process and your interviews.  So, it should go without saying, but show up on time, respond to messages promptly and respectfully, and treat everybody respectfully. After all, when it comes to your work skills, employers want you to show — and not just tell.

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Business Plan – Operations &...

Business plan – operations & management plan.

Summary: Operations & Management Plan is an essential section in your business plan. Learn from this article what are the elements you should include into this section.

Image: Freepik

The operations and management plan describes how your business operates on a continuing basis.

This section covers things that are critical to operations such as your business’ physical location, labour, facilities, equipment and processes. This way, you will answer readers’ questions about operations without overwhelming them.

The section also highlights the management team such as the various responsibilities and tasks of the team. This is where you acknowledge your team and advisers who contribute to your business and success.

Location and Facility Management

If you have a retail location, describe the surrounding area and explain to your readers why is the location effective. 

Tell your readers how your location provides access for the clients and suppliers. For example, your location might make it convenient for your potential clients to park their cars when they come to your office.

You can also attach the drawings of the building to show its structure and size.

In this part, do indicate the operating hours such as the opening hours and shifts.

And then list out your day-to-day operation details.

You should also talk about your products and/or services that you provide, how you provide them, standard operating procedures for the process and customer services.

The inputs that go into making your product will be your supplies and the final product will be your inventory.

So in this part, you should list your suppliers, their background their reputation.

It is also crucial to explain how you will manage your inventory. If you have too much inventory, you’re wasting money that could be put to active use elsewhere in the business.

If you have too little inventory, you might be losing out on potential sales and loyal customers. If you don’t have what they want, when they want it, they will go somewhere else, and they will likely turn to that company first the next time they need the item you used to sell them.

Management Team and Employees

Remember, your team of managers and employees play important roles in carrying out most of your company’s operating plan. Thus, it is important to describe who they are, what their qualifications are and what their responsibilities will be.

You should consider of having an organization chart that shows the hierarchical structure of your business. This will make it easy for your readers to understand.

You can also talk about how your measure employee and management performance and reward them or let them go if needed.

Operations Management Plan

As a business entity, you need to be able to manage the complexities of your processes, business management reports , corporate and professional relationships, operational systems, and other relevant activities that you and your stakeholders are involved in. The entire operations of your business is essential to be organized so you can give focus on the action plans that you need to prioritize as well as on the quality standards that you need to incorporate in all your procedures. Having an operations management plan can help you a lot with regards this matter or undertaking. It will be easier for you to develop your own operations management plan if you will use templates and other document guides and references.

• Marketing Plan Executive Summary Examples – PDF
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We have listed several examples of operations management plan templates that you can use if you want to create the specified document for your organization. Ensure that you will check out and download the examples that we have provided you with so you can have a more efficient time when developing the operations management plan of your business.

Operations Management Plan Template Example

• Google Docs

Size: A4, US

Operational Plan and Management Strategies Format

Size: 172 KB

Construction Management and Operational Plan

Size: 579 KB

Continuity of Operations Plan Template

Size: 778 KB

What Is an Operations Management Plan?

If you want your business to attain success, you have to ensure that you will develop carefully curated plans that can serve as the guide of your business operations. Even if not all businesses have an operations management plan of their own, it is still essential for you to consider the benefits that the specified document can provide you with. One of the initial things that you need to do if you want to immerse in the processes of organizing and directing your operations is to be knowledgeable of what an operations management plan is and how it can be helpful to the management of your business operations. An operations management plan can be defined as follows:

• An operations management plan is a business document that contains all the plans of action, strategies, and tactics that your organization needs to execute for the development of your operations. Hence, this document presents the responsibilities and obligations that your team members should take ownership of so that particular objectives can be established and achieved in a timely manner.
• An operations management plan provides a physical presentation of the opportunities that you can take and seize for the growth, development, and improvement of your overall operations. By using this document, you can be more directed when it comes to managing all the areas of your business operations as well as the elements and factors that affect your successes.
• An operations management plan allows the incorporation, alignment, and linking of your corporate goals with the objectives that you would like to realize for your operations. With this, you can be more tactical and strategic when planning call-to-actions which can result to getting maximum results from all the efforts that you will provide and the resources that you will use.
• An operations management plan can help you highlight the touch points that are necessary to be taken cared of so that you can promote an open line communication with all the areas and divisions of the business. Using an operations management plan can help you achieve your business goals accordingly as it makes the operational procedures of the business become a collaborative effort from all of your stakeholders.
• An operations management plan, like school operational plan examples , ensures that there is a clear direction with where you would like to be at which can also help organize the work processes of your members. From the intermediate or first steps that you need to execute up to the final phases of your operational year, having an operations management plan can truly strengthen the structure of your action implementation.
•  An operations management plan is a management tool that helps you to become more prepared in terms of meeting challenges, threats, and risk impacts head on. Developing an operations management plan can help you a lot as it can provide an idea about the counteractions that you can execute during particular instances. It can also give an overview of the level of impacts that you need to be ready for and the ways on how you can minimize the effects of problems and issues to the operations of the business.

Transportation Business Operations and Management Plan

Operations Management Plan Methodology

Size: 500 KB

Project Management and Operational Plan Layout

Key Principles of an Effective Operations Management Plan

Your business operations are not limited to the processes, activities, and programs that you implement for sales purposes. Aside from earning a profit, business operations also consider the presence of various procedures and efforts that gives your organization the ability to accomplish or achieve corporate goals and objectives. This is the main reason why you need to have a deep and full understanding of the key principles of an effective operations management plan as well as how they can work together for the maximum benefit of the business and its stakeholders. Listed below are some of the essential items that you should always consider when creating an operations management plan.

• The operations management plan that you will create must be realistic, attainable, and measurable. It is important for you to focus on the issues and concerns at hand rather than the specific techniques that you will implement. Keep in mind that there are different problems that your business operations might experience, which is why you have to think of different ways on how to resolve the core of your problems rather than try to formulate a general or universal solution which will only end up as inefficient and ineffective.
• The scopes, terms, and limitations of the operations management plan usage must be set. Managers and team members should know the specific usage of particular action plans so that the operations can be managed appropriately.
•  The organization of your operations management plan is essential. Just like when creating an  affiliate marketing business plan , you have to ensure that all the processes and activities within the undertaking are laid out accordingly. There should be a system that can allow you to point out all the segments and areas of the discussion with ease. Being organized can also help you showcase the interconnection of the items or elements that you put together in the document.
• The basic information that should be placed in the document should be complete and detailed. You have to ensure that the fundamentals of your operations management plan contain all the necessary details that can contribute to the successful implementation of your plan of action.
• The specification of all the details must be specific and consistent. Being able to execute this in your operations management plan can promote predictability when it comes to the items that are needed to be looked into. This can help you achieve your objectives accordingly especially in cases where concerns are similar or closely related to one another.
• The processes, tactics, and strategies that you will use must have variety. Again, just because one action plan worked for one instance does not mean that it can also resolve all the problems of the operations. Hence, you need to ensure that you will think of variance whenever you plan to manage your operations.
• The team members who will be given responsibilities must be aware of the tasks that they need to execute within a particular time frame. It is important for ownership and accountability to be established so that all work functions can be covered as specified in the timeline that you will use for your operations management plan.
• The metrics for successes is important to be established. Doing this can help you properly and objectively measure the effects and impacts of the operations management plan to your business. This can also allow you to use previous operations management plans as references whenever there is a need to update the current document or if you need to implement changes for the improvement of your operations.

Operations Management and Maintenance Plan

Size: 54 KB

Work Operations Management Plan Instructions

Size: 113 KB

Project Operations Management Plan Example

Operation and Maintenance Plan Document Example

Size: 78 KB

Tips in Developing an Outstanding Operations Management Plan

In comparison to an incident action plan , an operations management plan must also be packed with well-thought call-to-actions, activities, and strategies. Your operations management plan can be used at its maximum level if you can create a comprehensive discussion of your desired results and the steps that are needed to be taken so that you can get to the level or stage that you aspire your business operations to be at. A few of the useful tips that can help you make an impressive operations management plan for your business include the following:

• Include different kinds of stakeholders when developing your operations management plan. You may even consider to ask your customers on how they perceive the operations of the business and what are the things that they expect from the organization when it comes to providing them the services and quality of products that they need. In this manner, you can ensure that the document that you will develop is multifaceted and is composed of opinions and suggestions from different areas of the operations.
• Always track your improvement. The creation of the operations management plan must be backed up by maintenance and updating methods that will allow you to measure the growth that has already existed or transpired within a particular period. This can give you an idea on how the document can truly affect the business.
• Know the purpose or the reason on why you need to create and implement an operations management plan. This can help you be directed when thinking of the procedures of your plan execution as well as the ways on how you can get the maximum benefits out of the undertaking.
• Be focused when plotting the strategies and action plans that you will include in the operations management plan. You have to think of all the elements that you need to put together, the resources that you will use, the internal and external factors that can affect your decisions, and the help that you will be needing from your stakeholders. Knowing what you need and when you need them can help you be precise with the moves that you will do to manage the business operations in the best way possible.

Event Operations and Management Plan Guideline Example

Size: 507 KB

Operational Plan and Strategic Resourcing Guide Example

Size: 348 KB

Do You Want to Start Making an Operations Management Plan?

If you have already decided to develop an operations management plan, we recommend you to use templates for formatting purposes. Some of the things that you can achieve if you will use templates in the processes of developing your own operations management plan include the following:

• A more professional-looking and business-appropriate final document output
• An understandable operations management plan discussion flow
• A presentable segmentation and separation of operations management plan ideas
• A well-formulated and detailed clause specification for every operations management plan area discussion

Just like when creating a  monthly sales plan  and other kinds of business documents, using references when making your operations management plan can benefit you a lot. Download the template examples in this post and begin the creation of your business’s operations management plan.

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Business Plan Template for Operations Management

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Running a successful business requires careful planning and strategic execution. With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Operations Management, you can streamline your operations and take your business to new heights!

This template empowers you to:

• Clearly define your business objectives and strategies for achieving them
• Map out your operational processes to ensure smooth execution
• Allocate resources effectively to maximize productivity and minimize waste
• Set measurable goals and track progress to stay on track

Whether you're a seasoned business owner or just starting out, this template will guide you every step of the way. Get started today and watch your business thrive!

Business Plan Template for Operations Management Benefits

A business plan template for operations management offers a range of benefits to business owners and entrepreneurs, including:

• Streamlining business operations by providing a structured framework for managing day-to-day activities
• Ensuring efficient resource allocation by identifying areas of improvement and eliminating unnecessary costs
• Optimizing productivity by setting clear goals and establishing performance metrics
• Facilitating effective decision-making by providing a comprehensive overview of the business's operations
• Enhancing communication and collaboration among team members by aligning everyone towards common objectives
• Increasing the chances of long-term success by outlining strategies for growth and scalability

Main Elements of Operations Management Business Plan Template

ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Operations Management is designed to help business owners and entrepreneurs effectively manage their day-to-day operations, streamline processes, and achieve long-term success. Here are the main elements of this template:

• Custom Statuses: Track the progress of different tasks with statuses such as Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do, ensuring clear visibility and accountability.
• Custom Fields: Utilize custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add relevant information and categorize different aspects of your business plan.
• Custom Views: Access five different views tailored to your needs, including Topics, Status, Timeline, Business Plan, and Getting Started Guide. These views allow you to organize and visualize your business plan from various perspectives, making it easier to manage and execute.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Operations Management, you can create a comprehensive and structured plan to drive success in your business operations.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Operations Management

If you're looking to create a comprehensive business plan for operations management, you're in the right place. Follow these five steps to make the most of the Business Plan Template in ClickUp:

1. Define your objectives

Start by clearly outlining your objectives for operations management. What do you want to achieve? Are you looking to improve efficiency, optimize resources, or streamline processes? Defining your objectives will help guide your planning process and ensure that you're focused on the right areas.

Use the Goals feature in ClickUp to set specific objectives and track progress towards them.

2. Assess your current operations

Take a deep dive into your current operations and assess their strengths and weaknesses. Identify key areas that need improvement or optimization. This could include supply chain management, inventory control, production processes, or quality control. Understanding your current operations will provide valuable insights for developing strategies and action plans.

Create tasks in ClickUp to document your assessment findings and assign responsible team members for each area.

3. Develop strategies and action plans

Based on your objectives and assessment, develop strategies and action plans to address the identified areas of improvement. Break down each strategy into actionable steps and assign responsible team members. These action plans will serve as a roadmap for implementing changes and achieving your objectives.

Use the Gantt chart feature in ClickUp to visualize and schedule your action plans, ensuring that all tasks are completed in a timely manner.

4. Monitor and measure progress

Regularly monitor and measure the progress of your operations against your defined objectives. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as productivity, cost efficiency, customer satisfaction, and cycle time. This will help you identify any gaps or areas where adjustments are needed.

Create custom fields in ClickUp to track and analyze your KPIs, ensuring that you have the data you need to make informed decisions.

5. Continuously improve and adapt

Operations management is an ongoing process, so it's important to continuously improve and adapt your strategies. Regularly review your business plan, assess the effectiveness of your actions, and make necessary adjustments. Stay open to feedback from your team and stakeholders, as their insights can help drive innovation and improvement.

Set recurring tasks in ClickUp to regularly review and update your business plan, ensuring that it remains relevant and aligned with your evolving business needs.

By following these five steps and utilizing the Business Plan Template in ClickUp, you'll be well-equipped to optimize your operations and drive business success.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Operations Management

Business owners and entrepreneurs can use the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Operations Management to streamline their operations and set clear goals for their business.

To get started, click on "Add Template" to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you select the appropriate Space or location in your Workspace.

Next, invite relevant team members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now, take advantage of the full potential of this template to manage your operations effectively:

• Use the Topics View to outline different sections of your business plan, such as marketing, finance, and operations.
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each task, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do.
• Utilize the Timeline View to set deadlines and visualize the timeline for each task and milestone.
• The Business Plan View provides a comprehensive overview of your entire business plan, allowing you to easily navigate and make updates.
• Create a Getting Started Guide View to provide a step-by-step guide for new team members or stakeholders.
• Use custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add additional information and categorize tasks.
• Regularly update the statuses of tasks to keep everyone informed of progress.
• Monitor and analyze tasks to ensure efficient resource allocation and maximize productivity.
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• Strategic planning |

Operational plan template

Operational planning is simpler when you have a system. Learn how Asana’s operations team uses standardized processes to streamline strategic planning—no matter how many stakeholders are involved.

Sign up to create your own template.

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Operational planning is highly cross-functional. It touches every team and can drive real change—but it also involves lots of coordination. For it to work, you need to bring together almost every team in the company, including executives, finance, product, legal, human resources, and more. 

With so many relationships to manage, templatized workflows are key. Templates give stakeholders a plan for how to work together—so instead of constant back-and-forth conversations, you can make plans and take action quickly. At Asana, we use predefined workflows to streamline our operational planning processes—from annual planning to business planning meetings. 

What is operational planning?

Operational planning is the process of organizing how your company comes together to make strategic decisions. It’s similar to project management, except instead of looking at a single project, you’re charting the course for the entire company. The goal of operational planning is to drive alignment and clarity across all business divisions—so company leaders can work together to make decisions, and the rest of the company can understand and take action on those decisions. 

For example, operational planning involves: 

Organizing monthly and quarterly business reviews

Annual planning

Project management for strategic initiatives

What is an operational plan template? 

An operational plan template is a pre-made workflow for any essential operational planning process—like annual planning or quarterly business reviews. The template lays out each step of the process, so stakeholders know exactly how to collaborate with each other. For example, if you build an annual planning template , you no longer have to start from scratch for each new planning cycle. Instead, you can just copy the template and follow a predefined workflow.

Why use a digital operations plan template?

Since operational planning involves so many stakeholders, it’s common to run into pitfalls like long and confusing email chains, too many meetings, and losing information in the shuffle. There’s a lot to keep track of, and static tools like email and Google Docs often add to the confusion. 

Using a work management platform solves these problems by centralizing your strategic planning process in one place. That way, everyone has a single source of truth where they can communicate, share updates, and make plans in real time. 

Here’s what you can do with a digital operations plan template:

Create a single system of record for operational planning work. 

Centralize conversations with stakeholders in one place, so no information is lost.

Share status reports with stakeholders without scheduling extra meetings.

View project reports and graphs to quickly understand how initiatives are performing. 

Automate operations workflows—so teams can spend less time coordinating work and more time on high-impact initiatives.

Easily update project schedules, tasks, and owners as circumstances change.

Use forms to standardize how teams share information. 

Switch between project views to visualize operations workflows in different ways—including task lists , Gantt charts , calendars , or Kanban boards . 

Types of operational planning templates

When creating operational planning templates, it’s best to focus on a single use case at a time. Below, we’ve outlined two specific use cases we utilize at Asana—plus the key elements of each.

Annual planning template

With everything streamlined and the busywork automated, we can focus on the work of planning, collaborating, and creative problem-solving—instead of the busywork of coordinating planning, and wishing we had more time to collaborate and think creatively.”

Annual planning is a highly cross-functional process. There are top-down company goals and bottom-up team and department plans, all happening at the same time. At Asana, our strategic planning team uses predefined workflows to streamline the planning process, share information across teams, and help everything come together into a coherent, integrated plan. Here’s how. 

Create a single system of record for all annual planning tasks. During annual planning, you need to coordinate tasks across many different teams. Make sure nothing gets lost by centralizing everything in one project, so you can see what each team is responsible for and by when. 

Define each annual planning phase. At Asana, we break the annual planning process into phases, each with a specific goal and time frame. When building your template, create a section at the top to define each annual planning phase—including the goal of that phase and when it occurs. By clearly defining what you want to achieve by when, stakeholders can understand how their individual annual planning tasks fit into the overarching process. 

Create sections for each department or team. Organize each team’s tasks into a single section, so they can easily see what they’re responsible for accomplishing during the annual planning cycle. 

Use custom tags to add additional information. At Asana, we use custom tags to view important details about each task. For example, we use tags to identify which team is responsible, which planning workstream the task falls under, whether it’s a concrete deliverable or a decision to be made, and whether a meeting is required. 

Identify key milestones in your plan. Create milestones to identify important checkpoints throughout the annual planning process. This helps teams understand what they’re working toward and how it fits into the overall planning roadmap. 

Once you’ve created your annual plan, share and track it with Asana’s Goals feature. Goals is an organization-wide tool that can help your entire company set, monitor, and communicate about goals.

Business planning meeting template

Bringing together the leaders of our business org across sales, marketing, biz tech, people ops, customer success, and business strategy is critical to ensure ongoing cross-functional clarity and alignment. But, it can also be extremely costly if it’s not done so effectively and efficiently.”

Business leaders need to stay aligned. One way to keep executives on the same page is by hosting regular business planning meetings—where leaders can share updates, align on action items, and create plans. 

At Asana, we’ve created a standardized workflow to streamline business planning meetings and ensure we’re using meeting time as efficiently as possible. Thanks to this workflow, we no longer have to scramble to pull together and prioritize the right topics. Instead, presenters have plenty of lead time, and meeting attendees can focus on what’s most important for the business—not just what’s top of mind. Here’s how.

Create a single source of truth for meeting planning and follow-up. Centralize planning tasks in one place, so stakeholders can easily see what’s coming up and who’s responsible for each presentation. Create a single task for each agenda item—and then when the meeting is over, add that same task to other projects (like meeting notes or action items) without duplicating work. 

Use sections to organize information. Make tasks easier to find by bucketing them into sections, like upcoming topics, new topic submissions, and meeting agendas. 

Submit new discussion topics with forms. Create a topic request form to standardize how new agenda items are added. Forms ensure you have all the information you need to plan agenda topics—like a brief description of the agenda item, goals for the discussion, the facilitator, and time required.

Create custom tags to see key information at-a-glance. Add custom tags to get a quick view of each task’s category and status. For example, use custom tags to identify whether agenda items are set or still open. 

Recommended features and integrations

As you build out your operational planning templates, customize your team’s workflows with these features and app integrations. 

Integrated features

Custom fields . Custom fields are the best way to tag, sort, and filter work. Create unique custom fields for any information you need to track—from priority and status to email or phone number. Use custom fields to sort and schedule your to-dos so you know what to work on first. Plus, share custom fields across tasks and projects to ensure consistency across your organization. 

Adding tasks to multiple projects . The nature of work is cross-functional. Teams need to be able to work effectively across departments. But if each department has their own filing system, work gets stalled and siloed. Asana makes it easy to track and manage tasks across multiple projects. This doesn't just reduce duplicative work and increase cross-team visibility. It also helps your team see tasks in context, view who’s working on what, and keep your team and tasks connected.

Automation . Automate manual work so your team spends less time on the busy work and more time on the tasks you hired them for. Rules in Asana function on a basis of triggers and actions—essentially “when X happens, do Y.” Use Rules to automatically assign work, adjust due dates, set custom fields, notify stakeholders, and more. From ad hoc automations to entire workflows, Rules gives your team time back for skilled and strategic work.

Forms . When someone fills out a Form, it shows up as a new task within an Asana project. By intaking information via a Form, you can standardize the way work gets kicked off, gather the information you need, and ensure no work falls through the cracks. Instead of treating each request as an ad hoc process, create a standardized system and set of questions that everyone has to answer. Or, use branching logic to tailor questions based on a user’s previous answer. Ultimately, Forms help you reduce the time and effort it takes to manage incoming requests so your team can spend more time on the work that matters.

Recommended apps

Zoom . Asana and Zoom are partnering up to help teams have more purposeful and focused meetings. The Zoom + Asana integration makes it easy to prepare for meetings, hold actionable conversations, and access information once the call is over. Meetings begin in Asana, where shared meeting agendas provide visibility and context about what will be discussed. During the meeting, team members can quickly create tasks within Zoom, so details and action items don’t get lost. And once the meeting is over, the Zoom + Asana integration pulls meeting transcripts and recordings into Asana, so all collaborators and stakeholders can review the meeting as needed.

Google Workplace . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Google Workplace file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane. Easily attach any My Drive file with just a few clicks.

Microsoft Teams . With the Microsoft Teams + Asana integration, you can search for and share the information you need without leaving Teams. Easily connect your Teams conversations to actionable items in Asana. Plus, create, assign, and view tasks during a Teams Meeting without needing to switch to your browser.

Vimeo . Text may get the point across, but written words lack tone, emotion, and expression. With video messaging in Asana, powered by Vimeo, you can give your team all the context they need, without having to schedule another meeting. Record short video messages of yourself, your screen—or both—then embed the videos in tasks, projects, messages, and comments to provide additional clarity and context. A transcript of the recording is automatically created by Asana, making it readable and searchable. Give feedback, ask questions, and assign tasks—all without leaving Asana.

What other operational planning templates can I use to streamline workflows for my business? .css-i4fobf{-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 200ms ease-in-out;transition:transform 200ms ease-in-out;-webkit-transform:rotateZ(0);-moz-transform:rotateZ(0);-ms-transform:rotateZ(0);transform:rotateZ(0);}

With Asana you can create—and customize—templates to fit any business operations use case. Here are some places to start: 

Business plan template

Operations project plan template

All company meeting template

Startup checklist template

Business continuity plan template

Team goals and objectives planning template

Can a project management platform help my business achieve strategic goals faster?

Project management platforms like Asana can significantly improve team efficiency, allowing you to accomplish more with fewer resources. According to an independent report , Asana cuts the time it takes to complete a project by up to 50%—meaning it could help your team get work done in half the time. With less time wasted day-to-day, your team can focus on high-impact work, like driving revenue and achieving strategic goals.

What’s the best way to monitor all operational workflows in one place?

With Asana Portfolios , you can see a high-level view of all operational planning initiatives—including project status, progress, and owners. If an initiative is off track, it’s easy to click in, identify the blocker, and create an action plan to get things back on track. 

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