In this chapter you move from the strategic view to the operational applications. Here you separate the strategic from the tactical, the global from the specific, and the long term from the short term. | CHAPTER 8 How to Build a One-Year Operational Plan That Improves Performance In this chapter you move from the strategic view to the operational applications. Here you separate the strategic from the tactical the global from the specific and the long term from the short term. This is where most management energy is focused for execution. The 1-Page Strategic Plan generally spells out where you intend to take the organization while the operational plan defines how you plan to make the trip. Yet getting to a practical application of a 211 212 Seven Steps to a Successful Business Plan business plan seems to always get lost in the planning process. Earlier you defined the goals objectives and tasks necessary to give you three levels of definitions. Now let s examine your business plan up close by defining what must happen next year. This is called the operational plan see Figure 8-1 . The content for the plan is developed during the initial planning conference. All the information for the operational plan can be extracted from the original planning process. This is mostly true for the other plans as well. The real task becomes putting the information into the right portion of the 5-Page Business Plan. In lay language we call this getting it in the right bucket. Figure 8-1. The operational plan sets the direction into motion. It is how you plan to work the next year. How to Build a One-Year Operational Plan 213 The operational plan usually extends out one year see Figure 8-2 . It is always the first year of your strategic plan which automatically makes it the first year of your business plan. Although some companies elect to use two or three years one year is more practical and best fits accepted business reporting standards. One year fits with the quarterly concepts and the annual budget cycle. This permits you to look at your performance on a frequent basis and make annual adjustments if necessary. One year is also about all the detail you can plan without becoming .
