Operational planning

Operational planning refers to the action plans that guide your day-to-day work. Without a strategic plan you don't know where you are going or why you are going there. But without an operational plan, it is likely that the strategic plan will remain a distant dream and you will not get there anyway.

An operational plan is an instrument for implementing the strategic plan. Operational plans are developed by managers nearer the frontline in order to establish actions that are necessary for the achievement of operational goals. Operational plans are short-term plans that cover time periods of up to one year, so they are usually referred to as annual operational plans. Good operational plans should comprise eight stages, as you will see in the next section. The stages of planning can be applied in the planning of any health programme.