COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Develop & Implement Operational Plans course. This program will equip you with the analytical, planning, resource-management, and performance-monitoring skills required to design, execute, and improve operational plans that drive organisational productivity and strategic alignment. You will explore what an operational plan is, the various types of planning and types of plans used in organisations, and what operational planning involves in practice. This course also examines what is included in a typical operational plan and the stages required to develop one that is realistic, measurable, resourced, and integrated with broader organisational goals.

This course begins by examining how to develop an operational plan step-by-step and the importance of consulting with relevant stakeholders to ensure accuracy, ownership, and alignment. You will explore how to develop effective consultation processes, how to establish realistic operational goals and objectives, and how to research, analyse, and document the resource requirements needed to implement the plan. This section also examines the resources required to execute operational plans and how to set key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure organisational performance accurately. You will explore why KPIs must reflect organisational goals, why they must be key to organisational success, and why they must be quantifiable in order to drive accountability and measurement.

A further section explores contingency planning. You will examine how to develop and implement contingency plans, the objectives of contingency planning, and the challenges that can arise when preparing for unexpected events or resource shortfalls. This section also covers how to develop proposals for resource requirements, the typical resource plan format, how to conduct a cost-benefit analysis, and how to present proposals and obtain approval for an operational plan. You will explore how to plan and manage resource acquisition and how to develop strategies for acquiring human and physical resources and contracted services.

The program then turns to operational performance review. You will explore the difference between performance monitoring and performance management, how to develop operational performance systems and processes, and why these systems are essential for continuous organisational improvement. This section also examines how to assess progress in achieving profit and productivity targets, how to monitor and measure operational performance, and the five characteristics of an effective monitoring process. You will explore the three steps in monitoring and measuring performance and the operational monitoring tools used across industries.

A further learning area focuses on identifying and managing performance issues. You will explore how to identify under-performance, recommend solutions, and take prompt corrective action. This section also examines how to analyse and interpret budget and actual financial information to monitor profit and productivity performance, how to prepare variance reports, and how to investigate performance gaps. You will also explore how to negotiate recommendations for variations to operational plans and gain approval for amendments when required.

The final learning area focuses on people development and systems support. You will examine how to provide mentoring and coaching to support individuals and teams in meeting operational requirements. You will also explore how to develop and implement systems to manage procedures and records associated with documenting performance, ensuring that operational activities are transparent, auditable, and aligned with organisational governance.

By the end of this course you will be able to design operational plans, manage resources effectively, monitor performance with precision, interpret financial and productivity data, identify performance issues early, implement corrective strategies, and build supportive systems and processes that sustain consistent operational excellence across the organisation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• What is an operational plan?
• The types of planning and types of plans
• What is operational planning?
• What is included in a typical operational plan?
• The stages of operational planning
• How to develop an operational plan?
• The importance of consulting with relevant stakeholders
• How to develop consultation processes?
• How to establish realistic operational goals and objectives?
• How to research, analyse and document resource requirements?
• The resources required to implement an operational plan
• How to set key performance indicators to measure organisational performance?
• Why key performance indicators should reflect the organisational goals?
• Why key performance indicators must be key to organisational success?
• Why key performance indicators must be quantifiable?
• How to develop and implement contingency plans?
• The objectives of contingency planning
• The contingency planning challenges
• How to develop proposals for resource requirements?
• The typical resource plan format
• How to conduct a cost-benefit analysis?
• How to present proposals and obtain approval for operational plan?
• How to plan and manage resource acquisition?
• How to develop and implement strategies for acquiring human and physical resources and services?
• How to review operational performance?
• The difference between performance monitoring and performance management
• How to develop operational performance systems and processes?
• The importance of operational performance systems and processes
• How to assess progress in achieving profit and productivity plans and targets?
• How to monitor and measure operational performance?
• The five characteristics of an effective monitoring process
• The three steps of the monitoring and measuring process
• The operational monitoring tools
• How to identify areas of under-performance, recommend solutions and take prompt action to rectify the situation?
• How to analyse and interpret budget and actual financial information to monitor and review profit and productivity performance?
• How to prepare variance reports?
• How to investigate performance gaps?
• How to negotiate recommendations for variations to plans and gain approval?
• How to provide mentoring and coaching to support individuals and teams?
• How to develop and implement systems to manage procedures and records associated with documenting performance?

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.