An operational plan is the business plan or annual plan for the group. Whereas the strategic plan looks at the long-term strategy (i.e. how you will achieve your ultimate goals and mission), the operational plan (see Figure 1) has a shorter-term focus, and is more specific about:
The best way of monitoring your group's progress is to refer to your operational plan when drawing up monthly (or quarterly) reports for your management committee/board.
To develop an operational plan:
1. On some sheets of paper or whiteboard, draw up templates as follows:
Figure 1: Operational Plan Template
........................................ Operational Plan for .......................................
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MISSION STATEMENT: |
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Goal/(Intermediate Outcome) |
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Actions/ Activities |
Responsibility (who?) |
When by? |
Resource Requirements |
Monitoring/ Update |
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2.
etc
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2. Record your "Mission Statement" in the top box.
3. Record your "Goals" in the second box using a separate sheet for each goal.
4. List the main activities and action steps in the first column.
5. State who is responsible in the second column.
6. State when this task should be done by in the third column.
7. List what resources are required in the fourth column.
8. Keep track of the progress you are making in the last column.