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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

operations section of business plan example

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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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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Expertly Writing the Operations Plan Section of Your Business Plan

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Operational plans are important for any effective business plan . They provide a roadmap for how the company will operate on a day-to-day basis. The operational strategic plan should outline the company’s goals and objectives, as well as the strategies and actions that will be taken to achieve them.

Business Operations Section of a Business Plan

The operational plan or operations section of a business plan is where you describe how your business will function on a day-to-day basis. This includes everything from the resources you’ll need to run your business, to the people who will be responsible for carrying out various tasks, to the processes and procedures you’ll use to get work done.

Purpose of the Operational Plan Section of a Business Plan

An operational plan is essential for any business because it provides a roadmap for how it will function. It ensures that everyone involved in the business is on the same page and knows what their roles and responsibilities are. Having an operational plan also makes it easier to track and accomplish goals, while driving cost reduction and improving overall results. Finally, your operations plan section helps show readers that you can turn your vision and goals into reality.

Benefits of an Operations Plan Include:

Identifying the key processes your company must perform to achieve its goals
Mapping out short-term and long-term milestones so you have specific goals and a roadmap for achieving them
Understanding the human and other resources required to execute your vision

Writing an Operations Section of a Business Plan

When writing the operations section of a business plan, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. First, be sure to describe the resources that will be required to run your business. This includes everything from office space and equipment to human resources. Next, detail the processes and procedures that will be used to get work done. Be as specific as possible so that there is no confusion about how things should be done. Finally, identify the people who will be responsible for carrying out various tasks. This includes both employees and contractors.

Tracking Key Performance Indicators with Operational Planning

As a business owner, it’s important to track your progress against your company goals. This is where KPIs come in. KPIs are performance indicators and an important part of creating a strategic plan that can help you track your progress and identify areas of improvement. You should document your KPIs in the operation plan of your business plan

There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing KPIs for your business:

Make sure that the KPIs you choose are relevant to your company’s goals.
Choose KPIs that can be easily measured.
Avoid choosing too many KPIs, as this can be overwhelming. Stick to a few key ones that will give you the most insights into your business’s progress.
Set realistic targets for each KPI. This will help you track your progress and identify areas of improvement.
Review your KPIs on a regular basis to ensure that they are still relevant and accurate, while also being in line with strategic plans.

Some Examples of KPIs that You Could Track with an Operational Plan

When creating an operations plan, it’s important to track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure your progress against your company goals. Some examples of KPIs that you could track are:

Sales growth
Delivery times
Customer satisfaction ratings
Product Quality
Production Process
Employee retention
Operational costs

Creating an operational plan with KPIs will help you track your progress, identify areas of improvement, improve strategic planning and make necessary changes to reach your company’s strategic objective.

Example of an Operations Section of a Business Plan

Here is what an operations plan example might look like:

The XYZ Company will require the following resources to operate:

1,000 square feet of office space
$10,000 for office furniture and equipment
3 full-time employees
2 part-time employees
1 contractor

The XYZ Company will use the following processes and procedures to get work done:

All new clients will be contacted within 24 hours of the initial inquiry
Initial consultations will be scheduled within 48 hours of contact
Proposals will be presented within 10 days of the initial consultation
Work will begin within 2 weeks of proposal acceptance

The following people will be responsible for carrying out these tasks:

John Smith, full-time employee, will contact new clients
Jane Doe, full-time employee, will schedule initial consultations
John Smith and Jane Doe will conduct initial consultations
John Smith and Jane Doe will prepare proposals
John Smith and Jane Doe will manage projects
Joe Johnson, contractor, will provide support as needed

An operations plan is a critical part of any business planning work. It provides a roadmap for how the business will function on a day-to-day basis. This includes everything from the resources you’ll need to run your business, to the people who will be responsible for carrying out various tasks, to the processes and procedures you’ll use to get work done. Having operational plans in place will ensure that everyone involved in the business is on the same page and knows what their roles and responsibilities are. It will also make it easier to track and accomplish goals.

Key Takeaways

A few key things to remember when writing your operations plan:

Describe the resources that will be required to run your business
Detail the processes and procedures that will be used to get work done
Identify the people who will be responsible for carrying out various tasks

Following these tips will help you create a comprehensive and effective operations plan for your business.

A strategic plan is one of the critical components of any successful company. The operations plan outlines the roadmap for your business, outlining the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. If you’re not sure where to start, we can help. Our team of experts has created a comprehensive business plan template that will guide you through the process of creating an operational plan tailored to your specific business needs. Ready to get started? Download our template today and get access to all the tools and information you need to create a thriving business.

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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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How to Write the Operations Section of the Business Plan

Back to Business Plans

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on February 20, 2023 Updated on December 12, 2023

How to Write the Operations Section of the Business Plan

Among the countless tasks involved in starting a business is writing a business plan . Many entrepreneurs who don’t need funding view this as a step they can skip, but that’s never a good idea.

A sharp and detailed business plan is essentially a business owner’s commitment to and preparation for the road ahead, detailing the operations, strategies, and potential growth.

The operations section is the real heart of a business plan, detailing how your venture will operate on a day-to-day basis. Researching and writing this section will prepare you to run your business, structure your operations, and deal with any hurdles.

This guide delivers all the insight you need to whip up a fantastic operations section of your plan.

What Are Operations?

Operations are the assets, processes, and people necessary to keep the business running and making money on a day-to-day basis. They include how the product or service is developed or sourced, what needs to be done for that to occur, and the resources required.

You’ll also detail the activities that need to occur to attract customers, make sales, and deliver the product or service.

Keep in mind that operations are different for every company. If you’re running an online shoe store , for instance, you won’t learn much by examining the operations of a cement manufacturer.

Elements of the Operations Section

The operations section of the business plan has several key elements.

1. Assets Required

Your business’s required assets may include a physical space, such as a shop or office, as well as equipment, vehicles, computers, and other physical assets needed to develop your product and operate the business. List all these assets, the expected cost, and how you’ll acquire them.

2. Product Development or Sourcing

Detail all the steps necessary to produce or acquire your product or service. Include details of your suppliers, how you will acquire products and raw materials, and the estimated cost. If you’re manufacturing products, detail the processes and production oversight plan, as well as costs.

If your product involves technology, detail the stages of development and how you’ll maintain and advance the product on an ongoing basis.

Your goal should be to paint a picture of exactly what will happen on a day-to-day basis to produce a product or service that’s ready to sell, who will be involved, and how much it will cost.

3. Technical Processes

If you expect to use any technical processes, explain them and who will be involved. These could be anything from business process automation and workflow management systems to project management or AI analytics for marketing.

Detail the initial and ongoing costs for any software and hardware used.

4. Marketing and Sales Activities

To clarify, this section will not explain your business’s marketing and sales strategies. Rather, here you detail how marketing and sales will be conducted, who’ll be responsible, and the expected cost. For example, you might have your own internal team or outsource to a marketing agency.

If you plan to hire marketing staff, detail what roles you’ll fill, what they’ll do, and how they’ll be paid. For example, your salespeople may receive a base salary and commissions.

5. Product or Service Delivery Activities

Detail how you will get the product or service to the customer. If you’re selling a product online, describe how products will be shipped and who is involved in packaging products and getting them to the delivery provider.

If you’re delivering a service, detail how this is done and who is responsible for performing the service.

6. Operational Objectives

Finally, you’ll include your operational objectives. These could include:

Acquiring equipment by a certain date
Hiring employees
Short-term production goals
Engaging with a supplier

It’s important to illustrate that you have specific operational plans and goals that will enable you to meet your overall business objectives.

Every business is different, so you may need to include all of the elements described above, or just a few of them. What’s important is that the reader is able to grasp how your company will function on a day-to-day basis.

By writing the operations section, you’ll learn exactly what it will take to keep your business chugging along and bringing in revenue – and that knowledge will likely be invaluable down the road.

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First Steps: Writing the Operations Section of Your Business Plan This quick guide offers tips that will help you create the operations section for your business plan.

By The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. • Jan 4, 2015

In their book Write Your Business Plan , the staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. offer an in-depth understanding of what's essential to any business plan, what's appropriate for your venture, and what it takes to ensure success. In this edited excerpt, the authors discuss what type of information you should include in the operations section of your business plan.

Operations is concerned with how you buy, build and prepare your product or service for sale. That covers a lot of ground, including sourcing raw materials, hiring labor, acquiring facilities and equipment, and shipping the finished goods. And it's different depending on whether you're a manufacturer, a retailer or a service firm.

The basic rule for your operations section is to cover just the major areas—labor, materials, facilities, equipment and processes—and provide the major details—things that are critical to operations or that give you competitive advantage. If you do that, you'll answer investors' questions about operations without overwhelming them.

The simplest way to treat operations is to think of it as a linear process that can be broken down into a sequence of tasks. Once the initial task listing is complete, turn your attention to who's needed to do which tasks. Keep this very simple and concentrate on major tasks such as producing a product or delivering a service.

Operations for Retail and Service Firms

Retail and service firms have different operations requirements from manufacturers. Companies that maintain or repair things, sell consulting or provide health care or other services generally have higher labor content and lower investments in plants and equipment.

That's not to say operations are any less important for retailers and service firms. But most people already understand the basics of processes such as buying and reselling merchandise or giving haircuts or preparing tax returns. So you don't have to do as much explaining as, say, someone who's manufacturing microprocessors.

For service and retail firms, people are the main engines of production. The cost of providing a service is largely driven by the cost of the labor it entails. A service-firm plan, then, has to devote considerable attention to staffing. You'll want to include background information and, if possible, describe employment contracts for key employees such as designers, marketing experts, buyers, and the like. You'll want to walk the reader through the important tasks of these employees at all levels so they can understand how your business works and what the customer experience is like.

Operations plans for retailers also devote considerable attention to sourcing desirable products. They may describe the background and accomplishments of key buyers. They may detail long-term supply agreements with manufacturers of in-demand branded merchandise.

Operations for Manufacturers

The lead actor in manufacturing is the process of production, and the better your production process, the better a manufacturer you'll be. Business plan readers look for strong systems in place to make sure that personnel and materials are appropriately abundant. In your operations section, don't go into too much detail -- stick to the important processes, those essential to your production or that give you a special competitive advantage and be sure you show that you have adequate, reliable supply sources for the materials you need to build your products. Estimate your needs for materials and describe the agreements with suppliers, including their length and terms that you have arranged to fulfill those needs. You may also give the backgrounds of your major suppliers and show that you have backup sources available should problems develop.

You'll also need to include information on how you'll ensure a reliable supply of adequately trained people to run your processes. You'll first need to estimate the number and type of people you'll require to run your plan. Then show that you can reasonably expect to be able to hire what you need. Look at local labor pools, unemployment rates and wage levels using information from chambers of commerce or similar entities.

Manufacturing a product naturally requires equipment. Naturally, investors are very interested in your plans for purchasing equipment. Many plans devote a separate section to describing the ovens, drill presses, forklifts, printing presses and other equipment they'll require. This part of your plan doesn't have to be long, but it does have to be complete. Make a list of every sizable piece of equipment you anticipate needing. Include a description of its features, its functions, and, of course, its cost.

Be ready to defend the need to own the more expensive items. Bankers and other investors are loath to plunk down money for capital equipment that can be resold only for far less than its purchase price. Also consider leasing what you need if you're starting out.

The Facilities Section

Unless you're a globe-trotting consultant whose office is his suitcase, your plan will need to describe the facilities in which your business will be housed. Land and buildings are often the largest capital items on any company's balance sheet, so go into detail about what you have and what you need. Decide how much space you require in square feet. Don't forget to include room for expansion if you anticipate growth. Now consider the location. You may need to be close to a labor force and materials suppliers. Transportation needs, such as proximity to rail, interstate highways, or airports, can also be important. Next determine whether there's any specific layout that you need.

To figure the cost of facilities, first decide whether you'll lease or buy space and what your rent or mortgage payments will be. Don't forget to include brokerage fees, moving costs and the cost of any leasehold improvements you'll need. Finally, take a look at operating costs. Utilities including phone, electric, gas, water, and trash pickup are concerns; also consider such costs as your computer connections, possibly satellite connections, as well as maintenance and general upkeep.

These aren't the only operations concerns of manufacturers. You should also consider your need to acquire or protect such valuable operations assets as proprietary processes and patented technologies. For many businesses, intellectual property is more valuable than their sizable accumulations of plants and equipment.

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What Is the Operational Plan Section of the Business Plan?

Learning what an operation plan is and learning how to make it is something critical to any business. 3 min read updated on February 01, 2023

An operation plan section of the business plan is an essential part of any business. Learning what an operation plan is and learning how to make it is something critical to any business. Here are the main things you need to know about an operation plan.

Definition of an Operation Plan

An operation plan is a guiding path for the business to follow in order to achieve all of its goals and objectives described in the general business plan.

The operation plan mainly includes details about the people responsible for completing the required actions, and all the costs and KPIs (key performance indicators) for these actions to be accomplished.

In order for any business to be stable in the long run, the operation plan must be updated regularly in order to ensure the stability of the business.

What Is the Operations Plan Section and How to Properly Make It

The section of the operations plan which is included in the business plan mainly specifies all the physical requirements for the operation of the business. These physical requirements mainly include equipment, facilities, and location.

In order to make a complete business plan , three things need to be clarified to the reader:

Everything was done for the business from the start to reach its current position
Acknowledgment that you know exactly what should be done for any business to get off the ground
Full awareness and understanding of the delivering and manufacturing processes of the service or the product you offer.

Operating Section of the Business Plan: Stage of Development Section

While you're developing the stage of development section, you should begin with the previous procedures that have been taken so far, along with mentioning what is best to be done in the future, it should be as follows:

Production workflow : In this, you will describe in detail the exact steps of how your service or your product will be made, along with the acknowledgment of any possible problem that could be faced during the process.
In addition, you will include details about how to train the employees to solve any upcoming problem and avoid any risks as much as possible. Along with mentioning any dangerous equipment that will be used, and the proper ways of using and storing these pieces of equipment.
Supply chains: In this section you clarify the identity of the suppliers, the prices they offer, and their terms and conditions, In addition to providing the possible alternatives in case it doesn't work out with the current suppliers
As an example, in case you are willing to have a specific quality control certificate, like the ISO 9000, you should identify and explain the required procedures.

What Are the Key Components to Include in an Operational Plan Regarding the Business Organization?

Here are the main components to be included in the operational plan:

Most of the tasks in the operation plan are carried out by the company's managers and the employees under them, so it is essential that to clarify their identity, describe their qualifications, and describe the jobs and tasks which they will be responsible for.
Providing an organizational chart to describe the structural hierarchy of the business.
The philosophy and tactics of the company, and the role they play in the development and stability of the business.
A statistical measurement of the performance of the employees and managers, and the ways of reward and punishment.
Explain the methods that you will use to find the right employees, putting into consideration the required qualifications needed, the job description of each one, and the compensation rates that you will offer.
In case the business will need any outside consultants it should be noted, along with the specific functions required from any outsider consultant or employee.

In the end, one could conclude that the success or a failure of a business depends heavily on the quality of the business and operation plan put forward.

If you need help with operation plan samples, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.

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Operations and Management Business Plan (+Sample in PDF)

AUG.03, 2023

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 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.

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Ini Patrick Notes

Writing the Operations Section of your Business Plan

Writing the Operations Plan of your Business Plan

Operations are concerned with how you will run your business and deliver value to your customers.

Operations are defined as the processes used to produce your products/services and deliver them to the marketplace.

This can include manufacturing, sourcing raw materials, transportation, logistics, hiring labor, travel, printing, consulting, after-sales service, and so on.

It’s different depending on whether you’re a manufacturer, a retailer or a service firm.

In all likelihood, about 80% of your expenses will be for operations, 80% of your employees will be working in operations, and 80% of your time will be spent worrying about operating problems and opportunities.

Be sure that you carefully link the design of your operations to your marketing plan.

For example, if high quality will be one of your comparative advantages in the marketplace, then design your operations to deliver high quality, not low costs.

Remember that you will probably have to make trade-offs with your operations.

It is impossible to have the lowest costs, highest quality, and best on-time performance in your industry all at the same time.

Often, high quality means higher costs, low costs means less variety and less flexibility.

Be careful how you make these trade-offs so that you can deliver products to the market in accordance with your marketing plan .

It is advisable just to cover only the major areas when writing your operations section of your business plan .

This includes; labor, materials, facilities, equipment, and processes and provides the major details of pertinent things that are critical to operations or that give you the competitive advantage.

Completing this will give answers to your operations questions without making it overwhelming.

Operations checklist include:

How will you produce and deliver your product/service?

What will you do in-house, and what will you purchase (make vs. buy), how will you use your operations to compete cost quality timeliness flexibility, what comparative advantages do you have with your operational design, what will be your relationship with vendors, suppliers, partners, and associates.

The simplest way to treat operations is to think of it as a linear process that can be broken down into a sequence of tasks.

Once the initial task listing is complete, turn your attention to who’s needed to do which tasks. Keep this very simple and concentrate on major tasks such as producing a product or delivering a service.

Major sections to look at for when writing your operation section include;

Table of Contents

Operations Strategy

In this subsection, describe how you will fulfill your marketing strategy using operations:

How will you use operations to add value for customers in your target market?

How will you win in the marketplace on the dimensions of cost, quality, timeliness, customer service, and flexibility, which dimensions will you stress and which ones will be less significant, scope of operations.

Describe the scope of your operations. Include details in an appendix, as necessary.

What will you do in-house and what will we buy (make vs. buy)? Why does this make sense for your business?

What kind of people will you need to hire.

The right mix of staff will be the most valuable asset any business has. Employees and staff will play an important role in the overall operation of your business.

It is very important to know what skills you have and the ones you lack since you will have to hire staff to supply the skills you lack.

Furthermore, it is essential that you know how to manage and treat your employees.

Make them feel as part of the team. Keep them informed of changes and be sure to get their opinion.

Employees can often be a great source of excellent ideas, of innovations to existing products/services, and inspiration for new product lines and markets to enter.

So be sure to take the time to listen to your employees as they may offer you the new competitive edge you have looked for.

Production Plan (Manufacturing Businesses)

The production plan demonstrates your ability to produce products. this section may not apply to service businesses., production flow chart (manufacturing businesses), provide a flow chart/process diagram showing the entire production process from start to finish., list and budget production equipment required for the business. procurement (businesses that manufacture or sell products), sources of supply and order lead time., terms and conditions of sale., alternate sources of supply (this addresses procurement risk)., inventory control systems., physical space requirements (unless covered in location sections)., sub-contractors (both goods and services), provide a list of sub-contractors., show exactly what these sub-contractors do and where they fit into the production of the business., show alternative sub-contractors (this addresses sub-contract risk)..

Other things include to consider in writing your operations section include;

Operations Expenses

Legal environment, credit policies, managing your accounts receivable, managing your accounts payable, now, your turn.

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Ini Patrick

Hello, I'm Ini Patrick, a Serial Entrepreneur, Business Analyst, and Web Business Strategist. Am committed to helping entrepreneurs grow their business by sharing hybrid information and ideas that teaches strategies and systems to start and grow any business.

Business Plan - Operations Section

Operations Section of the Business Plan

Written by Jason Gordon

Updated at August 5th, 2023

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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?

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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.

10+ Operational Planning Examples to Fulfill your Strategic Goals

By Danesh Ramuthi , Oct 25, 2023

An operational plan is a comprehensive, action-driven document that maps out how daily activities within an organization fuel the journey towards achieving strategic objectives.

Essentially acting as the nexus between high-level strategy and practical execution, this plan ensures that every department, from human resources to specific departments, operates in synchrony, aligning their day-to-day activities with the broader strategic goals.

By streamlining processes, it fosters cohesive efforts amongst diverse cross-functional teams, ensuring that both individual team members and entire departments work together harmoniously towards the company goals.

Ready to sculpt your organization’s future? Start your journey with venngage business plan maker and leverage their expertly crafted operational plan templates .

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Why is an operational plan important?

10 operational plan examples, what should an operational plan include, how to write an operational plan.

Strategic plan vs operational plan: What is the difference?

In summary

An operational plan is crucial because it serves as a bridge between a company’s high-level strategic planning and its day-to-day activities, ensuring that the business operations align with the strategic goals.

While a strategic plan provides a long-term vision, outlining the company’s objectives and goals to gain competitive advantages in the business environment, the operational plan outlines the specific actions, key elements and resource allocation required to achieve those objectives.

For example, while the strategic plan might set a goal for revenue growth over the fiscal year, the operational plan provides a detailed roadmap, breaking down major projects, assigning responsibilities to individual team members or specific departments and setting key performance indicators to monitor progress and ensure the entire organization works together effectively.

Operational planning, in essence, transforms the strategic objectives into actionable plans, ensuring that the entire team, from department heads to diverse cross-functional teams, is aligned and works in tandem to support revenue growth, increase productivity, and achieve the desired outcomes.

Operational plans, through a well-structured operational planning process, also provide a clear understanding of the day-to-day activities, allowing team members to know their roles, leading to better collaboration and synergy.

Moreover, by having clear operational plan examples or templates, businesses can ensure realistic expectations, manage their operating budget effectively and track progress through key performance metrics, thus ensuring that the company stays on course to realize its long-term vision.

Operational plans play a pivotal role in the business landscape, bridging the gap between strategic vision and tangible actions. They translate the overarching goals of an organization into detailed procedures, ensuring that daily operations are in line with the desired strategic outcomes.

In the section below, I will explore a few operational plan examples, shedding light on their structure and importance.

Business operational plan example

A business operational plan is a comprehensive document that elucidates the specific day-to-day activities of a company. It presents a detailed overview of the company’s organizational structure, management team, products or services and the underlying marketing and sales strategies.

For businesses, irrespective of their size, an operational plan can prove invaluable. By laying down the business goals and objectives, it acts as a blueprint, guiding entrepreneurs through the creation and implementation of strategies and action plans. The planning process also incorporates mechanisms to track progress and performance.

Additionally, for startups or companies looking to scale, a meticulously crafted operational plan can be pivotal in securing funds from potential investors and lenders.

Layered on this are details about the company’s organizational structure, its products or services and its marketing and sales strategies.

The document also delineates the roles and responsibilities of each team member, especially the management and key personnel. Given the dynamic nature of the business environment, it is imperative to revisit and update the operational plan regularly.

Related: 15+ Business Plan Templates for Strategic Planning

Simple operational plan example

A simple operational plan, often used by startups or smaller enterprises, emphasizes the basics, ensuring that the fundamental aspects of the business operations are captured succinctly. While it might not delve into the intricacies of every operation, it provides an overview of day-to-day activities, highlighting the goals and objectives the business aims to achieve in the short term.

Green Sage Simple Clean Yellow Operational Plan

In essence, this plan revolves around core elements like the company’s main objectives for the fiscal year, key responsibilities assigned to individual team members and basic resource allocation. A straightforward market analysis might also be included, offering insights into customer needs and competitive advantages the business hopes to leverage.

Though simple, this operational plan example remains pivotal for the organization. It provides a roadmap, guiding team members through their daily responsibilities while ensuring that everyone is working together towards shared goals. It becomes especially essential for diverse cross-functional teams, where clarity of roles can lead to increased productivity.

Modern operational plan example

In today’s fast-paced business environment, the emphasis on efficiency and innovative processes is paramount. The modern operational plan example caters precisely to this demand. Ideal for organizations aiming to streamline processes and highlight workflow, this type of operational plan emphasizes a more dynamic approach to planning.

It not only reflects the evolving nature of business operations but also provides a modern backdrop for content, ensuring that the presentation resonates with the current trends and technological advancements. The use of modern tools and platforms within this plan enables diverse cross-functional teams to work together seamlessly, ensuring that day-to-day activities are synchronized with the company’s long-term vision.

Furthermore, such an operational plan helps the entire organization stay agile, adapting rapidly to changes in the business environment and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.

Minimalist operational plan example

The minimalist operational plan example champions simplicity and clarity. By focusing on clear and concise business strategies, it eliminates any potential ambiguity, ensuring that team members and stakeholders have an unclouded understanding of the company’s objectives and goals.

The minimalist design not only promotes easy comprehension but also aligns with the modern trend of decluttering, ensuring that only the most vital components of the operational planning process are highlighted.

This approach leaves no room for confusion, streamlining the planning process and making sure that individual team members and departments are aligned with the business’s key objectives.

White Clean Lines Minimalist Operational Plan

Moreover, the flexibility offered by a minimalist design allows businesses to craft an operational plan template that is not only functional but also accurately reflects their brand image and core values, ensuring cohesion across all aspects of the business strategy.

Blue And Orange Minimalist Modern Operational Plan

Clean operational plan example

The clean operational plan example stands as a testament to this principle. Ideal for businesses that prioritize clarity and directness, this format seeks to convey goals and strategies without overwhelming stakeholders.

While maintaining a neat and organized layout, it ensures that tasks are managed effectively, helping team members grasp their roles and responsibilities without getting lost in excessive details.

One of the primary advantages of a clean operational plan is its ability to eliminate distractions and focus solely on the critical aspects of operational planning.

Such a design aids in making sure that diverse cross-functional teams can work together harmoniously ensuring that day-to-day activities align seamlessly with the company’s long-term vision.

The simplicity of the clean operational plan not only supports revenue growth by ensuring efficiency but also reinforces the company’s strategic goals, making it an excellent tool in the arsenal of businesses that believe in clear communication and precise execution.

An effective operational plan acts as a roadmap, directing how resources should be allocated and tasks should be performed to meet the company’s objectives. Here’s what a comprehensive operational plan should encompass:

Goals and objectives : Whether short-term or long-term, the operational plan should define clear goals and objectives that align with the company’s strategic plan. This gives direction to the entire organization, ensuring everyone is working towards a common aim.
Clear responsibilities for team members : It’s essential that team members understand their roles within the operational plan. By outlining who is responsible for what, the plan ensures that there are no overlaps or gaps in duties and that everyone has clarity on their day-to-day activities.
Assigned tasks: Alongside responsibilities, specific tasks need to be allocated to individual team members or specific departments. This granularity in assignment ensures that every aspect of the operational plan is covered.
Timeline: This provides a clear schedule for when each task or objective should start and finish. A well-defined timeline assists in monitoring progress and ensures that the plan stays on track.
Budget and resources : Every operational plan needs to factor in the budget and resources available. This includes everything from the operating budget to human resources, ensuring that the business has everything it needs to execute the plan effectively.

Read Also: 6 Steps to Create a Strategic HR Plan [With Templates]

As businesses evolve, it’s essential to have a comprehensive and adaptive operational plan in place to navigate the complexities of the business environment. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft an effective operational plan:

Step 1: Define your goals and objectives

Begin with a clear understanding of your strategic goals and objectives. This will act as a foundation for your operational plan. Ensure that these goals are in alignment with your company’s strategic plan and provide both short-term and long-term visions for the business.

Step 2: Determine roles and responsibilities

Identify the key stakeholders, department heads and team members who will play pivotal roles in executing the plan. Assign responsibilities to ensure that everyone knows their part in the planning process and day-to-day activities.

Step 3: Develop a timeline and milestones

Establish a clear timeline that breaks down the operational planning process. Include key milestones to track progress and ensure the plan remains on target.

Step 4: Allocate budget and resources

Determine the resources required to achieve your goals and objectives. This includes estimating the operating budget, identifying human resources needs and other resource allocations, ensuring you have everything in place to support revenue growth and other business needs.

Step 5: Outline day-to-day operations

Detail the day activities that are integral to the business operations. This will provide clarity on how different tasks and functions work together, ensuring efficiency across diverse cross-functional teams.

Step 6: Monitor and measure performance

Integrate key performance metrics and indicators to regularly monitor progress. Using both leading and lagging indicators will provide a comprehensive view of how well the operational plan is being executed and where improvements can be made.

Step 7: Review and adjust regularly

The business environment is dynamic and as such, your operational plan should be adaptable. Regularly review the plan, comparing actual outcomes with desired outcomes and adjust as necessary to account for changes in the business environment or company goals.

Step 8: Document and communicate

Create an operational plan document, potentially using operational plan examples or an operational plan template for guidance. Ensure that the entire team, from individual team members to the entire organization, is informed and aligned with the plan.

Related: 7 Best Business Plan Software for 2023

Strategic plan vs operational plan: What is the difference?

When running an organization, both strategic and operational planning play pivotal roles in ensuring success. However, each has a distinct purpose, time horizon and scope. Here’s a breakdown of the differences between these two essential business plans:

Strategic plan : This plan sets the course for the organization’s future. It embodies the long-term vision and mission, detailing the objectives necessary to achieve it. The essence is how everyone, from C-suite executives to individual team members, collaborates towards realizing this vision.
Operational plan : This is the roadmap for the day-to-day activities of the organization. While the strategic plan looks at the bigger picture, the operational plan hones in on the tactics and execution. It is crafted to support organizational goals with a focus on short-term activities specific to departments or functions.

Time horizon :

Strategic plan : Long-term in nature, usually spanning three to five years.
Operational plan : Concentrates on the short-term, with plans laid out yearly, quarterly, or even monthly.

Modification and updates :

Strategic plan : This evolves over longer intervals, typically three to five years. There might be minor adjustments year over year based on changing business needs and the external business environment.
Operational plan : Due to its short-term focus, it requires frequent assessments. Plans might be adjusted yearly, quarterly or even monthly to ensure alignment with the strategic objectives and current business environment.

Created by :

Strategic plan : Crafted by the upper echelons of management – think CEO, CFO and other C-suite members.
Operational plan : These plans come to life through mid-level management and department heads, ensuring alignment with the broader strategic vision while catering to specific departmental needs.
Strategic plan : Broad in its outlook, it takes into account external factors like market trends, competition, customer needs and technological innovations.
Operational plan : This narrows down the focus to the internal workings of the organization. It revolves around technology in use, key performance indicators, budgeting, projects, tasks and the allocation of responsibilities among team members.

As we’ve traversed through the importance of operational planning to various operational plan examples, it becomes evident that having a detailed and efficient operational plan is pivotal.

From the business-centric to the minimalist approach, every operational plan serves as the backbone, guiding team members and ensuring that day-to-day activities align with the long-term vision and strategic goals.

By knowing what should be included in these plans and how to craft them, businesses can navigate the complexities of their operational environment with greater confidence.

For those looking to refine their planning process or start from scratch, the world of digital tools has made it significantly easier. Venngage offers business plan maker and operational plan templates designed to simplify the process.

Whether you need to create an operational plan or draft a business strategy, their intuitive platform can guide you every step of the way.

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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.

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.

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Operational Plan Template

Use this free Operational Plan Template for Word to manage your projects better.

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.

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 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.

business operations data on a Gantt chart

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.

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What is an Operations Plan and Why Your Business Needs One

What Is An Operations Plan, And Why Do You Need One?

The operations section of your business plan is where you outline the priorities, goals, processes, and timetable for your organisation. An operations plan is beneficial to have not only to investors, but also to you and your staff because it allows you to consider strategies and deadlines. It can also provide information about inventory specifications, vendors, and an overview of the manufacturing process, depending on the type of company you operate.

It sets out the day-to-day responsibilities of running a company. When properly developed, an operations plan ensures that each manager and employee are aware of their particular responsibilities as well as how they should be carried out within a set timeframe. It’s important to plan out the day-to-day activities that will insure a consistent path to your company and organisational objectives.

Your operations plan should address the following questions on a regular basis:

What are the tasks and methods that must be done or accomplished?
Who are the people in charge of those activities and strategies?
When do you think each strategy should be finished?
How far would it set you back?

Your strategic plan is a manual that ensures that your organisation and all of its staff carry out day-to-day activities in a consistent and efficient manner.

The Steps Of A Successful Operations Business Plan

Since operational plans are created with the goal of allocating money, resources, and personnel for each 1-3 year span, all of the measures that an operational plan would include should essentially serve that goal.

Visualise your operations plan and create your strategic plan first

Since an operating plan is a necessary tool for achieving the objectives set out in a strategy, you must first insure that the strategic plan is in place. It’s best to start with the vision, as with every project plan. Tasks to meet specific, clearly established targets, as well as management of the staff to insure they’re performing at their best, are the key features of an operations plan. Once you’ve identified your vision for certain stages, you can move on to the research process.

Set essential goals and objectives

As we mentioned above, the key to a successful operations plan is to have a clear vision and target that everyone is working towards. You’ll explicitly state your company’s organisational goal in this section of your strategy.

All good operating plan examples follow one rule: emphasis on the most critical targets. It’s difficult to execute a complicated strategy with several targets that aren’t clear and simple. 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.

Operational priorities can vary depending on the department. However, each department’s goal should contribute to the company’s overall goal. Furthermore, organisational priorities shift; they aren’t meant to be permanent or long-term. The timetable should be planned around your company’s long-term objectives.

Have a look at the following example for a local pizza delivery business goals:

The strategic goal is to deliver pizza in Eastern Sydney suburbs.
To have a better user experience, the technology department’s organisational goal is to build a mobile app by October 2021.
The marketing department’s organisational target is to raise website visits by 50% by October 2021 by advertising on social media and in the top local food publications.
The sales department’s operations goal is to raise distribution sales by 30% by concentrating on three of Eastern Sydney’s largest suburbs.

Establish routine processes and resources

Once you’ve created your goals, you’ll need to analyse how you’ll accomplish them strategically. To do so, each department (or team) must have all of the resources available for the production process.

The following are some useful resources to consider:

Suppliers – Do you have one (or more) suppliers that help you make your product?
Equipment and Technology – Does each department have the required equipment, technology, and software to achieve their goals? For example, in order to achieve the above-mentioned pizza delivery business target, required resources might include: – App development software is handled by the technology team . – Computer licences for website analytical tools for the marketing team – Headsets, phone devices, or technology for a virtual phone system for the sales team
Expense – What is the cost of each department’s budget?

You’ll need to explain the operating process in detail in addition to the development process. This will show investors that you know exactly how you want your company to operate on a daily basis.

Among the items to include in your operations plan are:

Location: where do workers work? Would you need any extra services?
Work hours: will workers have a fixed schedule or will they be able to work on a flexible basis?
Staff: who is responsible for ensuring that department activities are completed?

Set timelines

For your new company, developing a timeline with milestones is crucial. It helps to keep everyone centred and is a good way to monitor production. If milestones aren’t being reached, for example, you’ll know it’s time to reconsider the development process or accept new hires.

Report on the operations plan

Create a framework and report on all of it as the plan progresses until you’ve set out the operating plan—which should include specific targets with deliverables, priorities, timetables, and staff required to accomplish the plan. Stakeholders, other department heads, and leadership will want to check in on the progress of the organisational plan at each milestone, whether it’s monthly, quarterly, or project-based.

Your KPIs will have a major impact on the success of your operations plan, so choosing the right ones is crucial. Leading indicators are the most powerful metrics because they forecast what to expect in the future and allow you to change your strategies accordingly. Lagging metrics, on the other hand, just show you how far you’ve come after it’s too late.

Sales meetings or calls per week, for example, may be a good leading indicator if the target is to hit a certain sales level. You may be able to predict how many calls it takes to close a transaction based on your previous experience. This will encourage you to use phone calls to see if you’re on track to meet your sales targets. However, if you only measured revenue, you wouldn’t know where you were in relation to your targets and forecasts unless you were already there.

Adjust the operations plan as needed

You must always be ready to change, as with any well-planned project. Have you ever reached a benchmark that yielded less-than-desirable results? The tasks in an operating plan are so detailed that you can now tell and understand precisely which parts of the plan aren’t working at their best. Adjust as needed, include team members as needed, gain stakeholder buy-in, and move on to the next benchmark with your newly-adjusted operations plan.

If you had the foresight to use business planning software like Planium Pro to create your plan, such changes are simple to make. If you have to make changes to a static Excel sheet or Word document, it can take hours to update anything.

Business planning software, on the other hand, is a versatile tool that helps you to quickly establish processes, delegate tasks, monitor progress, and make adjustments. To learn more about how business planning software can assist you with your operations plan, get your 14-day free trial with Planium Pro.

Note, you can visit our blog for more helpful business advice like this!

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8 Business Plan Templates You Can Get for Free

8 min. read

Updated April 10, 2024

A business plan template can be an excellent tool to simplify the creation of your business plan.

The pre-set structure helps you organize ideas, covers all critical business information, and saves you time and effort on formatting.

The only issue? There are SO many free business plan templates out there.

So, which ones are actually worth using?

To help remove the guesswork, I’ve rounded up some of the best business plan templates you can access right now.

These are listed in no particular order, and each has its benefits and drawbacks.

What to look for in a business plan template

Not all business plan templates are created equal. As you weigh your options and decide which template(s) you’ll use, be sure to review them with the following criteria in mind:

Easy to edit: A template should save you time. That won’t be the case if you have to fuss around figuring out how to edit the document, or even worse, it doesn’t allow you to edit at all.
Contains the right sections: A good template should cover all essential sections of a business plan , including the executive summary, product/service description, market/competitive analysis, marketing and sales plan, operations, milestones, and financial projections.
Provides guidance: You should be able to trust that the information in a template is accurate. That means the organization or person who created the template is highly credible, known for producing useful resources, and ideally has some entrepreneurial experience.
Software compatibility: Lastly, you want any template to be compatible with the software platforms you use. More than likely, this means it’s available in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or PDF format at a minimum.

1. Bplans — A plan with expert guidance

Preview of Bplans' free business plan template download asset.

Since you’re already on Bplans, I have to first mention the templates that we have available.

Our traditional and one-page templates were created by entrepreneurs and business owners with over 80 years of collective planning experience. We revisit and update them annually to ensure they are approachable, thorough, and aligned with our team’s evolving best practices.

The templates, available in Word, PDF, or Google Doc formats, include in-depth guidance on what to include in each section, expert tips, and links to additional resources.

Plus, we have over 550 real-world sample business plans you can use for guidance when filling out your template.

Download: Traditional lender-ready business plan template or a simple one-page plan template .

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2. SBA — Introduction to business plans

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two different business plan templates along with a short planning guide.

While not incredibly in-depth, it’s enough to help you understand how traditional and lean plans are structured and what information needs to be covered. The templates themselves are more like examples, providing you with a finished product to reference as you write your plan.

The key benefit of using these templates is that they were created by the SBA. While they may provide less guidance, you can be assured that the information and structure meet their expectations.

Explore: The SBA’s planning guide and free templates

3. SCORE — Planning workbook

SCORE’s template is more like a workbook. It includes exercises after each section to help you get your ideas down and turn them into a structured plan.

The market research worksheets are especially useful. They provide a clear framework for identifying your target market and analyzing competitors from multiple angles. Plus, they give you an easy way to document all the information you’re collecting.

You will likely have to remove the exercises in this template to make it investor-ready. But it can be worth it if you’re struggling to get past a blank page and want a more interactive planning method.

Download: SCORE’s business plan template

4. PandaDoc — A template with fillable forms

PandaDoc’s library offers a variety of industry-specific business plan templates that feature a modern design flair and concise instructions.

These templates are designed for sharing. They include fillable fields and sections for non-disclosure agreements, which may be necessary when sending a plan to investors.

But the real benefit is their compatibility with PandaDoc’s platform. Yes, they are free, but if you’re a PandaDoc subscriber, you’ll have far more customization options.

Out of all their templates, the standard business plan template is the most in-depth. The rest, while still useful, go a bit lighter on guidance in favor of tailoring the plan to a specific industry.

Explore: PandaDoc’s business plan template library

5. Canva — Pitch with your plan

A sample of the 696 free business plan templates available from Canva. The templates represented here are for a restaurant and two options designed around a minimalist beige aesthetic.

Canva is a great option for building a visually stunning business plan that can be used as a pitch tool. It offers a diverse array of templates built by their in-house team and the larger creative community, meaning the number of options constantly grows.

You will need to verify that the information in the template you choose matches the standard structure of a traditional business plan.

You should do this with any template, but it’s especially important with any tool that accepts community submissions. While they are likely reviewed and approved, there may still be errors.

Remember, you can only edit these templates within Canva. Luckily, you only need a free subscription, and you may just miss out on some of the visual assets being used.

To get the most value, it may be best to create a more traditional planning document and transfer that information into Canva.

Explore: Canva’s business plan gallery

6. ClickUp — The collaborative template

Preview of ClickUp's business plan template within the project management platform. It includes a number of fillable cells to help guide the creation process.

Out of all the project management tools that offer free business plan templates, ClickUp’s is the most approachable.

Rather than throwing you into all the features and expecting you to figure it out—ClickUp provides a thorough startup guide with resource links, images, and videos explaining how to write a plan using the tool.

There’s also a completed sample plan (structured like an expanded one-page plan) for you to reference and see how the more traditional document can connect to the product management features. You can set goals, target dates, leave comments, and even assign tasks to someone else on your team.

These features are limited to the ClickUp platform and will not be useful for everyone. They will likely get in the way of writing a plan you can easily share with lenders or investors.

But this is a great option if you’re looking for a template that makes internal collaboration more fluid and keeps all your information in one place.

7. Smartsheet — A wide variety of templates

A preview of the Smartsheet business plan template. It provides a preview of the cover page, directory, and small views of the remaining template pages.

I’m including Smartsheet’s library of templates on this list because of the sheer number of options they provide.

They have a simple business plan template, a one-page plan, a fill-in-the-blank template, a plan outline, a plan grading rubric, and even an Excel-built project plan. All are perfectly usable and vary in visual style, depth of instructions, and the available format.

Honestly, the only drawback (which is also the core benefit) is that the amount of templates can be overwhelming. If you’re already uncertain which plan option is right for you, the lengthy list they provide may not provide much clarity.

At the same time, it can be a great resource if you want a one-stop shop to view multiple plan types.

Explore: Smartsheet’s business plan template library

8. ReferralRock affiliate marketing business plan

Preview of the ReferralRock affiliate marketing business plan template. It just represents the cover page of the full template.

I’m adding ReferralRock’s template to this list due to its specificity.

It’s not your standard business plan template. The plan is tailored with specific sections and guidance around launching an affiliate marketing business.

Most of the template is dedicated to defining how to choose affiliates, set commissions, create legal agreements, and track performance.

So, if you plan on starting an affiliate marketing business or program, this template will provide more specific guidance. Just know that you will likely need to reference additional resources when writing the non-industry sections of your plan.

Download: ReferralRock affiliate marketing business plan template

Does it matter what business plan template you use?

The short answer is no. As long as the structure is correct, it saves you time, and it helps you write your business plan , then any template will work.

What it ultimately comes down to, is what sort of value you hope to get from the template.

Do you need more guidance?
A simple way to structure your plan?
An option that works with a specific tool?
A way to make your plan more visually interesting?

Hopefully, this list has helped you hone in on an option that meets one (or several) of these needs. Still, it may be worth downloading a few of these templates to determine the right fit.

And really, what matters most is that you spend time writing a business plan . It will help you avoid early mistakes, determine if you have a viable business, and fully consider what it will take to get up and running.

If you need additional guidance, check out our library of planning resources . We cover everything from plan formats , to how to write a business plan, and even how to use it as a management tool .

If you don’t want to waste time researching other templates, you can download our one-page or traditional business plan template and jump right into the planning process.

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.

Start stronger by writing a quick business plan. Check out LivePlan

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Use This Simple Business Plan Outline to Organize Your Plan

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Business Plan vs Business Model Canvas Explained

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Do You Need a Business Plan? Scientific Research Says Yes

When Should You Write a Business Plan?

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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.

INTEGRATED FEATURES

Recommended apps.

How Asana uses Asana for strategic operations template example image

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.

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?

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.

Related templates

Action plan template

Taking action has never been easier. Learn how to create a reusable action plan template in Asana to take the guesswork out of strategic planning.

Marketing strategy

A marketing strategy template is a useful tool that helps your marketing team achieve their goals. Learn how to create your marketing strategy with Asana.

PEST analysis

A PEST analysis template helps compile info on the external environment affecting your business. Learn how to prevent risk with a PEST analysis template.

Objectives and key results (OKR) template

Learn how to create an OKR template in Asana so you can standardize the goal-setting process for everyone.

Cost benefit analysis template

Digital cost benefit analysis templates are a useful framework to see if a new project or idea is viable. Learn how to create your own in a few simple steps, with Asana.

Nonprofit business plan template

Success doesn’t just happen—it’s planned. Stay focused on your most crucial work with a custom nonprofit business plan template.

Contingency plan

Using a contingency plan template will help you create well-developed strategies to help you protect your business from potential risk. Learn how Asana can help.

Requirements traceability matrix

A requirements traceability matrix template is a tool to help organize project requirements in a concise manner. Learn how to create one for your team.

Creating a digital punch list template can help streamline the final bits of a project for your team. Here’s how to create one.

Go-to-market strategy template

Simplify your GTM strategy with a go-to-market strategy template that aligns teams and keeps work on track. Learn how in Asana.

Project closure template

Endings are important. Create a project closure template to help your team tie up loose ends and finish their projects with confidence.

Project reporting

Stay on top of your project’s performance. Keep everyone on the same page about what’s been completed and where your project is headed.

Product roadmap

What if you could create, share, and update your product roadmap in one place? Everyone could see you’re tackling the right priorities. Start planning your product roadmap with this template.

Program roadmap

Create a program roadmap template and know the exact structure of each program, how they operate, and their future plans—company-wide.

Strategic planning template

When you’re launching a new product, team, or even a new business, strategic planning templates keep you laser-focused and on task.

Set clear goals and streamline your planning process—so every level of your company is aligned on what’s important.

Competitive analysis template

The more you know about your competitors, the better your strategy will be. Competitive analysis templates use a data-driven approach to see exactly how your business, products, and features compare to your competition.

Crisis management plan

Does your team know what to do during a crisis? Using a crisis management plan template can help keep all your employees on the same page.

Business plan

A business plan is the first step to start your business and secure financing. Use our business plan template so you don’t have to start from scratch.

SIPOC template

Use your SIPOC template to ensure that the processes outlined in your SIPOC diagrams are consistent and up to your standards.

Create templates with Asana

Learn how to create a customizable template in Asana. Get started today.

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Top 10 Business Operational Plan Templates with Samples and Examples

Aditya Chakraborty

Are you aspiring for the best outcomes from your business model? Do you want to set the pace of the organization in the right direction?

The right kind of business operational plan will set teams in motion to achieve desired organizational goals. With the assistance of powerful PPT models, businesses are able to direct the process’s blueprint to the employee and all stakeholders. A clearer picture of the state of operations and targets always helps teams be comfortable with what they are doing. They also know what success looks like.

Running, and even thriving in you business, could be a greater challenge when the marketplace is tough. If your enterprise can be taken as a ship, a business operation plan can be considered as its lighthouse. It (the business operational plan) reminds teams & stakeholders of the way to go and highlights potholes or obstructions the path ahead.

A well-designed PPT Presentation is the answer to ensure your venture prospers and has answers to most problems that will come your way. Start your business operational plan today with help of suitable presentations that suit your requirements. SlideTeam offers you PPT templates that assist in shaping business operational plans. Download slides that assist businesses to tackle operational challenges with flair and effectiveness.

Why Do You Need Business Operational Plan?

Companies often tend to spend time and resources in strategic planning for long-term goals. While it is necessary to make strategic plans, most of these miss out on a key strategic element: a business operating plan.

“The proper outlining of business operational plan for daily needs leads to best outcomes for the organizations. Research has indicated better allocation of resources in organizations with well-laid operating plans.”

The operator should be able to answer these questions:

What are the operational strategies in line with the vision of the organization?
How to perform and outshine in changing business environment?
What are the tasks to be completed on regular basis?
How to prevent risks associated with the implementation of plans?

Let us look at the list of PPT models to fit business operating models:

Template 1: Business Operational Plan

This PPT Template is meant to ensure a pictorial depiction of the company’s sales & marketing goals. Use this presentation deck to highlight the executive summary, company vision, company strategy, changes in the competitive environment, revenue sources, objective for the next 12 months, milestones, financial summary, and others. The deck also contains slides related to acquisition of new customers, customer lifetime Value, and risk mitigation strategies to fit sales requirement.

Business operational plan powerpoint presentation with slides

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Template 2: Business Plan Operational Strategy

The PPT slide deck is helping businesses overcome fears and tackle challenges. It displays the company mission and objective, KPIs, business problems & solutions, changes in the competitive environment, financial summary, revenue growth, and others. Businesses are able to optimize their performance with information related to gross margin improvement, operating expenses, product roadmap , and more.

Business plan operational strategy powerpoint presentation slides

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Template 3: Business Operational Planning Process

The specific kind of PowerPoint Deck is focusing on the condition of the company, key performance indicators, operating highlights, hiring plans, and more to boost the overall outcome. It will help businesses devise top strategies to support product roadmap, operational challenges, risk & mitigation plans, and others. Put forth all details in the respective slides to make the presentation fruitful and result-oriented.

Business operational planning process powerpoint presentation slides

Template 4: Business Operation Planning

If you’re planning to set long-term business goals, then this PowerPoint Deck will be a desirable option. It includes slides related to the executive summary, business solutions, details related to key stakeholders, analysis of competitors, budget, source of revenue, and more. Highlight milestones of the company through visuals, establishing operational highlights.

Business operation planning powerpoint presentation slides

Template 5: Business Operational Plan PPT Infographics

The business operational plan PPT infographic will help companies establish their goals efficiently. It includes details related to mission & objectives, strategic intent, budget, performance indicators, time, responsibility, and progress. We provide thousands of editable icons on each topic and adjust sizes easily. Companies can use their own icons in the PPT Slides and edit the color of the graphics. Highlight details accurately through infographics and boost the overall output of presentations.

Business operational plan ppt powerpoint presentation infographics infographics

Template 6: Business Operational Plan Pie Charts

Graphical presentation of data assists in easier understanding of key business indicators. The business operational plan pie charts are creating huge impact on business meetings through the guided presentation. We provide thousands of editable icons for each category to make business presentations successful. Our pie charts are easy to understand, and comparison in the meeting rooms become easier with this.

Business operational plan pie charts powerpoint presentation

Template 7: Business Operational Plan Timeline Pictures Infographics

Plan the best moves for the company with a business operational plan timeline PowerPoint Deck. The infographics used in the PPT will help businesses analyze present costs and plan future timeline. Use the editable infographics and pictures to highlight details related to the strategic intent of the company, performance indicators, budget, progression, risks mitigation, and others.

Business operational plan timeline ppt powerpoint presentation pictures infographics

Template 8: Business Operational Readiness Plan with Multiple Tasks

Select Business Operational Readiness Plan with Multiple Tasks PPT to describe aspects of operations minutely. It is the best option for businesses looking for pro-presentation solutions to highlight essential details. The slides can be easily edited, as per the preferred size and color to fit the business presentation requirements.

Template 9: Essential Elements of Business Operational Readiness Plan

Businesses need to add backdrops in their presentations to describe subjects minutely. The Essential Elements of Business Operational Readiness Plan PPT deck is designed by our experts to make the teams ready for efficient operations. Edit the slides as per choice and improve the output of business meetings. Download the PPT deck today to ensure the completion of business pro presentations timely.

Template 10: Business Operational Plan for Organizational Governance Infographic Template

The governance of organizations needs to be chalked out accurately for optimal output. Our Business Operational Plan for Organizational Governance Infographics Template provides you detailed-reports on specific subjects. The editable slides suit pro-business presentation requirements and incorporate icons that fit business needs. Download it today to present detailed reports on the company’s progression and govern the organization suitably.

Final Thoughts!

The operational plan templates prove to be the idle option to develop the presentations to be showcased in business conferences. Such plans should be in line with the strategic plans of the company and ensure focus on specific goals. Take the stakeholders & business partners in the loop to focus on the right objective of the business. The templates will work as the top option to solve specific problems in company operations and achieve long-term goals.

What is an example of an operational plan?

An operational plan focuses on the future of the business and identifies its activities. It helps in better outlining of the purpose of businesses and understand specific activities to achieve desired goals. If you desire to grow your business by 25%, over the next few years, then the creation of an operational plan becomes critical to meeting targets. An example is given below:

Goal: 25% growth in business by evaluating the revenues.

Timeline: 2-5 years.

Tasks: Engaging with customers and advertising brand products to generate leads for business.

Resources: Specific skills and customer servicing needs.

Budget: $5,000-$10,000 for each year.

Output Monitoring: Revenue analysis for the next few years

How do you write a business operational plan?

Write business plans in templates to ensure a simple understanding of facts that help in getting desirable output at all levels. Plan presentations critically as the checklist for dealing with business problems & solutions.

A business operational plan includes

Defining employee roles and contributing to the business outcomes.
Detailed instructions on daily operations within organizations.
Creation of risk and mitigation plans.
Defining short and long-term business operational goals.
Detailed reporting on financial summary of businesses.
Providing realistic goals to key stakeholders for achievement of goals.
Create transparency to earn the trust and loyalty of employees.

What are the seven things an operational plan should contain?

A business operational plan helps in decide on a strategy that will deliver the best results. If you want to run projects successfully, then prepare operational plans that help to build revenues. The operational strategy of a company is future-oriented and set the plans that fit the requirements.

Let us look at the seven things to be included in a business operational plan:

Precise objective
Delivery of activities
Quality standards
Best outcomes
Staffing & resourceful needs
Milestone tracking
Keep revising and updating monitoring procedures

What are the three types of business operational plans?

The business operational plan is acting as the blueprint for business procedures and helps your reach your milestones with both speed and ease. The three types of business operational plans include

Single-use plans: It is meant for a specific purpose in business operations and handle challenges promptly. The development of single-use plans helps deal with problems for top outcomes.

Multi-use plans: It includes plans for stages of the business operation and implements these accurately. These work at many level with accuracy and efficacy.

Ongoing plans: It is the best way to solve repetitive, assembly-line like issues in daily operations. Such plans help in business growth and thus eliminate prevailing troubles.

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Operational Plan for Business Plan

It is important for a business plan to have an operational plan. Your business functions will not be complete if you will not set action plans and strategies that will be used for your operations.

19+ Hotel Operational Business Plan Examples
11+ Operational Plan For Cleaning Services Examples

Business Operational Plan Template

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Operational Plan Template

Startup Operational Plan Template

Having an operational plan can help you look into the quality standards and metrics that you need to consider to attain operational successes and other business goals and objectives. May it be a monthly, quarterly, or annual operational plan that you would like to develop or update as a part of your business plan, you always have to ensure that you are fully aware of the purposes of the document and how its usage can affect the actual operations of your business.

We have listed a number of operational plan for business plan examples that you can browse through and download in this post. Refer to these downloadable examples if you want to be more specific with the formatting and content development of your own operational plan.

Operational Plan and Budget for Business Plan Example

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Operational Plan for Business Plan Elements Example

Size: 172 KB

Operational Business Plan Example

Size: 91 KB

What Is an Operational Plan for Business Plan?

Just like a project operational plan , an operational plan for business plan promotes organization within all the processes that concerned stakeholders will be involved in. Every business should have an operational plan as this document can help point out operational goals, the gap that is needed to be filled during business operations, and the business condition that is needed to be achieved with the help of a proactive and productive workforce.

Here are some ways on how an operational plan for business plan can be defined:

1. An operational plan for simple business plan deals with the daily activities of the business. It helps prepare specific action plans that can be used to support the requirements, needs, and demands of the operations. This can help the workplace become more organized, functional, and appropriate for all the work processes that are needed to be done on a day-to-day basis.

2. An operational plan for business plan is an extremely detailed document that presents the tactics and strategies necessary to be implemented for operational growth and development.

For an operational plan to be highly usable, it needs to present the entities who will be responsible for the execution of particular call-to-actions, the details of the operational plan activities, the location where specific work functions will be implemented, and the time frames that are necessary to be considered when executing general action plans .

3. An operational plan for business plan ensures that the lower management is fully aware of the desired and demands of the upper management. With this document, there will be clarity with the direction where the operations will be brought which should be relevant and aligned with the objectives of the business. You may also see operational plan for restaurant examples .

4. An operational plan for business plan adheres to low-level management. This means that this document is helpful for single-area units like specific departments. As an example, a sales operational plan can help the sales team associate its professional goals , work processes, and action plans with the objectives of the business.

Annual Operational Plan for a Business Example

Size: 310 KB

Farm Operational Plan for Business Plan Example

Size: 350 KB

Bank Group Operational Plan for Business Plan Example

Size: 565 KB

Key Elements of an Operational Plan for Business Plan Example

Using an operational plan for business plan can help you define all the factors, elements, and components that you need to consider to ensure that all the objectives and goals of the upper management for its operations can be achieved. The same goes with how event management teams use an event operational plan to ensure that the workforce is well aware of what is expected from them.

Especially when dealing with potential operational successes, it is important for you to know how strategies and tactics can help business processes, operational workloads, and stakeholders’ relationships to be better. Here are the key elements that you should not forget to include in your own operational plan for general business plan :

The desired output of the upper management and the operational guidelines that the workforce can refer to so that they can provide all their deliverable needed during operations.
The strategies and tactics that you will incorporate in your business operations for you to yield better results and return of investments.
The tasks, obligations, and responsibilities that are needed to be done in a timely manner to ensure that specific operational goals and objectives will be realized.
The particular entities who will be assigned to take ownership of the incorporation of strategies or the execution of call-to-actions.
The timeline that will serve as guide within the entire execution of the operational plan for business plan.
The time frames or duration where particular operational activities are expected to be done, completed, and/or provided.
The amount that will be used for the implementation of the operational plan for business plan and the financial resources where the required budget will be coming from. You may also see event operational plan examples .
The performance indicators that can assess the quality of the results given by the workforce and other stakeholders with the help of the operational plan.

Operations and Maintenance Business Plan Draft Example

Business Plan Outline with a Thorough Operational Plan Example

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Things That You Need to Focus on When Developing an Operational Plan for Business Plan

It is essential for you to know the phases of the business management planning processes where you will incorporate the operational plan. You have to consider the different setups within various business areas so you can develop an operational plan that works for every department and division while still considering the overall corporate goal of the company. With this, you have to be keen with the development of your own operational plan for business plan.

Here are some of the things that you always need to look into when drafting the specified document:

1. Ensure that there is clarity with your objectives. You have to be aware of what it is that you truly want to achieve. If you can present the better goals that you have in mind for the operations of the business, then it will be easier for you to come up with strategies and process guides that can help your objectives be a reality.

2. Particularly and specifically present all the activities and functions that the operations team is expected to be delivered. The people that you will be working with must be knowledgeable of what you expect from them so that they can execute work processes accordingly. Having an operational plan for a business plan can also help the operations become more sensitive with the quality standards that they need to meet.

3. Speaking about quality standards, you have to set the measures and metrics that you will use for assessment and evaluation. It is essential for you to have a thorough process of identifying whether the operational plan is working for the benefit of the business, and not against the direction where the upper management would like the business to be at. You may also see annual operational plan examples .

4. List down all your desired outcomes. This should be based on your long-term and short-term goals . Specify the things that you would like to achieve in different time frames and periods. Through this, you can be aware of whether there is growth and development that is happening to the business and its operations with the usage of the operational plan that you have created.

5. It is important for you to consider the staffing needs of the operational plan for business plan that you will develop. You have to look into the current workforce pool of the company so that you can identify whether the plans that you have are realistic and attainable based on the number of people that you can work with. You may also like IT operational plan examples .

6. Present all the resource requirements, needs, and demands that are essential to be supplied within the actual implementation of the operational plan for business plan. You have to be aware of the resources that you will be needing, from the budget that you need up to the equipment and materials that are expected to be at hand and readily available, so that there will be a smooth execution of all your simple action plans for the business operations.

7. Develop an implementation timetable that can ensure the timeliness of all your work processes. You have to keep in mind that the daily operations of the business have particular requirements.

Hence, you have to make sure that all your listed work functions are time-sensitive. If you can present all the time frames for every operational action plan, then it will be easier for all point persons to execute their responsibilities in a timely manner. You may also checkout project operational plan examples .

8. Include all the processes, activities, programs, and efforts that are relevant to the operations of the business. You have to incorporate a particular success measure for monitoring the progress and growth of the business operations. Your b usiness operational plan should be evaluated and updated from time to time so you can ensure that the usage of the document is still effective.

Food Truck Operational Plan for Business Plan Example

Size: 45 KB

Business Planning: Operating Plan or Operations and Maintenance Plan

Size: 54 KB

Operational Plan for Business Plan Example

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Guidelines and Instructions for an Operational Plan for a Business Plan Example

Tips and Guidelines for the Creation of an Operational Plan for Business Plan

Whether you are making an operational plan for a restaurant or any other kinds of businesses, you always have to ensure that the document that you will come up with is understandable, specific, direct to the point, and complete with all the details that you would like to disseminate to your target audience. A few of the useful tips and guidelines that you can refer to if you want to start drafting your own operational plan for business plan are as follows:

1. Ensure that the discussion in the operational plan for formal business plan are divided into clauses or segments. You have to present key points and areas of consideration in an organized manner so that it will be easier for the document to be understood and interpreted accordingly.

2. Know the nature of your business operations and how your performance as a corporate entity pars up with your competition. Having the knowledge about your current operational conditions can give you an idea on how you can develop formal action plans that can bridge the gap between the state of the business right now and the condition that you would like to experience, business operations wise.

3. Browse through a selection of operational plan for business plan examples especially those that have been used by successful businesses in the same industry. Being able to see the trends or common denominators in the development of this document can help you come up with an effective operational plan of your own. You may also see importance of business plan .

4. Be specific with your plan discussion. Limit the content of the document to its bare minimum ensuring that your operational plan only contains relevant and necessary information.

With the help and guidance of the operational plan for business plan examples that we have compiled just for you, we hope that you can have an easier and faster time in developing your operational plan for sample business plan . You can always go back to the discussion specified above if you need to refresh your mind about the proper and efficient creation of an operational plan.

Download any of our examples and try to create a well-formatted and comprehensive operational plan for business plan now.

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How to Write an Operations Plan Section of your Business Plan
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
How To Write the Operations Plan Section of the Business Plan
How To Write the Operations Plan Section of the Business Plan. Stage of Development Section. Production Process Section. The Bottom Line. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Photo: Daniel Ingold / Getty Images. How to write the operations plan section of the business plan, including details on writing the development and production process sections.
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Download Now: Free Business Plan Template. 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 ...
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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 ...
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Elements of the Operations Section. The operations section of the business plan has several key elements. 1. Assets Required. Your business's required assets may include a physical space, such as a shop or office, as well as equipment, vehicles, computers, and other physical assets needed to develop your product and operate the business.
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First Steps: Writing the Operations Section of Your Business Plan. By The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. • Jan 4, 2015. In their book Write Your Business Plan, the staff of Entrepreneur Media ...
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The next step in creating your business plan is to develop an Operations Plan ... Instead of providing an example like I've done with other sections, use the following to determine the key areas ...
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What Is the Operational Plan Section of the Business Plan?
The section of the operations plan which is included in the business plan mainly specifies all the physical requirements for the operation of the business. These physical requirements mainly include equipment, facilities, and location. In order to make a complete business plan, three things need to be clarified to the reader: Full awareness and ...
4 Examples of an Operations Plan
Strategy. Most business strategies have an operations component. For example, if a train manufacturer develops a plan to expand revenue by 50% that plan will include a marketing, sales and operations component. The operations component of the plan would include procurement, manufacturing and logistics strategies that enable the firm to boost ...
Operations and Management Business Plan (+Sample in PDF)
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 ...
Writing the Operations Section of your Business Plan
Ini Patrick May 23, 2017 Business Plans, Start-Up Basics. Operations are concerned with how you will run your business and deliver value to your customers. Operations are defined as the processes used to produce your products/services and deliver them to the marketplace. This can include manufacturing, sourcing raw materials, transportation ...
Business Plan
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 ...
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In the section below, I will explore a few operational plan examples, shedding light on their structure and importance. Business operational plan example. A business operational plan is a comprehensive document that elucidates the specific day-to-day activities of a company. It presents a detailed overview of the company's organizational ...
Operational Planning: How to Make an Operations 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.
What is an Operations Plan and Why Your Business Needs One
The operations section of your business plan is where you outline the priorities, goals, processes, and timetable for your organisation. An operations plan is beneficial to have not only to investors, but also to you and your staff because it allows you to consider strategies and deadlines. It can also provide information about inventory ...
How To Make an Operational Plan (With Steps and Examples)
Here are a few steps you can take to create an effective operations plan: 1. Create a strategic plan. Creating a strategic plan before an operational plan can help you clearly outline long-term goals and expectations to ensure alignment with business processes, values and initiatives. Your operations plan can then help you accomplish the goals ...
8 Business Plan Templates You Can Get for Free
Explore: The SBA's planning guide and free templates. 3. SCORE — Planning workbook. SCORE's template is more like a workbook. It includes exercises after each section to help you get your ideas down and turn them into a structured plan. The market research worksheets are especially useful.
Simple Business Plan Template (2024)
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Free Operational Plan Template
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Top 10 Business Operational Plan Templates with Samples and Examples
Template 2: Business Plan Operational Strategy. The PPT slide deck is helping businesses overcome fears and tackle challenges. It displays the company mission and objective, KPIs, business problems & solutions, changes in the competitive environment, financial summary, revenue growth, and others.
Operational Plan for Business Plan
Here are some ways on how an operational plan for business plan can be defined: 1. An operational plan for simple business plan deals with the daily activities of the business. It helps prepare specific action plans that can be used to support the requirements, needs, and demands of the operations.
How to Write a Restaurant Business Plan
Potential restaurant investors will look at this section of the business plan carefully to make sure that the market in the proposed location aligns with the ideal customer profile. 3. Competitive Analysis. This section is where you dig deep on sharing which other businesses exist around your proposed location.

How to Write an Operations Plan Section of your Business Plan

Free Operations Plan Template

What Is an Operations Plan?

How to Write an Operations Plan Section?

1. Development Phase

Production workflow

Supply chains

Outline of daily activities:

Advantages of Preparing an Operations Plan:

Operations Plan Essentials

Operations Plan Example

Track and Accomplish Goals With an Operations Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the factors affecting the operations plan?

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

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Operations Plan

Goals and Objectives

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Market Milestones

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Talk about this lesson

How to Write the Operations Section of the Business Plan

1. Assets Required

2. Product Development or Sourcing

3. Technical Processes

4. Marketing and Sales Activities

5. Product or Service Delivery Activities

6. Operational Objectives

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