Business Planning: Tactics VS. Strategy

9:31 PM , , 30 Comments



Tactical Planning

Tactical planning is such an important part of a company's strategic planning process that management consulting companies are often hired to assist companies in preparing tactical plans. A company usually begins with its objectives and then develops strategies for how to carry out their objectives. Tactical plans are the specific action steps necessary to get results.

Tactical Plan Basics
Tactical plans are sometimes called short-term action plans because they breakdown bigger-picture goals and strategies into narrower, actionable tasks. The key to a well-developed tactical plan is having specifically stated actions assigned to particular employees with specific deadlines. Bold objectives and thoughtful strategies produce nothing if no steps are taken to put them into action. The goals and strategies give vision and the actions make the company plans real.
Tactical plans should typically focus on a handful of core company goals; otherwise, employee activities become too fragmented and it is hard for employees to understand how their activities ultimately tie into goals. Adorian Corporation advises clients to develop tactical plans with three to five strong goals in mind. "Increase sales by 20 percent within 12 months" is an example of a specific, measurable goal. A strategy of training employees on suggestion selling may help. A specific tactic is requiring all sales employees to recommend a certain add-on product or "service Y" to each customer buying "product X."

Strategies Vs. Tactics
One of the biggest challenges in tactical planning is knowing the difference between a strategy and tactic. These are sometimes confused. A strategy is essentially a framework or plan, but it provides no tangible results on its own. Tactics are steps for implementing your strategies and are actionable and have a purpose and a measurable result. If you cannot see or discern the result of the action or task it is likely not a tactic.


 
A diagram of tactics and strategy.


Operational Planning

The term "Operations" is a small word that refers to your total business process. The three main types of operations planning are startup operations creation, ongoing operations planning and business continuity operations planning. A good way to start your operations plan is to visualize in detail the procedures involved in development of your product, purchase of raw materials, manufacturing process, warehousing, marketing, sales process, purchase transaction, order fulfillment, accounting, human resources and cash management. This is the scope of your operations. Create a flow chart to identify how those various functions interact.
Startup
Writing a business plan requires that you give some thought to how your business will operate, including how you will create your product or service, how you will market it, sell it, deliver it, and how you will manage the administrative tasks involved. Create a detailed roadmap of how your company will move through this process and expand it to facilitate growth of your business. As a startup you should give consideration to installing an enterprise resource planning, or ERP, software system that will link your supply chain management system, inventory records, sales transactions, accounting software and human resource records. This will make it easier to view all functions of your organization in the form of condensed daily reports and will provide comprehensive historical reports that will assist in operations planning.
Ongoing
Use your ERP system to identify blockages in the operations flow of your company or, if you do not have such a system installed, meet regularly with your department heads to review how each department works synergistically with other departments and how that synergy translates into smooth efficient operations throughout your enterprise. Communications and cooperation between departments are key to operational efficiency. Plan for variable business scenarios and evaluate the response capabilities of your administrative staff to production, sales and delivery needs. Where operations usually break down is in the order processing and accounting functions when the business flow overwhelms the department capabilities.
Continuity
An important part of your operations plan is contingency planning, which deals with disruptions from natural disasters, emergency or crisis situations that include fires and electrical outages, terrorist attacks and the death or disability of key personnel. This is an operational or business continuity plan and should include a list of procedures to be taken under various crisis scenarios, contact information for all department managers and key personnel, contact information for outside emergency assistance services and all insurance and banking information. Include several people who will function as coordinators with full authority to make decisions.
Benefits
Detailed organizational planning projects often serve to reveal inefficiencies that have developed as your company has grown. They also act as catalyst to new business development ideas. Regular attention to operations planning assures efficiency of your operations and will enable a quick return to profitable business activities in the event of a natural disaster or crisis situation.
Considerations

Involve all managers and key personnel in your operations plan project and set up an employee suggestion system. The main goal of your planning is to identify realistic workable flow of procedures and processes throughout your company, and often your low level employees are the best source of information about how well your operations really work.


A perfect example of operational planning.

Pitz Orpiano

He is a blogger and a college student. Out of mere interest, he write articles and blogs for the common good.

30 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 29, 2018 at 1:55 AM

    Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find so many useful info here in the post, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing.
    sales proposal

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lian SmithFebruary 27, 2019 at 3:25 AM

    hey, very informative. Its not easy to run a business successfully unless and until you are working with the experts:- ARCH Nordic

    ReplyDelete
  3. kratika bandeApril 17, 2019 at 4:24 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. kratika bandeApril 17, 2019 at 5:31 AM

    We know some things about business and expect to offer direction to our Sensible Businessmen and business people that assistance them develop and reinforce their busine ss.

    https://bit.ly/2T5Bmyg

    ReplyDelete
  5. Helish LaweraJune 10, 2019 at 12:22 AM

    I found this blog after a long time which is really helpful to let understand different approaches. I am going to adopt these new point to my career and thankful for this help.
    bioresonantie apeldoorn

    ReplyDelete
  6. Assured BatsJune 10, 2019 at 11:41 AM

    I am having a deep trouble to take my taxation annual income, now i am going to hire any professional tax preparation services Garland where they can help me sort out more things.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AyushJune 12, 2019 at 12:56 AM

    Thanks for sharing the article

    Write For Us

    ReplyDelete
  8. Helish LaweraJune 13, 2019 at 9:27 PM

    Sometime few educational blogs become very helpful while getting relevant and new information related to your targeted area. As I found this blog and appreciate the information delivered to my database.
    business school berlin

    ReplyDelete
  9. prince aroraJune 27, 2019 at 10:37 PM


    The blogs are really appreciable and one can trust the knowledge and information provided in the writing. The article you do produce on a weekly base really the best. I have found a similar websitebusiness strategy visit the site to know more about Omdata.

    ReplyDelete
  10. KartikJuly 3, 2019 at 4:31 AM

    Thanks for writing this article. This article clearly differentialtes between strategy vs tactics in business planning, but somethings cannot be learned via reading only,Join this Business
    Incubation Program
    to start learning and growing your business like I did.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Helnoson SherryJuly 14, 2019 at 9:41 PM

    creativity of writer is purely impressive. It has touched to the level of expertise with his writing. Everything is up to the mark. Written perfectly and I can use such information for my coming assignment.
    bioresonantie hilversum

    ReplyDelete
  12. SlideTeam PowerPoint DesignsAugust 7, 2019 at 6:08 AM

    Very interesting and informative blog. It clears my confusion of strategy and tactics. I would like to read such blogs more from your side. SlideTeam

    ReplyDelete
  13. seemaAugust 9, 2019 at 4:18 AM

    it cleared all my doubts in mind Thank you!

    irctc railway agency

    ReplyDelete
  14. theloveandlightstoreAugust 9, 2019 at 9:41 PM

    Graceful written content on this blog is really useful for everyone same as I got to know. Difficult to locate relevant and useful informative blog as I found this one to get more knowledge but this is really a nice one.
    opleiding medium

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousAugust 9, 2019 at 9:57 PM

    Really a very fine way to express and looking a very pleasant article with full of healthy information. I am definitely going to tell in my class about this platform and the information shared here. Very well written.cranio sacraal therapie amsterdam

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousAugust 9, 2019 at 11:33 PM

    Really a very fine way to express and looking a very pleasant article with full of healthy information. I am definitely going to tell in my class about this platform and the information shared here. Very well written.zwangerschapsyoga amsterdam zuid

    ReplyDelete
  17. UnknownAugust 13, 2019 at 9:27 PM

    Very informative and impressive post you have written, this is quite interesting and i have went through it completely, an upgraded information is shared, keep sharing such valuable information.

    SWOT analysis

    ReplyDelete
  18. jackharrywilson1August 19, 2019 at 10:06 PM

    Sometime few educational blogs become very helpful while getting relevant and new information related to your targeted area. As I found this blog and appreciate the information delivered to my database. bioresonantie arnhem

    ReplyDelete
  19. mrkdvsnSeptember 4, 2019 at 9:53 PM

    I am truly inspired by this online journal! Extremely clear clarification of issues is given and it is open to every living soul. I have perused your post, truly you have given this extraordinary informative data about it.amsterdam startup

    ReplyDelete
  20. Rajesh vora September 16, 2019 at 12:54 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. MOS World Blog September 16, 2019 at 3:37 AM

    Thanks for the blog helped me alot get to know more about Business Strategies.


    AEPS Banking Service

    ReplyDelete
  22. Mark BrownOctober 1, 2019 at 1:24 PM

    A credit insurance strategy secures your income by repaying misfortunes emerging from a credit client's terrible obligation. It gives you genuine feelings of serenity that your business can recuperate if the most noticeably awful occurs and a client defaults or ends up ruined.

    ReplyDelete
  23. theloveandlightstoreOctober 20, 2019 at 2:49 AM

    Nothing remain forever. Then why to keep same patter of work again and again. Why to repeat same strategy for very essay. Use differ strategy for different subjects because every subject has its own meaning. Keep such posts on.
    life coach london

    ReplyDelete
  24. James HoodOctober 24, 2019 at 5:05 AM

    I connected with Startup Company Counsel as I was looking for a business planning company. They gave me a documented business plan that defined my business strategy and also told, as well as explained the steps to take to reach our goals. Since mine was a startup company, an initial business plan was my priority, which they worked prior. They were patient in explaining the entire steps to us for the strategic roadmap. I am happy that the results we expected are gradually coming, and we are growing.

    ReplyDelete
  25. farnandazaxNovember 2, 2019 at 5:05 AM

    Really inspirational to hear someone pursuing their dreams and becoming successful instead of following the traditional path. I have read your article about This topic. I think it's good and impressed to know your service. Thanks for share this Information.
    vve beheer amsterdam

    ReplyDelete
  26. mrkdvsnNovember 2, 2019 at 5:43 AM

    Share great information about your blog , Blog really helpful for us . We read your blog , share most useful information in blog . Thanks for share your blog here . persoonlijke ontwikkeling utrecht

    ReplyDelete
  27. jamesharry521December 4, 2019 at 10:19 PM

    someplace the content material fabric of the blog surrounded via little arguments. yes it's miles healthful for readers. they are capable of encompass this form of language of their writing talent similarly to at the same time as group talk in college. rythm bot commands

    ReplyDelete
  28. Fahim MoledinaJanuary 30, 2020 at 5:57 AM

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful blog. This is more helpful for making business plans by Fahim Moledina.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Alex kenApril 5, 2020 at 11:27 PM

    How to start a business? Is it private limited company, Joint venture, branch office of parent company or project base? Know the legal form as state policy of the respective countries.

    Business coaching expert in london

    ReplyDelete
  30. bestmbaAugust 6, 2023 at 12:00 PM

    Nice article on Tactical Goal.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)