BUS402 Week 4 Discussion Forum

Strategic planning and operational planning are both important in the overall planning process, but are distinctly different. Succinctly define each and summarize the key differences between them. Who are the typical participants in each process?

Strategic planning refers to the process which helps to determine the activities that an organization should implement to ensure that its mission, vision, and objectives are achieved. The key stakeholders are the employees, customers, shareholders, community members, regulatory services, and others who have an interest in the success of a company.

On the other hand, operational planning is the process used to determine the daily activities of a company at the tactical levels. The primary purpose of operational planning is to design a plan that supports strategic planning to attain organizational goals and objectives. Participants include the management, staff, users, management committee, volunteers.

The main aim of strategic planning is on the long term objectives, mission, and vision of a company and how different departments should work alongside each other to attain them. Operational planning is focused on planning for the operations of a given department. Also, Operational planning involves planning for everyday business activities of a company while strategic planning is carried out for the long term

Through operational planning, a company can analyze the impacts of its various operations on profit. Usually, operational planning helps to recognize organizational weaknesses and develops ways to increase profits since it helps to divide a company’s financial position.

Provide an example of a company which has been successful in implementing Strategic and Operational planning and a company that has failed in implementing both

An example of a company that has successfully implemented strategic planning is Evernote company as it has recently launched the digital personal productivity movement. Kodak would be a great example of a company that failed due to its strategic planning. With the technological advancement, Kodak were unable to embrace the new technologies.

References

Abraham, S. (2012). Strategic management for organizations. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/