BSBMGT517 - Manage Operational Plan

Worksheets

SECTION 1: DEVELOP OPERATIONAL PLAN

Q1: Write the ten steps in developing a succinct and practical operational plan?

 Introduction of a new product

 Production processes, distribution systems, and productivity rates have all changed
 Upgrading of services or facilities.

 Refurbishments and renovations to the workplace.

 Expansion or contraction of a business

 Introduction of new systems or major equipment.

 Policy,procedure,or work practice changes

 Increase sales, customers,or product turnover to meet sales goals
 Develop and run marketing campaigns
 Relocation of premises

Q2: What are the four key resources you need to consider when implementing an operational plan?

1. Identify tasks

2. Develop and implement consultation processes

3. Research, analyse and document resource requirements

4. Identify priorities and develop timelines

Q3: How can a flow chart assist your planning and organisation when developing an operational plan?

Flow charts and other visual diagrams are useful for recognizing linkages or dependencies between jobs,as
well as which stand alone tasks can be completed at the same time. Following that ,priorities are formed and
tasks are scheduled depending on the findings.

This is the sequence of key events around which the plan is based. It determines the total time required to
complete a plan from start to finish. It shows where and how tasks are connected, where delays might occur
which could affect the commencement of future stages, and what tasks are affected by any delays

Q4: List three internal personnel you might consult with when developing an operational plan.
  Management and supervisors within the department, worksite or organisation

 Within your department or team, your coworkers. Coworkers from different departments or teams.

 Colleagues in other departments or teams.

Q5: List three methods you might use to consult with employees during the operational planning process.

Telephone

Telephone consultations can be one-to-one or via a conference call with a number of remotely located
participants. These could be voice-only or video calls. Some teleconferencing software allows computer
screens and documents to be shared with all participants.

Texting messages and questions with established contacts is an effective method of obtaining information or
answers to questions quickly.

Email

Email is a fast-paced means of communication that allows individuals or teams within an organization, to
share ideas, information, and documents with external consultants. Emails can be used to follow up on face-
to-face meetings or to confirm phone-based choices.

Face-to-face

This can include meetings, interviews, brainstorming sessions and workshops. Meetings could be formal
events with minutes taken to record their proceedings, or informal, held at employee desks, at a worksite or
while involved in other activities

Q6: What is a KPI?

A KPI is a quantifiable measurement used to compare or gauge performance towards achievement of pre-
defined operational or strategic goals.

They monitor efficiency and evaluate effectiveness of a system. The results from monitoring KPIs can be
used to monitor progress towards objectives, identify successful completion of tasks and areas for
improvement, and to demonstrate accountability. They may also be called key success indicators or KSIs.

Q7: Why is setting KPIs an effective monitoring system for your operational plan? Give two reasons.
 Measurable and quantifiable data sources are required. There will be too much room for fluctuation
and inconsistency if you can't readily reduce your measurement to a number.

 Items or products produced, sales made, calls answered per hour, per shift, per outlet

 Staffing levels compared to number of items sold

Q8: List five examples of information you might include in a contingency plan?

1. An explanation of the danger.

2. How the risk will impact on the implementation or progress of the activity.

3. What the contingency plan aims to accomplish.

4. What steps can be taken to minimise or prevent the risk from occurring.

5. The risk's trigger point, or what signals that a problem has developed and that action is required.

Q9: List five areas where you might develop a contingency plan.

1. Budget issues

2. Equipment issues

3. Labour issues

4. Environmental issues

Q10: Where can you source information for the development and presentation of your proposal for resource

requirements?

 Financial information

Proposals for funding, especially those presented to external sources of funding (e.g., financial institutions),
usually contain financial information about the organisation, proposed budgets and plans for how the funds
will be repaid.

 Human resources
Position descriptions, needed dates or duration of the role, and training requirements are all included in
human resource proposals. Estimated expenditures for recruitment, selection, induction and training, payroll,
uniforms, and so on should be included.

 Physical resources

Proposals for physical resources outline details of each resource, what activities it is required for and why, if it
is a permanent or temporary acquisition and how it will be acquired
Q11: What is one method you can use to ensure work teams understand and implement the operational
plan?

Team meetings and other forms of communication can be used to introduce and explain details of the
operational plan. However, written work plans are often used to support other methods of communication by
providing specific information about each task.

work plans means?

Work plans define the steps that must be taken to fulfill each activity or task in the operational plan. It
basically aggregates and summarizes the data obtained during the planning and development phase into a
single, clear document for each assignment. When a specific individual, work group, team, or department
undertakes that activity, it might utilize it as a guidance.

Q12: List two ways technology can assist you to manage operational plans.

Plan-specific consultants who have a direct involvement in the operational plan. These could be contractors
employed for specific tasks, or a consultant employed to oversee all or sections of the project, such as a
building site manager or information technology expert.

Q13: An establishment currently budgets $2,500 each month for printing and stationery. You want to
increase this amount by 3%. How much will you allocate in the new budget?

$ 2575

SECTION 2: PLAN AND MANAGE RESOURCE ACQUISITION

Q1: What are the four stages to acquiring human resources?

1. Prepare for recruitment

2. Recruitment

3. Select staff

4. Hire staff

Q2: Nearly all businesses have established practices for promoting job vacancies and accepting and
processing applications. List two examples of how or where you might promote a vacancy to fulfil a
specific job role relating to your operational plan.

You must publicize the open position and process applicants. You can advertise the position via
traditional print media, online job boards, through a recruitment agency, or internally. Consider your
target job market since it influences how and where a position is advertised; for example, a specialist
 skills role is published on an industry-specific online job board, whereas a temporary administrative
position is advertised through a flexible hiring agency

Q3: List three examples of physical resources you might need to implement to complete an operational
plan.

Once a shortlist is developed, candidates undergo a selection process. An interview is the most
common method but many businesses use other methods as well, such as skills tests, job simulations
or evaluating work samples. Peer evaluations for internal applications and reference checks for
external ones provide personalised feedback. Candidates go through a selection procedure when a
shortlist is created. The most frequent way is an interview, but many firms also employ alternative
methods like as skills tests, job simulations, or analyzing work samples. Personal feedback is provided
through peer evaluations for internal applicants and reference checks for external applications

Q4: List three factors you need to consider ensuring that physical resources and services are acquired in
accordance with organisational policies.

 When an offer of employment is made and accepted, the hiring process begins.
 It include confirming `job terms and circumstances, negotiating compensation or salaries, and
completing employment paperwork.
 Contract terms and fees are finalized and signed, or placement fees are paid to agencies.

Q5: What is a patent and how does it relate to intellectual property laws?

Patents

A patent is a right that is granted for any device, substance, method or process that is new, inventive and
useful. No other businesses are allowed to produce or duplicate a patented item. You must apply for and be
granted a patent; just because you invented it, named it or make it, doesn’t mean it automatically belongs to
you.

Q6: You’ve found an image on the internet you want to reproduce in your advertising material. Can you use
it? Explain your answer.

Yes

Because The printed pieces,such as brochures,letterhead and business cards,we will can use to market our
business.Company needs”Literature’,printed pieces that do a careful and well thought-out job of presenting its
products and services;catalogs,newsletters,product sheets and brochures,letterhead,business
cards,presentation folders,specification sheets ,case histories ,labelling,recruitmet material and so on.

Q7: Describe three planning and organisational techniques you can use to minimise inefficiencies and
waste.
Make sure all physical assets acquired for your operational plan are the ‘real deal’. Obtaining and using
copycat products means you are contravening IP and a host of other laws. They may be cheaper initially but
turn out to be much more expensive in the long run!

If the purpose of your operational plan is to create 'new' products and services, check to see if they currently
exist in the same format. If they do, check for patents and other intellectual property restrictions before
continuing.

SECTION 3: MONITOR AND REVIEW OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Q1: Why is it important to monitor and review performance systems and processes?

 Once performance indicators have been defined, they must be monitored and assessed during each
activity and over the course of the plan's existence.
 Data sources contain information that is used to monitor KPIs. Without reliable, accurate, timely and
relevant data, performance indicators cannot be measured. In this example, sources could include
requisitions, purchase order forms, invoices or delivery dockets.
 A KPI must be assigned to someone who is responsible for monitoring and analyzing it. It shouldn't
be the person in charge of performing the action it's supposed to keep track of

Q2: List four sources of performance data you might use to monitor and review progress towards achieving
targets.

1. Items or products produced, sales made, calls answered per hour, per shift, per outlet

2. Compared to the amount of things sold, staffing numbers are low.

3. Response times to customer complaints, enquiries, bookings or calls

4. Product and service delivery times

Q3: List four sources of financial information you might analyse when monitoring and reviewing profit and
productivity performance.

 Budgeted, predicted, or anticipated data are commonly compared to actual results in financial
monitoring systems. This allows you to assess your performance and determine which areas require
additional attention or adjustments Purchasing documentation, such as requisition forms, purchase
orders, invoices, delivery dockets

 Payroll and labour statistics

 Expenditure on physical resources, including purchase, leasing, rental, maintenance

 Expenditure on fixed and flexible overheads such as rent and utilities

Q4: Briefly describe how budgets are used in operational plans.

An operational plan should have an overall budget. Separate budgets are often also developed for specific
areas within the plan: capital expenditure, sales, labour or wages, purchasing, advertising, etc. The main
budget dictates the financial goals of the supporting budgets.

Q5: What type of report can you prepare to identify variances?

The difference between planned and actual figures is called a variance. It is usually expressed as a number
or a percentage. The type and size of the variance indicates a favourable or unfavourable result and its
magnitude.It will be expressed as a positive or negative figure. A negative variance does not automatically
mean it is unfavourable; it depends on the type of figures you are analysing.

Q6: In what situations is it favourable to be above budget?

A favourable budget refers to positive variance or gain. Any actual amount differing from the budgeted
amount that is good for the company. It means actual revenue that was more than expected.A favourable
budget occurs when the cost to produce something is less than the budget cost.

Q7: What should you do when you identify an area of underperformance in revenue?

As with physical resource and budgetary performance, the reason for underperforming must be investigated.
The cause might not be staff-related but due to other reasons such as issues with maintenance, deliveries,
stock control, poor marketing or unrealistic expectations.One cause of underperformance is that individuals
and teams have not been given adequate skills and knowledge to use resources effectively or complete
activities required by the operational plan.

Q8: What can you do to support individuals and teams to effectively, economically and safely use
resources?

 Deliver programs that drive innovation and transformational change

 Understand what roles and /or skill sets to hire to fulfil stakeholder commitments
 Determine true resource availability
 Put the right resources on the right work at the right time

Q9: What is the difference between a mentor and a coach?

Coaching
Coaches tend to have a more formal relationship and specific purpose. For example, they are working as a
new employee’s ‘buddy’ for their first week of employment to teach them the job role. The coach may start
with skills and knowledge training and slowly step back into questioning and guiding as the new staff member
becomes more confident in their role.

Mentoring

Mentoring is an often unstructured method of providing advice and help to two persons. Although it may
include elements of both training and coaching, the connection can be built on professional respect and grow
into friendship. Insights and experiences, as well as skills and expertise, are frequently exchanged. a woman

Q10: List four things to consider when making recommendations for variations to operational plans.

1. Analysis of results

2. Contingency plans

3. Investigate options

4. Before taking action

Q11: List four tips for negotiating variations to operational plans.

 Make sure you have information available to support the reasons for your recommendations.

 Prepare to pay attention to other people's suggestions. They may have taken into account options or
consequences you were not aware of.
 Clarify the desired outcomes from the recommendations and why they are important to the overall
objectives of the plan.

 Discuss the possible outcomes of your and others' recommendations, as well as the known
repercussions of inaction.

Q12: How should you manage performance records and documents?

Ensure version control procedures are maintained to record changes to documentation, performance
measuring techniques, activities or other information relating to the plan. Reports, records and other
documentation containing outcomes from performance measurements should be held for analysis and future
reference.

Any suggestions, suggested revisions, and approvals should be documented and kept on file. They can be
used if there are any questions about the outcomes of decisions, if approved recommendations aren't
working, and to analyze all parts of the operational plan after it's been completed in order to better plan for
the future