Free Operational Plan Templates

By Andy Marker | July 11, 2022

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We’ve rounded up the most useful collection of free organizational plan templates to record and track the goals and resource needs of your business or organization. 

Included on this page, you’ll find a basic operational plan template , a nonprofit operational plan template , a three-year operational plan template , and a five-year operational plan template .

Basic Operational Plan Template

Basic Operational Plan Template

Download Basic Operational Plan Template Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Word  

Use this basic, customizable operational plan template to create a detailed roadmap for your organization. With this template, the path to reaching your goals will be clear to all stakeholders, and team members will know exactly what tasks need to be completed and when. 

Having efficient and clear processes in place is critical for reaching your organizational goals. Learn more in this guide to operational excellence principles .

Nonprofit Operational Plan Template

Nonprofit Operational Plan Template

Download Nonprofit Operational Plan Template Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Word

Nonprofit organizations often have complex, long-term strategic goals. This operational plan template for nonprofits will help you develop a clear set of tasks and accountability measures to keep everyone apprised of next steps. Use this template to identify your goals, establish a clear plan, set and track your budgets, assign stakeholders, and implement reporting protocols. 

This guide to operations strategies will give you an overview of the steps necessary to develop a comprehensive plan for your organization.

Three-Year Operational Plan Template

3-Year Operational Plan Template

Download Three-Year Operational Plan Template — Microsoft Excel  

Your operational plan might include long-term tasks and deliverables. Use this operational plan template to chart your organization’s needs over a three-year period. Enter specific goals, delivery dates, responsibilities, and necessary resources on this customizable template to track progress and ensure that you are on your way to reaching your strategic goals. 

Your business or organization might also benefit from an operational audit, which is a chance to conduct a deep dive into strategic planning and to increase accountability. See this comprehensive guide to operational audits to learn more and gain access to additional resources and templates.

Five-Year Operational Plan Template

5-Year Operational Plan Template

Download Five-Year Operational Plan Template — Microsoft Excel  

Long-term planning is a key element of any organization. This five-year operational plan template gives you a detailed look at the steps and resources needed to reach your goals. Track deliverables, responsible parties, and resources in this customizable template. This template also helps team members visualize long-term needs and stay on top of their responsibilities and timelines. 

See this guide to operations management for more information, tips, tricks, and future trends in managing your organizational resources.

What Is an Operational Plan Template?

An operational plan template is a form that captures key details about a work plan. An operational plan includes specific actions and resources needed to reach certain milestones. It is more detailed and specific than a strategic or business plan.

Operational plans help project managers identify resource needs, maintain accountability, implement a reporting process, and maintain a budget.

Operational plan templates templates vary by type but typically include the following:

  • Delivery Date: Enter target completion dates for each task in your plan.
  • Evidence of Success: Write a short statement explaining how you will know when the goal has been achieved. 
  • Executive Summary: Describe the plan in a short paragraph that specifies how it differs from or relates to other plans in your organization.
  • Goals: Enter specific goals or milestones of your larger strategy or business plan.
  • Responsible Parties: Include the names of the stakeholders who are responsible for each task.
  • Resources Needed: Enter all resources necessary to complete each task, including on-hand resources and those you will need to procure.
  • Risks: Note any risks you may encounter.
  • Title: Enter the plan name or title.

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How to Develop an Annual Operating Plan + Template

You may have heard the famous quote, “give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe,” supposedly by Abraham Lincoln . 

It highlights the importance of planning and preparation in order to do the job effectively. And that is the case with an annual operating plan in business. It is a document that, when prepared correctly, will create the framework your business needs to achieve its goals. 

This article helps you create the document, providing an annual operating plan template on which to base yours. 

What is an Annual Operating Plan (AOP)?

An annual operating plan, also known as an annual operations plan, is a report that lays out the elements the company needs to reach its targets, including key performance indicators (KPIs), budgets and other human, physical, educational and financial resources. It provides a roadmap to help you navigate day-to-day activities that will lead the organisation to meet its objectives. 

The document lays out the resources required by different company activities and who holds responsibility for carrying them out. It also takes into account pertinent risks for the company and how it might mitigate them to remain on course to achieve its aims.

The AOP differs from your budget and your strategic plan in the following way: 

How to create your annual operating plan

1. assess your current situation.

Look back at your performance over the last year and consider what you achieved in relation to your aims and objectives. Review how closely aligned your performance was with company values and your mission. This will help you to reset your planning for the next year. 

In which areas could you improve in the future? Consider actions that did not achieve the necessary results. For example, did a new product launch fail to spark the expected revenue boost ? Consider what you can learn in order to refine your processes going forward or whether you should cancel some activities and seek out other opportunities instead.

Analyse all areas of the business to ascertain where you can make improvements. One of these areas could include the effectiveness of your board . You can use iBabs to track board member engagement, which will allow you to identify directors who might need more encouragement or training. A more engaged board is a more effective board and that can help you move the business forward over the next year. 

2. Analyse the market climate

The risks in your sector will have a bearing on your planning for the forthcoming year. There is no point in pursuing a plan that is destined not to work because the market climate is incompatible with its success. 

This means keeping a keen eye on the industry press to spot market trends that will help you set KPIs that chime with the business environment in which you will be working. 

Discuss the plan with the CEO to find realistic routes forwards for the next business year, as well as planning contingencies that can address the shifting landscape. 

Make use of competitive landscape analysis to see what your peers are doing and how they work. This will identify opportunities to diversify and gain an advantage over your competitors. Use a SWOT analysis to better understand their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This will help you adjust your planning framework to the market conditions. 

3. Build your business strategy

Consider what you want to achieve overall for the business during the next year based on what is achievable as the market stands. Develop a strategy that will allow you to meet your objectives, given the risks and challenges that lie in store. 

Use your board portal to facilitate collaboration between board members on this topic between meetings. This allows them to thrash out the minor details outside of the boardroom, creating more time in board meetings to discuss the more substantial aspects of the strategy. 

You should also meet with department heads to discuss what they want to achieve during the year and what they need from you to meet those objectives. Attempt to work out how you can allocate the necessary resources for them to meet their aims. Also, use historical data to give you a realistic read on their ability to deliver what is required. 

4. Create the operational plan

Using the information you have gathered, you can begin to create a framework for the day-to-day activities that will comprise your operational plan. Set KPIs to help you monitor progress during the year and adjust your plan accordingly. Allocate the necessary resources and assign responsibilities. 

Once you have selected the areas on which you want to concentrate for the twelve months ahead, set SMART goals to achieve the growth that you require. These are goals that are S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R elevant and T ime-bound.

Ensure your goals are relevant by aligning them with your company mission and that they are time-bound by setting them for the full term of your annual operating plan.

Include your budget and financial planning within the operational plan, which allocates how that budget works in a practical manner within the organisation. Include sales targets to help you achieve the results you need to carry out your plan. 

5. Explore new technology

Consider how technology could help you meet your operational goals with the resources that you have available. 

This could include using artificial intelligence to automate some repetitive tasks and free up employees to work in other areas. When it comes to allocating human resources, you can make your plan more efficient by finding solutions that make the most of your employees’ talents. 

Another use of technology to improve your operational efficiency is to use board meeting software like iBabs to run your meetings. This allows you to implement a digital meeting management process that uses your resources more effectively. 

6. Implement your plan

Put the plan into action and communicate that plan clearly to all stakeholders. Everyone must understand which goals you are aiming for, the steps required to reach them and their role in reaching those steps. 

Use internal communications methods such as company town halls to discuss the operating plan with employees and field any questions that they might have. In order to make sure your board members understand their responsibilities, create and track action items in your board software to increase accountability. 

Once the plan is in place, make sure to review it periodically, as changes in the market may have a bearing on its current state. 

Annual Operating Plan Template

This template provides you with a basis for operational plans for businesses and non-profits, as well as for longer-term planning. It allows you to visualise your goals, the stakeholders with ultimate responsibility, the measures of success and the potential risks you could encounter. 

Why is creating an AOP important?

Creating an AOP organises the route towards your goals. Without it, you could veer off-course without being able to recognise that immediately. The steps in your plan help you to track progress more effectively and adjust accordingly if necessary. 

What is the difference between an annual operating plan and a business plan?

Your business plan is your overall aims and goals and the methods to achieve them. The annual operating plan breaks that down into a one-year timeframe and plots how you will achieve the aims of your business plan that year. 

How often should we update the annual operating plan?

You should check in on your plan regularly during the year, quarterly or even monthly. This is to ensure that you are on target and that the AOP is still on track to lead you to your goals, considering the market conditions. 

How can we ensure everyone stays engaged with the annual operating plan?

Setting SMART goals and KPIs allows all stakeholders to know where they stand and what they need to do to meet their targets. With strong internal communications, you can keep everyone informed and motivated, offering incentives and praise for meeting goals. 

How do we determine the right key performance indicators (KPIs) for our annual operating plan?

This involves selecting leading KPIs that help you predict future performance. Discuss them with relevant stakeholders to ensure that they are realistic and helpful in achieving your aims. 

How can we effectively communicate the annual operating plan to other stakeholders?

Use your internal communications channels to keep stakeholders informed about developments and progress. This could include, for example, internal webinars or emails. For boards, use your board portal software to provide documentation and action points for directors. 

Using an annual operating plan template to create a road map towards achieving your goals helps you stay on course and gain an important overview of how you need to distribute your resources during the coming year. It provides all stakeholders with targets to meet and responsibilities to carry out so everyone understands the part they will play. 

For board members, you can use iBabs’ meeting management software to digitalise your processes, keep your board on track towards completing their action items and monitor directors’ engagement with board matters. Request a demo of iBabs today to find out how to improve your workflows, accountability and effectiveness using one platform.

References and further reading

  • New iBabs features
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  • How to improve board effectiveness
  • Good governance checklist
  • How to create an executive director work plan
  • Take the Meeting Excellence Assessment

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Annual Operational Plan

annual operational plan1

Every year, new objectives and goals arise in your business. They arise because there may be a new project , new industry trends, or new opportunities to bring your business to a higher level. Because of that, the flow of your operations should change yearly. Having new objectives and goals means changing the ways you do things. If you don’t change them, it would be nearly impossible to achieve those new objectives and goals. That’s why you must plan your operations annually. The next business year is fast approaching. So, start planning your operations asap using our Annual Operational Plan Template Examples.

11+ Annual Operational Plan Template Examples

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Operational Plan Template

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Annual Operation Plan Template Example

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Annual Operational Plan 2017–2018 Example

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Health Care Annual Operational Plan Example

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College Annual Operational Plan Example

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Wine Australia Annual Operational Plan Example

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Integrated Annual Operational Plan Example

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Environment Agency Annual Operational Plan Example

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Company Annual Operational Plan Example

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What Is an Annual Operational Plan?

An annual operational plan outlines the yearly activities and targets that a company or organization must follow. It emphasizes what changes were made in the operations or standard operating procedures (SOP). That said, it explains a new strategy to achieve a year’s desired business outcomes. It might also entail changes in training employees and marketing the company’s brand.

How to Prepare an Annual Operational Plan

According to Small Business Trends, business planning doubles a business’s chances of achieving success . Well, it’s not really surprising. We all know how planning, in general, guides us towards what we want to obtain. Operational planning is also a form of business planning . So, if you execute it, the upcoming year’s operations will bring success to your business. With that in mind, make sure to take note of these steps in preparing an annual operational plan.

Step 1: Set the Objectives

It wouldn’t be a plan without the objectives. So, don’t forget to set your business objectives on the operational plan. They’re the purpose of your operations and the reason why you need to plan it in the first place.

Step 2: Create a Timeline

A timeline would help in achieving the objectives on time. In creating it, emphasize what specific processes the staff must complete in every period throughout the year. You can divide the year on a weekly , bi-weekly,  monthly , or quarterly basis. In each period, you can also indicate how much the operating budget will be.

Step 3: Outline the Procedures

Next, you have to outline the operation’s new procedures. Arguably, this is the most important section of the operational plan. They show the detailed step-by-step processes in obtaining the objective you’ve set. So, if they aren’t in the plan, your staff might think that the previous SOPs are still applicable.

Step 4: Define the Employees’ Roles

Let each staff member in every department know what their roles are in the upcoming year’s operations. More or less, their roles remain the same but with some changes. Write brief descriptions about what each of them will do throughout the year.

What are the different types of operational plans?

There are two different types of operational plans. These are:

  • Single-use plans – will only be used once for one-and-done events or projects.
  • Standing plans – will be used permanently and routinely.

What are the essential elements of planning?

The essential elements of planning include:

  • Implementations

How does operational planning differ from strategic planning?

Operational planning focuses on implementing the right processes or procedures. Meanwhile, strategic planning focuses on identifying the best possible approaches to achieve certain goals.

Operational planning is an integral aspect of business management . Every year, you have to invest time and effort in executing it. Your company’s success depends on it. There’ll be challenges as you formulate your operational plan. It entails a lot of analysis and research, not just within your business, but also in the industry. Thankfully, there are available tools to make it easier for you. Among those tools are our Annual Operational Plan Templates and Examples. So download them now!

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10 Simple Operational Plan Templates in Word & ClickUp

ClickUp Contributor

February 15, 2024

Every business starts with an idea, but it takes disciplined execution to bring it to life. That’s why operational plans are indispensable—they require you to think about the steps and resources you need to make your vision come true. By writing down these processes, you create a roadmap for your organization and empower your teams to work together towards the same goal. 

There are lots of components that make up an operational plan—from your business objectives and market analysis to your operational strategy and budget. You need to add clear details, tasks, and assignments for your plan to be useful.

The good news is you don’t need to start from scratch. Use an operational plan template to outline and manage the day-to-day activities and processes of your business, ensuring that you have the capacity to complete tasks efficiently and on time. With the right tools in hand, like Word or ClickUp templates, businesses of any size can create effective operational plans tailored to their individual needs. 

In this article, we’ll explore 10 customizable and simple operational plan templates.

What is an Operational Plan Template?

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An operational plan template is a document designed to help you turn your business strategy into action. It includes pre-designed pages, lists, and tables that you can fill in with details like:

  • The day-to-day operations that need to be implemented to reach your business objectives
  • What you need in terms of space, human resources, and equipment
  • Roles, responsibilities, and scope of work
  • Operational budget and financial limitations
  • Project timelines
  • Metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) for success

Depending on the size and scope of your organization, operational plans can vary in complexity and length. That’s why you need to find a template that gives you flexibility in making it your own—and we’re here to help you do just that.

A good operational plan template is customizable to fit your specific needs. It offers you several ways to view, sort, and organize your data, and makes it easy for you to track responsibilities and progress. It provides visual cues and clear and concise instructions on how to fill out each section and page. 

The best operational plan templates offer an intuitive, user-friendly experience so that anyone using them for the first time can easily navigate them. Think of how people in your organization will use the plan: Will they want to see your progress at a glance? Do they need to see workload distribution among your team? Choose a template with features that support those needs. 

You also want your operational plan template to be able to scale with your organization as you grow. Choose a template that lets you adjust and update your plans without needing to start from scratch every time.

10 Operational Plan Templates

Whether you’re looking for an annual operational plan template or a simple project tracker , there are plenty of options available. Here we’ve rounded up 10 of the best templates in Word and ClickUp that you can use to create effective operational plans.

ClickUp Operational Plan Template

This simple operation plan template by ClickUp helps you strategically plan your business by outlining processes , clearly defining individual responsibilities, and tracking your progress toward your goals. It’s designed to help you monitor all the moving parts of setting up a business.

With this ClickUp operation plan template, you get a range of view options. Use the List view for maximum flexibility in grouping and sorting tasks, and arranging tasks by priority.

Switch to Board View to examine Plan Phases: planning, implementation, monitoring, and management. Use other views like Gantt, Timeline, and Workload to visualize dependencies, keep track of schedules, and spread out work across your team. 

Do more with this template using custom fields. These fields let you assign responsibilities to a team, add information and resources to a task, and update a project’s progress.

The ClickUp Business Plan Template is an excellent tool to help entrepreneurs move from ideation to launch. Start documenting your business strategy by going through the topics provided in the Topics List View. Add notes, files, and tasks to sections on your company background, market analysis, sales and marketing strategy, operational strategy, and milestones.

Each section has pre-filled tasks with short descriptions to help you flesh out the details of your business plan. For example, under the Company Background section, you have four “tasks” to fill out—The Team, Overview, Mission, and Vision.

Launching a business gets hectic pretty quickly, so use the Board and Timeline views to keep track of tasks and deadlines. And when you’re ready to zoom out and see what you’ve written, head over to the Business Plan Doc view, which presents the outputs of each section and task in one clean, professional document.

3. ClickUp Business Requirements Template

The ClickUp Business Requirements Template outlines the necessary steps and resources for an end solution to fulfill your business needs. For example, if you’re looking for an agency to help you build an app, you’d use a Business Requirements Document (BRD) to explain what you need, why you need it, and how the agency can help you. This helps you get buy-in from your company’s decision-makers, determine the project’s scope, and get all parties aligned on timelines, budgets, goals, and expectations.

This useful business requirements template starts with a list of subpages, and each one comes with brief instructions for filling it out. For example, the Project Objectives subpage comes with a note asking you to include the project’s purpose, current processes, challenges, and reasons for the undertaking.

It recommends using the SMART goals format (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound). Other subpages also come with tables that you can easily fill out.

ClickUp Business Continuity Plan Template

When the unexpected happens, don’t be caught without a plan. The ClickUp Business Continuity Plan Template helps you plan how to manage risks in the event of a disruption to your business operations. This includes mapping out the steps you need to take in the event of a natural disaster, power outage, cyber attack, or other unforeseen (and unfortunate) events.

This template covers the core parts of a business continuity system—priorities, continuity coverage, and guiding principles. Dive into the details of your plan with a Priorities List view, a consolidated List view, and a Board view. Quickly spot tasks across different categories and progress stages with the use of distinct color coding.

With this template’s intuitive and minimalist design, you can focus on the crucial steps and resources to keep your business sailing through a storm (literal or figurative!).

ClickUp Business Development Plan Template

Track your short-term and long-term business goals with this ClickUp Business Development Plan Template for beginners. The template dedicates one subpage each for operations, marketing, finance, and people, as well as an executive summary.

Each subpage gives you a structure to guide you in writing down your plans. For example, the Operations subpage comes with tables for facilities and equipment costs and also shares an example of a process map. The Financial Plan subpage gives you a template for projecting cash flow, forecasting your balance sheet, and running a break-even analysis.

Make this template your own, whether you’re planning for a short-term or long-term business development goal.

Business Roadmap in ClickUp Timeline view

Avoid falling prey to fuzzy strategy syndrome by documenting your business roadmap . Use this ClickUp Business Roadmap Template to record your strategy, focus on your North Star, and say “no” to tactics that don’t align with your vision .

The ClickUp Business Roadmap Template helps you create a high-level strategic document that communicates your goal and how you plan to get there. It sets expectations for every team in your business and maps out project initiatives to strategic goals. Your team can collaborate on projects in List, Gantt, and Timeline views, helping to streamline communication and collaboration. 

When you’re ready to dive into the details of your roadmap, use this template’s custom fields to add long text descriptions and upload files. And whenever you complete a subtask, checklist, or comment, the template automatically updates a progress bar, showing you how close you’re getting to reaching your goal.

ClickUp Compliance Project Plan Template

Complying with legal and industry rules and standards involves keeping track of a lot of documents and tasks. This ClickUp Compliance Project Plan Template ensures nothing slips through the cracks as you work on your compliance project.

The template is organized into sections for regulatory, HR, and data compliance. Start by using forms for collecting information on various compliance requirements. You can use the form’s preset questions and add or delete items as you need. The answers will show up in the List view, where you can group, sort, explain, and assign each requirement. Track priorities, task statuses, point persons, and due dates in Board view as your compliance project progresses.

To provide more context to each requirement, use custom fields to fill in details like performance metrics and consequences of non-compliance. The template also has dropdown fields with pre-filled options—for example, fields for compliance threat category and degree of compliance.

ClickUp Contingency Plan Template

No project goes off exactly as you imagine—even when you follow your plan to the letter. An employee goes on emergency leave, your website crashes and the WiFi stops working. For times like these, you need a plan B. And you can create it using the ClickUp Contingency Plan Template .

The ClickUp Contingency Plan Template offers three views that let you list down events, prioritize them based on risk level, and track progress across planning stages. When you add a task, the template automatically creates custom fields, such as the event’s risk level, likelihood, and potential impact on your organization. There are also fields for you to describe the preparations you’ve made to mitigate risk internally and provide details about your response plan.

Bonus: Contingency planning templates !

ClickUp Action Plan Template

The ClickUp Action Plan Template is a colorful whiteboard template for reviewing an action plan daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly. You can add files from within ClickUp or from your device, or import them from G Suite or Figma. You can also embed YouTube videos and ClickUp tasks, making this template interactive, collaborative, and anything but boring!

This media-rich template gives you the space and flexibility you need for creating action plans that come with lots of contextual information. Zoom out for a bird’s eye view of your progress or zoom in to break down action plans into small steps. You can also use this Action Plan Template to assign tasks, track progress, set deadlines, and add notes. 

Microsoft Business Plan Template Example

Create a professional document with a Microsoft Word Operational Plan Template, such as this business plan template that gives you step-by-step instructions for creating a comprehensive plan. It comes with formatted text and simple layouts so you can focus on the content more than the presentation. 

If you want more creative control, though, this template is completely customizable. Plus, it lets you add animations and transitions, as well as photos, videos, and graphics. Once you’re done, you can share and publish the doc with a few quick clicks.

Streamline Your Operational Planning Process

Boost your chances of reaching your business goals by creating an effective operational plan. With the right tools and templates, you can easily create a tailored document that helps you track your operational planning process and projects. 

We hope our list of 10 simple operational plan templates has helped you find the perfect template for your needs!

Try them out by setting up a free ClickUp Workspace !

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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How To Create an Annual Operating Plan for Your SaaS Business

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Carly Miller

Content Marketing Writer

Download our Strategic Financial Planning Blueprint

Business planning can be a painful process for all involved. But getting rid of it isn’t an option. A rigorous annual operating plan is what will help you maximize efficiency across the business and allocate resources to hit company goals.

Don’t spend year after year dreading each step of the process of building your business plans. Here, we’ll cover the key concepts and steps you need to know to optimize your processes and create an annual operating plan that drives value for your organization.

Table of Contents

What Is an Annual Operating Plan?

An annual operating plan (AOP) is a strategic document that a company prepares to chart its course for the upcoming year. This AOP encompasses key performance indicators (KPIs), operating budgets, and action plans designed to meet both short-term and long-term objectives. Through the annual operating plan, businesses can pinpoint and allocate their resources efficiently, ensuring they’re on track to achieve their set milestones.

Benefits of Annual Operating Plans

As a part of strategic planning, an annual operating plan ensures that all employees understand their responsibilities and can coordinate their efforts to complete your business objectives.

It enables managers to track progress and determine whether they’ll hit company milestones on time. As a result, managers can request any needed funding from the CFO ahead of time.

Here are more benefits of annual operating plans:

Make Department Plans and Strategies More Data-Driven

A data-driven approach keeps the plans and strategies of various departments more outcome-oriented by drilling down to the impact of costs per head, per month, or per vendor.

Such an approach improves the accuracy and flexibility of your SaaS revenue forecasting  by aligning revenue and expense forecasts with the primary levers for your SaaS business.

Align Cross-Functional Departments With Business Goals

Align Cross-Functional Departments With Business Goals Business leaders can curate job roles and department goals based on what’s outlined in the annual operating plan to ensure their team members align with key company objectives.

Help Highlight Potential Need for Fundraising or Spending Re-Evaluation

An annual operating plan can help you have more granular conversations with stakeholders or business owners about how changes in spending could improve performance as market and business conditions shift throughout the year.

Give Departments a Guidepost for Tracking Performance and Goals

An excellent AOP will help various departments track their progress and ensure they take the necessary initiatives to achieve company objectives throughout the fiscal year.

How To Create an Annual Operating Plan

The complexity and maturity of your company will determine the details of your annual planning process. But in general, aim to start the planning process about a third of the way through your Q4 and finish it within six weeks. This ensures decision-making is streamlined and goals are achievable.

Here are the recommended steps:

1. Organize Department-Level Data in the Main Financial Model

Creating an annual operating plan starts with categorizing data from your company to understand the previous year’s performance trends. These insights are the foundation for the rest of your planning process and will help you create a detailed plan.

Your goal in this phase is to clearly understand what teams are spending money on and find consistent and inconsistent spending across general ledger accounts.

For example, if your marketers used LinkedIn  ads  as a primary channel throughout the previous year, you might anticipate they’ll increase LinkedIn ad spending in the new year.

You can also find significant one-time expenses across departments and look for opportunities to limit these expenses to improve cash flow.

You can then use these insights to develop questions for departmental meetings.

2. Get a Read on Department-Level Plans

This is the most collaborative — and perhaps most important — part of the annual planning process. The ability to connect with department leaders, understand their needs, and contribute to their plans will enhance the effectiveness of your AOP.

The needs of the marketing, human resources, sales, and product departments differ from those of the finance department. So, communicate with their leaders to learn what they care about most rather than handing over dense spreadsheets outlining the financial plan.

Focus your conversations on past performance compared to your plans. Alternatively, you can create high-level strategic budgets and establish goals to achieve them if you don’t have historical data.

3. Translate Department Budgets to the Main Model and Scenarios

In the previous step, you worked with department leaders to understand their needs and strategies. As a result, you should have worked through various department-level scenarios by this point.

One scenario could be: What if we hire another 30 people in the production department? Is the ROI  of new product releases worth the cash impact?

Another scenario you could consider: What if we doubled our marketing acquisition budget? What effect would this have on pipeline generation ?

When you translate the department-level discussions to the primary model, you must also run what-if scenarios for the whole organization.

Having a CEO and a CFO with a good relationship can make all the difference when creating an AOP, and running these scenarios will let CFOs have a more strategic conversation with the CEO about how to handle different aspects of the current economic environment.

The models will show how different fundraising scenarios, revenue forecasting , and headcount plans affect your cash flow, runway, and burn rate.

4. Align With the CEO for Company and Board Approval

At this stage, you’ll present fully fleshed-out scenarios and plans from the third step to finalize things for the CEO  and board.

However, due to market uncertainty, you may spend more time with your CEO working out scenarios and model assumptions to determine the best path forward.

As a result, you may want to give yourself plenty of time to adjust your plans based on your CEO’s recommendations and comments.

Then, the CEO can sign off on the plans and approve the various scenarios you’ll present to the board.

5. Reforecast Throughout the Year To Keep the Plan Fresh

The value of an annual operating plan is in the process itself. You must keep it fresh monthly and quarterly. So, update your models to reflect new context about the business and macroeconomic environment.

Also, compare rolling forecasts  to the original annual plan. This comparison lets you revisit the plan with the most recent actuals and adjust based on business performance and macroeconomic conditions.

Download this blueprint and complete guide to nailing your annual planning process.

Why saas startups need to go beyond annual operating plans.

As you create your AOP for 2023, market uncertainty is forcing you to be more adaptable and agile. So, prioritize automation and data integration to address evolving business needs. You’ll need an overarching framework for centralizing, processing, and analyzing financial statements and other financial data.

You need a framework to pull all financial data  from your organization and map it into a common ontology, saving 80% of the time you typically spend cleaning data from individual record systems.

Financial tools like Mosaic provide this framework, eliminating the need to rely on engineers to develop a data architecture to support your agile planning.

How Mosaic Enables Business Growth

Mosaic provides a Strategic Finance Platform  that serves as the connective tissue for your small business. It automates financial data integration and empowers you to add more strategic value to the planning process.

Plus, the 125+ SaaS metrics make monitoring your business’s growth simple.

Want to learn more about how Mosaic makes the typical high-stress top-line planning process easier for SaaS startups? Reach out for a personalized demo  and find out how you can easily create your annual operations plan.

Annual Operating Plan FAQs

What should be included in an annual operating plan.

An annual operating plan should be a concise overview of the entire company’s strategic and tactical plans for the year ahead. This should include:

  • A narrative of strategic context to go along with the proposed annual budget
  • An explanation of the current and planning organizational structure to support strategic initiatives
  • A clear outline of quantitative company goals and OKRs
  • The breakdown of departmental metrics that you’ll use to track progress

What is the difference between annual operating plans and budgets?

An AOP and a budget both address your financial structure, but they have some differences.

The differentiator is that the annual operating plan is like a document or deck that outlines overarching goals and departmental focuses. In contrast, the budget is much more numbers-driven and includes revenue goals, financial assumptions , and expense forecasts.

What is the objective of an annual operating plan?

When creating an annual operating plan the objective is to tie together forecasts, budgets and plans (including their accompanying goals and KPIs) from different departments into a single cohesive overarching plan for the company. Annual operating plans help departments align around company objectives and give each department achievable goals to work towards.

Related Content

  • A Guide to the Strategic Budgeting Process in SaaS
  • Guide to Rolling Budgets: How To, Pros & Cons, Examples
  • Top-Line vs. Bottom-Line Growth: How to Analyze and Improve Each

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Annual Planning: Plan Like a Pro In 5 Steps (+ Template)

annual operating plan template

Get ready to take your strategic annual planning game to the next level! This process is essential for companies who want to set a clear direction for the future and ensure everyone is working towards the same goal. 

But, let's be real, executing a killer strategic plan is easier said than done. That's why we're here to help you. 

In this article, we'll dive into the nitty-gritty of annual planning and cover all the tips and tricks you need to know. From involving the right people to communicating your plan like a pro, we've got you covered. 

We'll also share some common pitfalls to watch out for and provide real-life examples to help bring it all to life. 

So, whether you're a seasoned planning pro or just starting out, get ready to learn how to make your annual strategic planning a total success!

In this article, you’ll discover:

What Is Annual Planning?

  • The Benefits of The Annual Planning Process

5 Steps To Build A Highly Effective Annual Plan

The only annual planning template you need in 2023.

  • 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Conducting Annual Strategic Planning

Build And Execute Your Annual Plan With Cascade 🚀

#1 Strategy Execution Platform Don't plan to fail.  Break down the complexity of your plans from high-level initiative to  executable outcome.   Learn how. Book a demo!

Annual planning is about turning long-term business goals into short-term action plans for the year ahead. It contains insights from past performance and a clear roadmap with a timeline. This yearly plan should be realistic and achievable, while also being ambitious enough to move the business forward.

Annual planning is your opportunity to take the previous year’s wins, knocks, and lessons and adjust your strategy to help your business grow consistently and become better.

Boilerplate definition aside, imagine if IBM still focused on building business-centric PCs, BMW still only made airplane engines, or Tata focused on producing steel. They wouldn’t be the companies they are today.

Annual planning and regular reviews help you proactively adapt to changes and steer your organization in the right direction to get the business results you want by the end of the year or toward your vision in the future.

The Benefits Of The Annual Planning Process

Whether it’s your IT, supply chain , pricing, marketing, operations , or sales strategy—improving, pivoting, or optimizing your annual planning approach from one year to the next year is non-negotiable. The annual planning process will help you assess the effectiveness of your business strategies and make adjustments to keep up with customer needs and market trends.

An effective annual planning process for the new year can offer:

  • Strategic clarity: Annual strategic planning helps define and align goals, mission, and values, leading to more focused and effective decision-making across all levels of the organization. This in turn sets a clear and consistent direction for future initiatives, maximizing the organization's potential to achieve success.
  • Focus: By regularly reviewing and updating its strategic plan , your organization stays focused on long-term objectives instead of being constantly sidetracked by day-to-day operations.
  • Benchmark performance: An annual strategic planning process helps you measure and track progress on key strategic initiatives , and evaluate the progress made compared to last year.
  • Gaps and opportunities: By regularly reviewing your strategic plan, your teams will identify gaps and opportunities for improvement and innovation, which can help you stay ahead of your competition.
  • Resource allocation: By aligning your strategic plan with your budget, you can allocate resources that will support your goals and cut costs from misaligned initiatives.
  • Engagement and buy-in: Involving key stakeholders in the strategic planning process will increase engagement and buy-in across your organization, leading to a more cohesive and motivated team.

A clear and execution-ready annual plan that focuses on the big picture and pays attention to the details can be the glue that binds your teams together. And this is crucial if you want to reach this year’s goals with greater speed and efficiency. Plus, it’s much better than the alternative of just winging it and hoping for the best!

📚 Recommended read: How To Create An Effective Annual Operating Plan (+Template)

Don’t get us wrong—creating and managing a yearly planning process can be a daunting task. But, with the right approach, you'll be able to get it right and start executing faster. Here's how to do annual planning the right way:

1. Analyze your performance and identify opportunities

Before you set goals , you should do an analysis of your company's current performance, market, and competitors to see where you stand. 

Here are some tools you can use in the process: 

  • SWOT analysis
  • PESTLE analysis
  • Porter’s Five Forces
  • Competitive analysis 
  • Financial performance of the previous year
  • Gap analysis  

A better understanding of your current performance can help you make data-driven decisions in the next steps of the planning process. 

Want to make it fail-proof? Don’t forget to include key stakeholders who will be involved in the day-to-day execution of your annual plan. 

Here’s who should be included in the analysis process: 

  • Executive leadership: They are responsible for setting the overall direction and strategy for the organization.
  • Department heads and team leaders: They can offer insights into team capabilities and resources. They can provide insight into the specific needs and challenges of their teams and ensure that their operational plans align with the annual plan.
  • Employees: Employees often have valuable insights and ideas that can help improve the plan. By involving them in the planning process, you can tap into this wealth of knowledge and potentially identify new opportunities or challenges that may not have been considered otherwise.
  • Customers: Customer feedback is critical to understanding the needs and priorities of the target market.
  • Suppliers and partners: Depending on the nature of the business, it may be beneficial to involve suppliers and partners in the strategic planning process. They can provide valuable insights into industry trends and potential challenges. 

👉Bonus tip: Don't let analysis paralysis slow you down! Set a timeline, prioritize data, make informed decisions, and don't overthink it. Move into the execution phase as fast as possible. Adapt later.

2. Formulate your strategy 

The data and insights from Step 1 should inform the formulation of your strategy for the coming year. At this point, you should have a clear sense of direction and objectives that your company wants to achieve in the coming year. 

💡 To identify and formulate your strategy, consider the following questions with your team:

  • What is the business problem that we are trying to solve?
  • What are our core strategic objectives , and how will we measure success?
  • What are our key strategic initiatives, and how will we prioritize them?
  • What are our key performance indicators , and how will we track progress?
  • Are there potential risks , and how will we mitigate them?
  • What resources will we need, and how do we allocate them?

Answering these questions will help you test the validity of your strategy and identify any potential gaps or risks that need to be addressed. In this way, you'll build a solid foundation for your annual plan and increase the chances of its successful execution.

3. Build your annual plan

Next, you’ll need to turn your strategy into a detailed roadmap that outlines the steps you’ll take to achieve your annual strategic objectives and goals. 

It’s like taking a map from a broad view of the journey to a more detailed look that zooms in on the roads and landmarks you’ll need to follow to reach your destination.

📝Your annual plan should include the following:

  • 🔎 Focus areas: The specific areas of the company or its operations that need improvement.
  • 📌Goals and objectives: Specific outcomes the company wants to achieve in its yearly plan. 
  • 📈Measures: Deliverables and KPIs to track progress toward your company’s goals and objectives.
  • 📤Actions: Specific actions or projects to achieve goals and objectives.
  • 😎Owners: Individuals or teams responsible for implementing the actions.
  • 📆Due dates: Specific deadlines and milestones throughout the year.
  • 💰Budget: Allocating the resources to achieve goals and objectives.

👉Here’s how Cascade can help you:  

Cascade’s strategic planning feature gives your annual planning process a standardized and structured approach that includes all the key elements for success. It helps you set high-level annual goals, break them down into smaller initiatives, and assign owners to drive accountability.

4. Create tight alignment with your teams

If the leadership team’s job is to set high-level company priorities to frame key strategic initiatives, then it’s up to specific business functions or teams to chart out the path to reach those strategic goals .

The first step in ensuring strategic alignment is to clearly communicate the plan to all employees. This can be done through regular meetings, company-wide presentations, and other forms of communication, such as a central location for your annual plan that is easily accessible to your stakeholders.

The key is to make sure that everyone understands the goals and objectives of the plan and how their work fits into the bigger picture.

With Cascade , you can link your annual strategic plan to individual departmental or team plans in a single source of truth. As a result, it's easier to ensure that everyone in the organization is aligned with the goals and objectives and monitor the progress being made toward those goals.

alignment cascade (1)

An example of the Cascade alignment view is where you can see how each plan aligns with the company's annual plan and drill down to evaluate performance.

5. Monitor progress and adjust your plan

Gone are the days of static, set-in-stone strategic plans! It's time to embrace flexibility and be willing to make changes as needed. Your annual plan is a flexible, dynamic roadmap that should be adjusted as circumstances change or new information becomes available. The key is to stay focused on your goals and objectives, and be ready to pivot when needed .

Here are some steps that you can take to monitor the annual plan and adapt as needed:

  • Set up a system for tracking progress: This can be done using a variety of tools, including spreadsheets, strategy reports , strategic planning software , or status reports . 
  • Establish regular review meetings: These meetings can be weekly, monthly, or quarterly, depending on the needs of your organization. The key is to make sure that progress is regularly reviewed and that any issues are identified and addressed in a timely manner.
  • Monitor key metrics: Track the most important KPIs that will help you quickly catch underperforming areas and evaluate the success of your annual plan and business strategies. 

If you want to be a savvy business leader, you need to always be monitoring progress, the business environment, and adjusting your plans accordingly. So, let's ditch the rigidity and embrace the flexibility of modern strategic planning and strategy execution! 

With Cascade’s powerful data visualization, you can connect multiple data sources from spreadsheets, project management tools, or business intelligence tools in a single place. You'll be able to uncover powerful insights and deliver accurate reports to help stakeholders make better decisions.

Plus, Cascade's drill-down capabilities allow you to easily explore and interact with your data to gain deeper insights in real time.

Ready for some serious annual planning made easy-peasy? We've got just the thing for you—our annual planning template ! This bad boy is like your own personal planning sidekick, packed with all the goodies you need to align your teams, monitor performance, and rock this year.

Think of it as a one-stop shop for all your annual planning needs. It’s pre-filled with examples that can guide you through the planning process, or you can customize it with your own information.

2023 strategy plan template

It’s a great alternative if you want to get out of messy and ineffective spreadsheets. Plus, it's got a super simple layout, so you won't be bogged down by a bunch of unnecessary features. This template can help, regardless of whether you work at a startup or an enterprise-sized company. And no matter the industry you’re in. 

Don't believe us? Give it a try! We guarantee it'll make your annual planning process a whole lot smoother and its execution a whole lot faster. So what are you waiting for? 

Sign up for a free forever plan with Cascade, add the annual planning template to your profile, and level up your game. It’s that simple. 

👉 Click here to get instant access to your annual planning template.

7 Mistakes To Avoid When Conducting Annual Strategic Planning

Alright, before you dive deep into your yearly planning session, let's talk about the elephant in the room: planning and execution mistakes . In this section, we're diving into some of the most common blunders made during the annual planning process, so you can dodge them like a boss. 

  • Lack of stakeholder engagement: Failing to involve critical stakeholders in the planning process can lead to a siloed plan that doesn’t align with the organization's capacities, needs, and priorities. 
  • Unrealistic goals: Be sure your planning is grounded in your situation's realities and consider your organization's resources, skills, and timelines. This is why it’s crucial that you consult with various stakeholders when planning and executing your strategy. If you need a goal-setting framework, you can check OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Or take a look at these 5 best strategic planning models to help you set SMART goals. 
  • Lack of flexibility: View your plan as a flexible roadmap, not a rigid set of rules, and be prepared to adapt as the business environment changes. The “perfect plan” doesn’t exist. As 76% of corporate strategy leaders report significant pivots in strategic plans happening more frequently, you need to be ready to expect the unexpected. 
  • Lack of resources: An annual plan that doesn’t consider your team member’s knowledge and skill sets won't result in tangible outcomes. Additionally, ensure that your business has the necessary resources and that your annual plan won’t cause a cash flow crunch.
  • Inadequate communication: Clear and transparent communication is crucial for success, so communicate plans to all stakeholders and ensure they understand the goals and how they fit into the organization's overall strategy.
  • Lack of follow-through: Nobody wins if your teams aren’t hitting goals, and your strategy is just a document collecting dust. According to Cascade’s Strategy Report , less than 20% of team members review progress weekly. Set up regular progress reviews and take corrective actions as needed. Ignore this pitfall, and you’ll set your strategy up for failure.
  • Misalignment between business strategy and team goals: Strategy execution is a team sport, and everyone needs to be on the same page. Share annual business goals with your team leaders and their team members. Let them set their team goals independently, give them feedback, and ensure buy-in early on.

Ready to tackle your annual planning with confidence? 

Remember, the key to success is having a clear plan in a single source of truth, organization-wide alignment, and being flexible enough to adapt when necessary.

And as a final reminder, don't forget to check out our annual planning template! It's the perfect tool to help you structure your plan, get your teams aligned with your strategic priorities, and keep track of your progress so you can adapt quickly if needed. 

So don't miss out, book a demo with one of our strategy experts or sign up today for free , and let's get started!

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How to build your annual operating plan in 8 steps

Brett Herkt

An annual operating plan is a prized document – it’s the blueprint for building your organisation in any given year. You wouldn’t build a house without architectural drawings. Unfortunately, some CEOs run their organisations with only a sketch of what they are building.

This guide is aimed at CEOs of commercial and not-for-profit organisations with revenues between $1M and $40M and a functioning management/leadership team (i.e., 3+ managers) who don’t have a strong track record of strategic/operational planning. If your organisation is smaller, absorb the principles and scale down the process to suit your resources.

Like many CEOs, I have run an annual planning exercise with suboptimal results. In my early days, it was horrible – rushed preparation, lack of alignment, personal agendas at the board table, weak commitment, lack of diverse thinking – and I tried to create, run and contribute all at the same time! The outcome was frustrating and poor.

The good news is that annual planning is a craft which can be mastered. Here’s how to run a lower-stress process to produce an annual operating plan that:

  • is consistent with your purpose and vision
  • involves the wider leadership/management group
  • incorporates feedback loops
  • produces diverse business thinking
  • is financially robust
  • aligns the board and leadership team

This guide includes a set of operational templates and simple guides for managing the process and delivering the outputs. Once completed the management team should have an agreed action plan and results to which it will willingly commit itself.

  • intend to do
  • what they need to achieve it and,
  • what are the expected results

Annual operating plan process

The guide contains seven business templates;

  • Annual planning process template
  • Strategic offsite planning template
  • Facilitation plan template
  • Dialogue vs debate template
  • SWOT analysis template
  • Competitor overview matrix template
  • Operating plan presentation template

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Annual Business Planning Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Business Annual Plan Template

What is an Annual Business Plan?

An annual business plan is a document that sets out the goals and objectives for a company over the course of a year. It provides a roadmap for how the business will operate and achieve its desired results. A simple business plan template will help guide you in creating a comprehensive annual plan.

Steps to Create an Annual Plan

There are seven steps to creating an annual business plan:

  • Define the company’s overall vision and strategy.
  • Set specific, measurable goals and objectives for the year.
  • Identify the resources needed to achieve these goals.
  • Create a timeline for each goal and objective.
  • Assign responsibility for each goal and objective to specific individuals or teams.
  • Review and revise the plan on a regular basis.
  • Each of these steps is important in creating a well-formulated annual plan. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Defining the Company’s Overall Vision and Strategy

The first step in creating an annual plan is defining the company’s overall vision and strategy. This involves deciding where the company wants to be in the future and outlining the steps needed to get there. It’s important to be realistic in setting these goals and to make sure they are aligned with the company’s overall strategic vision.

Setting Specific, Measurable Goals and Objectives

Once the company’s overarching vision has been defined, it’s time to set specific, measurable goals and objectives for the year. These should be attainable but challenging and should align with the company’s overall strategy. Each goal should have a target date for completion, as well as a specific metric that will be used to measure progress.

Identifying Resources Needed To Achieve Goals

Next, it’s important to identify the resources needed to achieve these goals. This includes everything from manpower and funding, to office space and equipment. It’s also important to assign responsibility for each goal/objective to specific individuals or teams. This helps ensure that everyone is aware of their role in achieving the desired results.

Creating a Timeline

Once goals have been defined and resources have been identified, it’s time to create a timeline for each one. This will help keep everyone on track throughout the year and ensure that tasks are completed in a timely manner. A Gantt chart can be helpful in organizing this information visually.

Assigning Responsibility

Finally, it’s important to assign responsibility for each goal/objective to specific individuals or teams. This helps ensure that everyone is aware of their role in achieving the desired results. By assigning clear responsibilities, tasks can be delegated efficiently and everyone will know who is responsible for what outcomes.

Reviewing and Revising Plan Regularly

It’s important to review and revise your annual plan on a regular basis. This ensures that the goals are still relevant and achievable and that the resources required are still available. It also allows for any necessary adjustments to be made if something isn’t working as planned. A good rule of thumb is to review the plan quarterly or more often if needed.

Parts of the Annual Strategic Plan Template

There are four key parts to the annual plan template:

1. Vision and Strategy

The first step is to define the company’s overall vision and strategy. This will provide a framework for all of the other steps in the process.

2. Goals and Objectives

The next step is to set specific, measurable goals and objectives for the year. These should be aligned with the company’s vision and strategy.

3. Resources

The third step is to identify the resources needed to achieve the goals and objectives. This includes things like budget, staff, and materials.

4. Timeline

The fourth step is to create a timeline for each goal and objective. This will help ensure that everything is completed on time and within budget.

The Importance of a Well-Formulated Annual Strategic Plan

The importance of a well-formulated annual plan cannot be overstated. It provides a clear roadmap for the company’s operations and sets forth a clear vision for its desired results. Additionally, it helps to ensure that all employees are aware of the company’s goals and objectives and are working towards the same end.

The Difference between an Annual Plan and A Company’s Broader Strategic Vision

The difference between an annual business plan and a company’s strategic vision is that the former is more focused on the specific goals and objectives to be achieved over the course of a year, while the latter is more concerned with the company’s long-term direction. An annual business plan lays out a roadmap for the company’s operations over the course of a year and sets specific targets to be met. A company’s strategic plan, on the other hand, is more concerned with the overall direction of the business and its long-term goals.

Ultimately the difference between an annual plan and a company’s broader strategic vision is that the former is more focused on the specific goals and objectives to be achieved over the course of a year, while the latter is more concerned with the company’s long-term direction.

Best Practices for Annual Planning

There are a few key best practices that businesses should keep in mind when planning their annual operations.  

First and foremost, it is important to be realistic about what can be accomplished in a year. Businesses should establish achievable goals and objectives, and then create a plan of action to achieve them. This includes setting timelines and specific tasks that need to be completed in order to reach the goal. 

Another key element of effective annual planning is creating a budget and sticking to it. Budgets help businesses stay accountable and track progress toward their goals. 

In addition, effective annual planning should always include regular review and course correction as needed. Businesses should routinely assess their progress, make necessary adjustments, and ensure they are still on track to meet their goals.

When it comes to business annual planning, there are a few best practices that can help your organization make the most of the process. Here are a few tips to get you started:

  •  Set realistic goals. It’s important to set realistic goals for your annual planning process – this way, you’re more likely to achieve them. Be honest with yourself about what’s achievable and what’s not, and make sure your team is on the same page.
  • Make a roadmap. Once you’ve set your goals, create a roadmap for how you’ll achieve them. This will help keep everyone on track and ensure that you’re making progress toward your targets.
  • Use data to inform your decisions. When making decisions about your annual planning, use data to inform your decisions. This will help you make informed choices based on evidence rather than intuition alone.
  • Communicate regularly. Make sure to communicate regularly with your team throughout the annual planning process – this will help keep everyone updated on what’s happening and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.
  • Celebrate successes along the way. Celebrate successes along the way – this will keep everyone motivated and help ensure that the process is fun as well as productive.

Annual Contingency Plan Example

Sometimes it’s helpful to have a contingency plan or clause in case things don’t go as expected. Below is a sample contingency plan.

“In the event that we are unable to achieve our sales goals for the year, we will implement a number of contingency measures. These measures may include reducing our advertising budget, downsizing our workforce, and suspending operations at certain locations. We will only implement these measures if absolutely necessary and we are confident that they will help us to get back on track.”

Strategic Business Plan Example

Below is an example of a strategic business plan.

“Our long-term goal is to become the leading provider of XYZ products and services in our industry. To achieve this, we will need to increase our market share, expand our operations into new markets, and continue to innovate our product offerings. We are confident that we can achieve these goals and become the industry leader.”

Annual Business Plan Template

Executive summary.

The executive summary is a brief overview of the company’s annual plans while taking into account the company’s broader vision. It should include a description of the company, its products, and services, its marketing and sales strategy, its operations plan, and its financial plan.

Company Overview

The company overview section of the annual planning document should provide a brief history of the company, its mission and vision, and its current status.

Products and Services

This section of the annual plans should describe the company’s products and services in detail. It should also include information on the company’s competitive advantages and any new products or services that will be launched in the coming year.

Marketing Plan

The marketing plan section of the company’s strategy should outline the marketing and sales strategy for the entire organization for the coming year. It should include information on the company’s target market, its branding and positioning strategy, its advertising and promotion budget, and its sales goals.

Operations Plan

The operations plan section of the annual business plan should describe the company’s methods for manufacturing, distribution, and other aspects of its operations. It should also include information on the company’s capacity, its supply chain, and its quality control procedures.

Financial Plan

The financial plan section of the annual business plan should include a summary of the company’s financials, the budgetary approval process, contingency plans, as well as the broader visions and plans for funding and investment.

With regards to financials, you want to include past and projected Income Statements, Balance Sheets, and Cash Flow Statements. Also, if you are seeking external financing, document the amount of funding you need and the key expected uses of these funds.

Annual Goals

When creating your business plan, it’s important to set annual goals and objectives. This will help you track your progress and ensure that you’re on track to reaching your long-term goals. Some things you may want to consider when setting your annual goals include:

  • Increasing revenue
  • Expanding your customer base
  • Improving product or service quality
  • Reducing costs
  • Developing new products or services
  • Enhancing marketing efforts
  • Expanding into new markets

One of the most important aspects of any business plan is setting annual goals. These goals should be attainable, yet ambitious, and should help to guide your business in the right direction. Some things you may want to consider when setting your annual goals include increasing sales, expanding your customer base, improving productivity or efficiency, reducing costs, or developing new products or services. Whatever your goals may be, make sure to document them and track your progress throughout the year. This will help you ensure that you are on track to meeting your targets and achieving success for your business.

The appendix of the annual business plan template should include any supporting documentation that is relevant to the plan, such as market research reports, financial projections, and product specifications.

Every company should have an annual business plan. This document helps you track your progress, set goals, plan forward, and make necessary adjustments throughout the year related to key results. Without a business plan, it is difficult to make informed decisions about where to allocate your resources or measure your success. If you need help getting started, we have a great business planning template that can get you on the right track. By following our simple tips and using our template, you can create a comprehensive business plan that will help ensure your success in the coming year. 

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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

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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. 

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9+ Annual Operational Plan Templates

One of the biggest challenges for company leaders, managers, and business owners is keeping their team on track and keeping them motivated during their annual operational planning process. In most cases two sides form: One that wants immediate action and another that needs more sufficient data before driving a decision. It’s nearly July and we’re almost halfway through the year. You may also see plan samples .

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Annual Operational Plan Template

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Planning has been and always will be an essential part of anything that we do, whether it be for personal reasons or for work related activities. In the workplace or in a company, an annual operational plan is created and used so that company or business operation goals and objectives are carried out and monitored according to what has been planned for the entire year. You may also see plan samples .

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11+ operational plan templates sample templates, 7+ operating plan templates sample templates, 8+ software business plan templates sample templates, annual operational plan template.

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Annual Department Operational Plan Template

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Operational Plan Template

operational plan template

This article will be all about annual operational plans. We will be defining what an annual operational plan is, its uses, its key components, its purpose and the advantages of operational plan templates to any user. We have also made sure to include different samples and templates that can be used as reference or visual aid for any of you who wish to learn and understand operational plan better. Check them out below.

Sample Annual Operation Plan Template

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Annual Operational Plan Example Template

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Formal Annual Operational Plan Template

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Annual Operational Plan in Forestry Template

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Printable Annual Operational Plan Template

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Health Sector Annual Operational Plan Template

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Sample Annual Operating Plan Template

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Project Operational Plan Template

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What Is an Annual Operating Plan?

How are companies and businesses able to plan for their companies and manage their businesses to become successful and fully operation for a long period of time. Sample Planning and managing a business or company for a short period of time is a tedious tasks and requires a lot of time, skills and determination. What more if has to do with yearly or longer periods of time?

Companies and business are able to become successful and achieve their goals and objectives for long periods of time through a an annual operating plan. It is defined as a planning processes where companies or businesses set their strategic goals and objectives, which then becomes the basis for the various tasks and activities that they carry out throughout the year.

An annual operational plan is a very detailed plan which provides the specifics on how a company or business can do or work analysis on toward their planned goals and objectives. It includes a description of the companies certain operational  milestones, explanation on how these goals and objectives can be met, details about the annual budget request, and many more.

A well-thought-out and complete annual operation plan covers the tasks, activities to be achieved and the strategies used in the plan, the different individuals or entities who are involved and responsible for carrying certain tasks and activities, the time frame or the time required to have the tasks completed, and the financial resources required in order for the tasks list to be carried out and completed.

Other related topics that you may be interested in are  Sales Plan ,  Control Plan  and  Sample Marketing Plan

What Are the Key Components of an Operational Plan?

Operational plan needs to be complete and thoroughly created as it will be used as the basis for a years worth of task activities where the success of the business or company relies. In order to create a complete and effective operational plan, it should include the following key components.

  • An operational plan should contain clear objectives.  Clear objectives makes it possible for any company or business plan and work on what the company or business needs for the year or so. Because of this, all those who are involved can focus on the same objectives thus allows everyone to work with harmony successfully.
  • It should contain activities that are to be delivered. It should provide an sample outline or highlight the key tasks or activities that needs to be accomplished by the company or business for a specific period of time in order to meet their goals and objectives.
  • It should have quality standards and desired outcomes included in it.  Standards that help maintain and determine the quality of work and the quality of the output for such work are essential for any operations regardless of what field a company or business belongs. High quality outputs are produced by having quality standards set in place and this makes it possible for anyone to get the desired outcomes.
  • An operation plan should contain staffing and resource requirements.  The plan should include both the people needed to get the planning implemented and the resources that will be used to reach their planned goals.
  • It should have implementation timetables.  The timetables will help in the monitoring of the progress note or accomplishments that the company or business has done so far based on the annual operational plan created.
  • It should contain a process for monitoring.  And in order to ensure that everything is going according to plan, everything that has been done should be appropriately and timely monitored.

Remember these key components if you ever have to make an operational plan or take part in creating one. It will surely help you get the job done and ensure that your work is useful and effective. You may check out other related articles on our website, like  Software Business Plan ,  Implementation Plan Examples and  Sample Bar Business Plans .

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What Is the Difference Between an Operational Plan and A Strategic Plan?

  • An operational plan is a plan created so that resources are properly utilized to meet set goals and objectives. A strategic plan works like guide that the management uses or follows.
  • An operational plan provides specific details of the tasks or activities that are needed so that strategies will be implemented while a strategic plan is used to suggest what strategies should be used by the organization to reach its goals.
  • A strategic plan is used for longer periods of time until the goals or objectives are met. Although operational plans are also used for long periods of time or annually, it mainly plans for the day-to-day activities of the company or business.
  • There are no significant changes to a strategic plan every year while an operational plan tends to change or differ every year.
  • An operation plan is created in reference to a strategic plan and a strategic plan is created so that an operational plan can be formulated.

So the next time you encounter operational planning and strategic planning, you will know that they are not the same and be able to clearly differentiate one from the other. Aside from operational plans and strategic plans, there are still a number of plans out there that you might be interested in. Some interesting examples are  How to Make a Smart Marketing Plan and Elements of a Business Plan.

What Are the Advantages of Annual Operation Plan Templates?

The following are the advantages of an annual operating plan template.

  • Annual operating plan templates are ready made documents that you need to complete in order to create a useful and effective operational plan document.
  • It makes the task of creating an annual operational plan easy and convenient.
  • You can use the template either as sample reference in creating your own or use it as your own.
  • There are many different varieties of operational plan templates available online and they are mostly available for free download. They are even created in different file formats that are familiar to us.
  • You can edit any operational plan template to suit your needs or to make its contents appropriate for your needs.
  • You can guarantee that your work will be complete and detailed with the use of the template.

Those are the advantages that you can get if you use an annual operation plan template. We hope that you are able to learn about annual operation plans in this article. If you wish to learn more, then you can freely check out our website for more interesting topics. We have there  Operating Budget  and  Flight Plan Template  to name a few.

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How to create an operating plan: Examples with template

annual operating plan template

In today’s business environment, clear and consistent communication enables your team to have a shared understanding of the status and direction of your product. To this end, an operating plan collects your strategic objectives in one place, allowing everyone to grasp what they need to do, and how the product will remain successful.

How To Create An Operating Plan: Examples With Template

In this article you will learn what a product operating plan is, how it can help you achieve your objectives, and best practices for effectively implementing one within your project team.

What is an operating plan and why is it important for product managers?

A product operating plan is a document that outlines the strategic actions your team will take to achieve a specific goal. Most operating plans only cover a period of one to two years and serve a crucial role in the product development process . You can expect your operating plan to include budgets, resource allocation, timelines, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

The operating plan moves away from the big picture vantage point of vision and strategy, towards a more granular and tactical plan for the execution of product strategy.

The operating plan helps product managers assess the impact of changing business priorities and customer needs on the product roadmap . Product managers can use the operating plan as a tool to factor in and communicate changes across the organization, allowing the product development process to remain agile.

What goes into an operating plan?

An operating plan seeks to outline your product strategy to guide decisions and deliver on your stated goals. The operating plan comprises of the following:

  • Product goals and objectives — Define the product goals and objectives based on your product vision. Objectives should have clear deadlines and measurable outcomes that align with the business strategy
  • Milestone based plan — Create a milestone oriented plan to map your goals and objectives that can be tracked and measured against target
  • Structure of team, budget, resource, and timeline — Design your team, resources for the project, and budget allocation in order to work on the scope of the project and adhere to the milestones
  • Product metrics to measure progress — Identify and create the product metrics which can be used to measure the success of the product once it goes live to customers
  • Status check and interactive corrections — Iterate to customer requirements and watch for opportunities to make changes to the product

How to develop an effective operating plan

To better understand what goes into an effective operating plan we will breakdown each step and discuss best practices for approaching the following:

Identifying the product goals and objectives

Aligning with the strategy and vision of the product, selecting and tracking the product metrics.

The product goals derive from the product vision and strategy. To define these you should:

  • Break your vision into executable tasks (include the ‘what’ and not the ‘how’)
  • Ensure consistency with the product vision
  • Make you have a way to measure success

In order to align with the product strategy and vision, one should:

  • Infuse the product strategy and vision into all the steps of the product life cycle
  • Align the product vision with customer and business needs, as well as the values and principles of the company
  • Check alignment and correct any deviations with the vision

Identifying and tracking the right metrics is key to the success of any product and therefore the product team. Below are the steps to identify and track the right product metrics:

  • Identify the goal of your business and business strategy
  • Ask the right questions to help determine which goals would help track the success of your product against the business goals
  • Assign metrics as acquisition, engagement, retention, revenue, or referral
  • Create a platform to visualize and track the metrics

Implementing and monitoring an operating plan

A product operating plan provides you with an instrument to ensure your product will deliver on the stated vision, strategy, and goals. However, the success of your operating plan depends upon your ability to manage and monitor it throughout the course of the product lifecycle. Proper management of the operating plan includes:

Tracking success

Adjusting and/or pivoting course, keeping stakeholders aligned.

You can measure the success of a product operating plan by developing product metrics which allow you to quantify and track the progress of the plan. Also, having a visual representation of the metrics allows you to make better interpretations and display your progress visually.

Product metrics let you determine whether a product operates to plan or not. When your team performs as planned, there’s no need for further adjustment.

However, when the team misses, or finds themselves falling short of the agreed upon target, you need to take corrective action and pivot course.

Here, corrective action could come from aligning or augmenting resources, changing the budget allocation, or moving around the tasks based on the dependencies in the plan.

Because the operating plan has many moving parts and stakeholders involved, you need to ensure that you have the buy-in from all the stakeholders involved.

The best practices for ensuring stakeholder buy-in include:

  • Communication — Constant and consistent communication with all stakeholders will allow all everyone to be on board and aligned with the operating plan
  • Transparency — Being transparent with all stakeholders in terms of progress updates and any challenges/roadblocks that crop up during the course of executing the operating plan will ensure all stakeholders are are able to provide their full support
  • Status updates — Providing status updates to leadership and obtaining regular status communication from other stakeholder teams will ensure everyone remains aware of the state of your product

Common challenges and how to overcome them

As with anything, challenges will arise while working with a product operating plan. Rather than allowing these to grow into a bigger problem, you should work to mitigate following issues before they impact the health of your product:

Lack of authority

Communication challenges, visibility restraints.

Similar to the product manager role, the product operations or operating plan team has to work without direct authority, or people management responsibilities. You should be aware of this while trying to push the team towards your deliverables and use the operating plan as an influencing tool.

Communication is key to maintaining the flow of delivery across the product lifecycle. Insufficient communication or communication gaps can result in teams and stakeholders missing out on necessary changes or tasks. These knowledge gaps could result in misalignment, which impacts the product delivery timelines, as well as the scope.

Since the product operations team is a level above the product management, the product operations team may have limited visibility of the roadmap, customer needs, or the technical architecture/design information.

annual operating plan template

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annual operating plan template

Operating plan example

Below is an example of an operating plan that provides an illustration of what the process might look like for you. The operating plan focuses on two main steps:

Product vision and strategy

Product operating plan components.

To provide a mobile based shopping experience for a retail grocery store shopper (in addition to in store shopping which is currently available)

Product goal(s):

  • Complete an end-to-end customer journey on a mobile app (viewing inventory by categories, adding to cart or wish list, checkout, and completing payment)
  • Seamless experience in terms of navigation on the site, as well as understanding the pricing and assortment to the mobile platform users
  • Additional benefits of the mobile shopping experience in terms of reordering items, mobile based return/refund for eligible items
  • Discuss the scope of work needed to deliver complete functionality in terms of the mobile shopping experience to the mobile platform users
  • Create the plan for delivering the identified scope (e.g., to have the first version of the mobile grocery shopping platform released to customer within the next six months)
  • Identify the data engineering needs to provide a seamless mobile platform experience for grocery shopping (e.g., identify what categories of products will be available for user selection in the first version of mobile application and how many concurrent users can shop on the platform)
  • Determine the structure of the team and resourcing needs to deliver to scope and planned timelines (e.g., scrum team would develop the mobile platform in terms of frontend and backend and user experience engineers)
  • Identify the success metrics for the product (e.g., how many users were activated on the mobile platform, how many users could complete one successful workflow of the mobile grocery shopping experience, or the time taken to complete a checkout in store checkout)

Operating plan template

To help you get started on your own operating plan, use this template . The template includes all the key parameters that need to be tracked and mobilized in order to make the product operating plan successful.

The product operating plan is a key component of the product development and delivery lifecycle. Having a product operating plan allows you to outline the tactical steps and ensure successful product delivery and tracking of your product.

The product operating plan also fosters alignment with the vision, stakeholder buy-in, and sets the product and the product organization up for success.

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Annual Operating Plan

Annual operating plan presentation, premium google slides theme and powerpoint template.

If you're looking for a hassle-free way to create your next annual operating plan, get this business template. It's filled with interesting AI content as an example, so you can see exactly how your own plan should be structured. The template's simple yet professional design will guide you through every step of the planning process. With it, you can easily set your goals, outline your objectives, and lay out all of your operational activities for the year to come. So why not save yourself some time and stress by using this handy template to set your next Annual Operating Plan?

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The Best 10 annual operating plan templates in Excel

Excel is a software developed by Microsoft that uses spreadsheets to arrange data and figures using formulas. It can covertly organize your plans. The best 10 annual operating plan templates in excel for you are one of the most important. Using the project template, you may find a list of and organize all the things needed for the project. You may estimate the cost and quantity of each resource that you'll need. By combining it with your time and schedule, these 10 excel strategic plan templates are utilized to keep track of spending while you work on the plan.

The nicest aspect of these best 10 annual operating plan templates in excel is the flexibility to customize and select from various designs.

1. School Purchase Plan Template

This excels template for organizing assignments includes a time estimate for each student task and a timetable for upcoming tests and study time. It is simple to use and free to download. It is used to operate annual plans for schools.

2. Simple Blue&Yellow Work Plan Template

Beautiful blue and yellow colors are used in this template to manage your plans. This excels template for organizing things includes a time estimate for each task. It is available for free download from the WPS office.

3. Annual Work Plan Template

This Excel template for an annual operational plan keeps tabs on the time, staff, costs, and problems. It is used for annual management. Free to download and simple to use.

4. Annual Goals and Plan Template

This straightforward Excel yearly operating plan template keeps track of the time, personnel, expenses, and difficulties associated with annual management. It is used for annual management to quickly accomplish the objectives. It is easy to use and available for free download.

5. Plan for Work Template

An Excel annual operating plan for work template for projects is generally produced to increase productivity and organization.

6. Visuable Year Plan Table Template

This annual year operating plan Excel template keeps track of time, employees, expenses, and issues. For annual management, it is employed.

7. Marketing Plans Chart Template

An Excel annual operating plan template for marketing plans is used to check out the gains and losses ever up and down in the marketing business. Now you can download this incredible template from the WPS office.

8. Green Work and Study Plan Template

Green is used in this operating plan template to handle the study plan. Students can use this template to organize their study schedules, assignments, and other tasks.

9. Review Plan and Schedule Template

An Excel review plan and schedule template work on the annual operating plan template formula. It is the top-reviewed template. It is designed to review the plan and schedule whenever you want to.

10. Fresh Green Work Plan Schedule Template

This annual operating plan template contains fresh green for yearly work plan management. Employees can manage their assignment tasks, plans, etc., by using this template.

The Final Words

If you want to advance your project plans, these 10 Best annual operating plan templates in Excel are great for the work part.

There are many templates online, but if none of them catch your eye, you can visit WPS Office, a website with millions of options. You can free download any Excel template for strategic planning from the WPS office. Download your favorite template now as a result!

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COMMENTS

  1. The Complete Guide to Writing an Annual Operating Plan

    Learn how to write an annual operating plan for your organization with this comprehensive guide. Find out what an annual operating plan is, what it includes, why it is important, and how to make one with 8 key steps. Download a free tool to track and document board meetings.

  2. How To Create An Effective Annual Operating Plan (+Template)

    5 min read How To Create An Effective Annual Operating Plan (+Template) Article by Cascade Team — Published November 7, 2023 Do you even need one? Perhaps your organization excels at executing business strategies, keeping everything on track while you monitor performance in real-time. That's the hope, isn't it? But let's be honest.

  3. Free Annual Plan Templates & Yearly Planning Templates

    Free Annual Plan Templates: Excel, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Google Slides. We've collected the top annual plan templates in Excel, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Google Slides. Use the templates to build a 12-month strategy that streamlines the annual planning process based on the company's vision for goal-setting. We're hiring!

  4. Free Operational Plan Templates

    This five-year operational plan template gives you a detailed look at the steps and resources needed to reach your goals. Track deliverables, responsible parties, and resources in this customizable template. This template also helps team members visualize long-term needs and stay on top of their responsibilities and timelines.

  5. How to Develop an Annual Operating Plan + Template

    2.1 1. Assess your current situation 2.2 2. Analyse the market climate 2.3 3. Build your business strategy 2.4 4. Create the operational plan 2.5 5. Explore new technology 2.6 6. Implement your plan 3 Annual Operating Plan Template 4 FAQs 4.1 Why is creating an AOP important?

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    Learn how to create an annual operating plan (AOP) for your business or personal goals using a 12-month calendar, a blank spreadsheet, and a planner system. Follow the steps to structure your calendar, set up key performance indicators, and track your progress with an AOP.

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    Learn how to create effective operational plans with customizable and simple templates in Word and ClickUp. Find out what makes a good operational plan template, what to include in each section, and 10 examples of different types of plans for your business.

  9. Free Annual Planning Template: Streamline Strategies [2023] • Asana

    An annual planning template is a reusable guide that lays out each step in the annual planning process. It helps clarify planning by outlining exactly what you should do—and when you should do it—to craft a successful business plan.

  10. Annual Planning Templates: How to Make your 2021 Annual Plan

    Step #1: Assess Your Current Situation Planning is all about reading a situation and making informed choices. So step #1 in your annual planning process is to review last year. It's important to determine what worked and what didn't work for the business. To do this you can gather data from past reports or talk to managers from each area.

  11. Annual Operating Plans: Definition + How to Write Them

    Published on December 10, 2022 Last Updated on November 14, 2023 Business planning can be a painful process for all involved. But getting rid of it isn't an option. A rigorous annual operating plan is what will help you maximize efficiency across the business and allocate resources to hit company goals.

  12. Annual Planning: Plan Like a Pro In 5 Steps (+ Template)

    10 min read Annual Planning: Plan Like a Pro In 5 Steps (+ Template) Article by Cascade Team — Published April 11, 2023 Get ready to take your strategic annual planning game to the next level! This process is essential for companies who want to set a clear direction for the future and ensure everyone is working towards the same goal.

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    Jan 20, 2022 12:00:00 AM An annual operating plan is a prized document - it's the blueprint for building your organisation in any given year. You wouldn't build a house without architectural drawings. Unfortunately, some CEOs run their organisations with only a sketch of what they are building.

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    There are four key parts to the annual plan template: 1. Vision and Strategy. The first step is to define the company's overall vision and strategy. This will provide a framework for all of the other steps in the process. ... The operations plan section of the annual business plan should describe the company's methods for manufacturing ...

  15. Free 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. ... Annual planning template. With everything streamlined and the busywork ...

  16. 9+ Annual Operational Plan Templates

    9+ Annual Operational Plan Templates One of the biggest challenges for company leaders, managers, and business owners is keeping their team on track and keeping them motivated during their annual operational planning process.

  17. FREE 14+ Annual Operational Plan Samples & Templates in PDF

    Annual operating plan templates are ready made documents that you need to complete in order to create a useful and effective operational plan document. It makes the task of creating an annual operational plan easy and convenient. You can use the template either as sample reference in creating your own or use it as your own.

  18. How to create an operating plan: Examples with template

    How to develop an effective operating plan. Identifying the product goals and objectives. Aligning with the strategy and vision of the product. Selecting and tracking the product metrics. Implementing and monitoring an operating plan. Tracking success. Adjusting and/or pivoting course. Keeping stakeholders aligned.

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    Download more than 5 million free photos for your presentations Ads Annual Operating Plan Presentation Premium Google Slides theme and PowerPoint template If you're looking for a hassle-free way to create your next annual operating plan, get this business template.

  20. The Best 10 annual operating plan templates in Excel

    1. School Purchase Plan Template This excels template for organizing assignments includes a time estimate for each student task and a timetable for upcoming tests and study time. It is simple to use and free to download. It is used to operate annual plans for schools. 2. Simple Blue&Yellow Work Plan Template

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