Part 2.Tactical plans

Develop related strategies (tactical and operational). Tactical plans are based on the organization's strategic plan. In turn, operational plans are based on the organization’s tactical plans. Top level managers set very general, long-term goals that require more than one year to achieve. Examples of long-term goals include long-term growth, improved customer service, and increased profitability. Middle managers interpret these goals and develop tactical plans for their departments that can be accomplished within one year or less. In order to develop tactical plans, middle management needs detail reports (financial, operational, market, external environment). Tactical plans have shorter time frames and narrower scopes than strategic plans. Tactical planning provides the specific ideas for implementing the strategic plan. It is the process of making detailed decisions about what to do, who will do it, and how to do it.

Managers and supervisors implement operational plans that are short-term and deal with the day-to-day work of their team. Operational plans include a budget, scheduling the work of employees, identifying needs for resources, policies, procedures, methods, and rules. The terms themselves imply different degrees of scope.

A policy is a general statement designed to guide employees' actions in recurring situations. Thus, policies are guidelines.

A procedure is a sequence of steps or operations describing how to carry out an activity and usually involves a group. An example of a procedure is the sequence of steps in routing of parts.

A method sets up the manner and sequence of accomplishing a recurring, individual task. An example of a method is the steps in cashing a check. A rule is an established guide for conduct. An example of a rule is "No Smoking."

Monitor the plan. A systematic method of monitoring the environment must be adopted to continuously improve the strategic planning process. To develop an environmental monitoring procedure, short-term standards for key variables that will tend to validate the long-range estimates must be established. Although favorable long-range values have been estimated, short-term guidelines are needed to indicate if the plan is unfolding as hoped. Next, criteria must be set up to decide when the strategy must be changed. Feedback is encouraged and incorporated to determine if goals and objectives are feasible.

Exercise 5. Comprehension. Answer the questions.

1. Why is effective planning so important for every organization?

2. Can you explain the concept of strategic planning?

3. The planning process consists of a logical and orderly series of steps. What are they?

4. What is the aim of a mission statement?

5. What does SWOT stand for? Give definitions to its components.

6. What do objectives elaborate on? What do they constitute?

7. Can you explain the difference between tactical and operational plans?

8. What is the difference between tactical and strategic plans?

9. What is a procedure?

10. How can the process of monitoring the plan contribute to achieving the goal of the plan?

11. What can help managers determine whether goals and objectives are feasible?

Exercise 6. Find the synonyms to the words from list A in list B.

A: concise; ultimate; explicit; discretion; focus; opportunity; support; research; compete; interpret; devise; examine; seek; performance; feasible; validate;

____________________________________________________________________________

B: fix; translate; study; confirm; look for; circumspection; rival; functioning; chance; realizable; invent; distinct; eventual; investigate; brief; back up;

Exercise 7. Match the words to get word partners from the text.

1. allocating 2. effective 3. overall 4. business 5. changing 6. mission 7. internal 8. customer 9. detailed 10. recurring

a. plans b. statement c. service d. planning e assessment f. decisions g. conditions h. situations i. resources j. goals

Exercise 8. Match the terms and their definitions.

1. plan	a) the process of making detailed decisions about what to do, who will do it, and how to do it
2. vision	b) the process of developing and analyzing the organization’s mission, overall goals, general strategies, and allocating resources
3. strategy	c) a plan adjusting expenses to available income over a fixed time period
4. operational plan	d) the image the organization has of itself in the future
5. rule	e) an organization’s purpose or reason for existing
6. tactical planning	f) an established guide for conduct
7. mission	g) a scheme for accomplishing the goals of the organization
8.strategic planning	h) a specific position an employee holds in an organization
9. budget	i) a course of action created to achieve a long-term goal
10.policy	j) a short-term plan dealing with the daily, weekly, and monthly activities
11. job	k) a general statement designed to guide employees’ actions in recurring situations.

Exercise 9. Crossword puzzle. All the terms are taken from the text and the exercises.

ACROSS

2. Sequence of steps to carry out task.

4. Scheme for accomplishing goals.

5. Established guide for conduct.

7. Finding and adapting best practices.

8. Sequence of steps for group effort.

DOWN

1. End that the organization strives to attain.

3. Purpose or reason for existing.

4. General statement to guide actions.

6. Action to achieve a long-term goal.

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Exercise 10. Say what you’ve learned from the text about

a) strategic plans ; b) tactical plans ; c) operational plans.

Exercise 11. Insert the following words into the text below.

recalled	explicit	justification	mission
to accomplish	differentiates	provides	purpose
collectively	job	motivation	shared

A mission is a broad definition of a business that ….. it from all other organizations. It is the ….. for the organization's existence. In addition to the organization's ….. other key elements of the ….. statement should include whom it serves, how, and why. The most effective mission statements are easily ….. and provide direction and ….. for the organization.

Since an organization exists ….. something in the larger environment, its specific mission or purpose ….. employees with a ….. sense of opportunity, direction, significance, and achievement. An ….. mission guides employees to work independently and yet ….. toward the realization of the organization's potential. Thus, a good mission statement allows the individual employee to say; "I know how I should do my ….. differently."

Exercise 12. Say it in English.

1. Эффективное планирование помогает организации приспосабливаться к постоянно меняющейся окружающей среде.

2. Являясь одним из основных элементов менеджмента, планирование предполагает выбор целей и действий по их достижению.

3. Руководители высшего звена занимаются главным образом стратегическим или долгосрочным планированием.

4. Стратегическое планирование представляет собой процесс разработки и анализа общих целей и стратегий организации, ее миссии.

5. Ситуационный анализ является решающим при создании любого стратегического плана, так как он помогает организации отыскивать новые благоприятные возможности и отслеживать грозящие неприятности. Источниками информации при этом могут служить клиенты, поставщики, правительственные структуры, профессиональные или торговые ассоциации (съезды, выставки), журналы и доклады (научные, профессиональные и т.д.).

6. Тактические планы основываются на стратегических планах организации, а операционные планы, в свою очередь, – на тактических

7. Задача менеджера заключается в том, чтобы давать указания, необходимые для выполнения общих задач.

8. Примером операционного плана может служить бюджет организации, который представляет собой план, показывающий, как будут расходоваться деньги организации за определенный период времени.

9. Качество работы улучшается, если человек обладает необходимым опытом, однако это случается тогда, когда знания и навыки имеют прямое отношение к работе.

10. Менеджер должен применять систематический метод наблюдения за окружающей обстановкой, чтобы постоянно совершенствовать процесс стратегического планирования.

Exercise 13. Discussion.

Conduct a situation analysis of your organization: study the list of questions and spread them over the components of SWOT analysis.

• Are our technologies obsolete?

• What are the emerging technologies?

• What financing is available?

• What substitute products exist on the market?

• Do we have a superior reputation?

• Is there a shortage of resources we get outside?

• How skilled is our workforce?

• Is there a possibility of growth of existing market?

• What are the new regulations?

• Are our facilities outdated?

Situation Analysis
Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunities	Threats

Compare the results obtained by you and your partner. Give arguments for your discussion. In the back of the book you will find a discussion of the possible solutions. See “Commentary on the Exercises”.

Exercise 14. Read and translate text B making use of the vocabulary.

assessment n оценка inventory n инвентаризация layoff n увольнение, вынужденная безработица attrition n изнашивание enhance v усиливать job sharing распределение работы в условиях снижения нагрузки

anxiety n беспокойство, тревога outsider nпостороннее лицо insider n свой человек challenge n трудная работа, сложная проблема casual leave отпуск сверх ежегодного elicit v выявлять, допытываться