Operational planning: the main concepts

Operational planning is the development of measures for the use of available resources. It is also called a tactical plan, that is , it is a list of steps that contribute to the achievement of the goal in the long run. Thus, operational financial planning must obey the main tasks identified in the strategic plan.

The compilation of these documents requires additional costs, but with high-quality work these costs will pay off. Rational forecasting will make it possible to effectively carry out current activities. Thanks to the plan, the management team of the enterprise takes adequate decisions on further operation. In addition, operational planning is aimed at the competent allocation and expenditure of all resources and assets of the organization. But it is not enough simply to draw up a planning document, it is necessary to make good use of its results and draw objective conclusions. It helps to understand what measures a firm needs to improve its financial position.

Operational production planning is based on the use of such documents as a cash and credit plan and a payment calendar. Let us consider each of them in detail. When developing a payment calendar, it is required to collect data from various divisions of the company, including the information of the accounting department, which is obliged to provide the initial documentation in full. At the request of specialists, the accountant groups the data on cash flow on the company's accounts, on the availability of receivables and payables. The payment calendar allows you to consolidate information on the receipt and expenditure of funds during each calendar day, on all changes. Based on these data, a thorough analysis of the market for these products is carried out. Periodicity of publication of the calendar is determined by the organization independently, as a rule, the decision is made taking into account the periodicity of the main financial documents.

The main purpose of drawing up supporting documents is to identify the mistakes made and to prevent their recurrence in the future. For example, as a result of the work done, it may turn out that the expenditure part of the budget significantly exceeded the inflow of funds planned earlier. In this situation, the specialist draws a conclusion about the need to compile a system of measures to increase equity capital, which will cover the exceeded cost limit. Otherwise, the company will be forced to take loans and loans, which will drive the head to a deep debt hole, getting out of it is not easy. Exaggeration of the resource base over the expenditure side not only indicates a firm's firm solvency, but also shows the possibility of investing funds in other projects and at the expense of this obtaining more profit.

Rational operational planning can not be presented without a cash plan, which reflects the cash flow for the reporting period. The specialist is given an opportunity to fully study what part of the funds is spent to pay workers, which part is used for settlements with suppliers of raw materials and other small products and how much resources are required to finance travel needs. Operational planning allows to estimate in advance the enterprise's need for credit resources and the possibility of acquiring it. Moreover, even the maximum amount of borrowed funds is established, which the firm can pay without significant damage to its further operation. Final conclusions are made on the basis of a consolidated analytical note.