Which of these managers is engaged in operational planning?
A Yuan is assessing which divisions stayed within their budgets.
B Jesse is writing a statement about the purpose of his organization.
C Najah is adjusting the safety policy after an employee was injured.
D Renata is assigning employees to workstations and applying protocols to resolve customer complaints.
The correct answer and explanation is :
Correct Answer: D. Renata is assigning employees to workstations and applying protocols to resolve customer complaints.
Explanation:
Operational planning is a short-term, highly detailed form of planning that focuses on how to implement the strategic and tactical goals of an organization on a day-to-day basis. It involves the practical steps that teams, departments, or units take to achieve immediate objectives. Managers involved in operational planning typically focus on resource allocation, scheduling, standard operating procedures, and routine tasks. This type of planning ensures that employees understand their roles, responsibilities, and processes necessary to deliver results.
Let’s analyze each option:
- Option A: Yuan is assessing which divisions stayed within their budgets.
This activity falls under controlling, which is a function of management involving monitoring and evaluating performance against goals. It is not planning, but rather an assessment of whether past plans were effective. - Option B: Jesse is writing a statement about the purpose of his organization.
This describes strategic planning, which is long-term and involves setting overall goals, mission, and direction for the organization. Strategic planning is broader and focuses on where the organization is going, rather than how to manage daily operations. - Option C: Najah is adjusting the safety policy after an employee was injured.
This is an example of tactical planning or policy revision, which lies between strategic and operational planning. It is typically more medium-term and aims at updating procedures based on changing conditions or feedback. - Option D: Renata is assigning employees to workstations and applying protocols to resolve customer complaints.
This is operational planning. Renata is directly organizing tasks and guiding employee actions to meet daily service goals. Her actions reflect immediate, hands-on management of personnel and processes, which is the essence of operational planning.
Thus, Renata’s actions align most closely with operational planning, making Option D the correct choice.