TACTICAL PLANNING: CHARACTERISTICS, IMPORTANCE AND EXAMPLES - DUDAS - 2025

The tactical planning establishes the specific steps needed to implement the strategic plan of a company. It is an extension of strategic planning, and tactical plans are created for all levels of a company. Tactics are the specific, but not very detailed, actions that are carried out to implement the strategy.

These actions describe what a company needs to do, the priority of the steps needed to carry out those tasks, and the tools and personnel needed to meet the company's strategic goals. Tactical plans are usually short term.

The extent of the tactical plans is shorter than the horizon of the strategic plan. For example, if the strategic plan is carried out for five years, the tactical plans could be made for periods of one to three years, subject to the regularity of the change and the type of market that the company serves.

Tactical plans should focus on the core objectives of the company; otherwise, employee activities become too fragmented and it will be difficult for them to understand how their activities ultimately relate to goals.

characteristics

In tactical planning it is necessary to understand and decipher the strategic objectives; then identify the courses of action necessary to achieve those objectives.

The main question is to ask the following question: "How can the strategic objectives be achieved within the proposed terms of authority and resources?" This can only occur by ensuring that the results generated by the tactics lead to the desired strategic benefits.

It is related to the actions taken day by day, and the results of which will advance the company to achieve the objectives outlined in the strategic plan. Strategy is the what and why; the tactic is the how.

Tactical plans are sometimes called short-term action plans because they break down larger objectives and strategies into tasks more down to actions.

The essential thing to get a well-executed tactical plan is that you have specific actions, designated to specific employees with well-defined deadlines.

The tactical planning development process is time consuming. If the plan is extensive it can cause a slowdown in the operations of the company; This can lead to a decrease in profits.

Responsible management

Senior management is responsible for strategic plans, as they have a better corporate overview. Mid-level managers have a better understanding of day-to-day operations, and are usually the ones in charge of doing tactical planning.

Tactical planning is developed by those who deal with day-to-day work. A tactical plan is developed to know what to do, when it should be done and this will help to deal with the "how" of the operational plan.

Flexibility

The goal of tactical planning is to achieve the goals and objectives of the strategic plan, but the business environment and markets can change rapidly.

When this happens, it is time to reassess how the tactics are performing against the stated objectives and if the tactics need to be changed.

Strategic planning looks to the future and tactical planning refers to the present. Since we know much more about today than about the future, tactical plans have more detail than strategic plans.

Therefore, a necessary component of the ongoing tactical planning process is flexibility in the face of change. It must be integrated into tactical plans to allow for unforeseen events.

For example, if the company manufactures a product, it must incorporate flexibility into its plan to deal with possible breakdowns and maintenance of machinery. It cannot be assumed that machinery can be run at full speed all the time.

Steps to develop tactical planning

Six general steps are identified for developing a tactical plan.

1- Define the business.

2- Analyze the market.

3- Request projects, participate in the target market and develop a marketing strategy.

4- Develop organization and management models.

5- Evaluate the financial and mission implications of the business.

6- Put it all together in the final tactical plan.

The final tactical plan can be used to focus work, measure progress, and seek funding.

Importance

Tactical plans are important to companies because the steps developed in the plan help management discover inefficiencies in their operations.

After operational deficiencies are revealed, management can make the necessary decisions to make corrections.

Bold goals and thoughtful strategies don't produce anything if you don't take steps to put them into action. The objectives and strategies give a vision, but the actions make the company really plan.

They also allow companies to benefit from the contribution of their employees. Practical tactical plans should contain input from the people involved in the day-to-day operations of a company.

Effective tactical planning can be the key to success. It can help secure finances, prioritize efforts, and evaluate opportunities.

At first it may seem like a lot of work; however, a well-prepared tactical plan can save time and money in the long run.

Examples

First example

Suppose a company sells insurance in a large city. The tactical plan for the insurance company should detail each element necessary to meet the objectives and vision established in the strategic plan of the company.

If it is determined that one of the best ways to reach the target consumer is through television advertising, then the tactical plan should carefully detail the details of the television campaign.

Among the steps to follow to develop this plan are: deciding what will be the most appropriate message, organizing the development of the commercial, deciding on which channels and when to transmit the commercial, and following up on any potential customers who react to the campaign.

The company's sales department may be responsible for managing customer inquiries from television advertising. Therefore, the tactical plan for the sales area must be developed jointly with the marketing department.

The tactical sales plan should outline how the number of calls will be handled, how many staff will be required, and how the sales will be tracked.

The marketing area should provide the sales department with information about the TV campaign so that the latter can carry out its own tactical plan.

Second example

Adorian Corporation recommends developing tactical plans with three to five strong objectives in mind. "Increase sales 20% in twelve months" is an example of a goal that is specific and measurable.

One strategy that can help is to train staff on suggested sales. A specific tactic for this strategy is to require all sales employees to suggest a certain product Y to customers who buy product X.

Third example

ABC Company Tactical Planning to Reduce Production Costs by Ten Percent in 12 Months:

References

1. Rose Johnson (2018). Tactical and Operational Planning. Small Business - Chron.com. Taken from: smallbusiness.chron.com.
2. Lisa Nielsen (2018). Example of Tactical Planning in Business. Small Business - Chron.com. Taken from: smallbusiness.chron.com.
3. Rural Health Information Hub (2018). Business (Tactical) Planning. Taken from: ruralhealthinfo.org.
4. ManagerLink (2018). Strategic and Tactical Planning: Understanding the Difference. Taken from: managerlink.monster.com.
5. Neil Kokemuller (2018). Definition of Tactical Planning in Business. Small Business - Chron.com. Taken from: smallbusiness.chron.com.