Operational Planning

With the Conceptual Development Strategy adopted, not only must the physical design be completed, the operating plan and organizational design to support that plan must be delineated.

The initial architecture of an organization has far reaching implications on the operating culture and effectiveness well into the future, be they positive or negative in nature. Knowing this, here are some of the areas that may need to be addressed as a project is planned:

The organizational structure, how flat it is, how balanced authority is with responsibility, how career paths are likely to evolve, how benefit packages can be afforded which serve to attract and retain both hourly, salaried and professional personnel, are all critical questions that need to be addressed.

Management job descriptions and qualifications, talent acquisition strategies and expenses must all be defined. Salaries and bonus structures, along with hourly wage scales need to be decided and tested in the local market.

The human and IT sides of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) need to be addressed and designed, many times having direct implications on the design of a facility.

Manuals need to be at least identified as needing to be written, so they can, indeed, be composed during construction.

Management Information Systems need to be specified, sourced, budgeted, and, in some cases, systems integrated and software adapted or written.

The pre-opening schedule of personnel coming online and trained needs to be sorted through and budgeted.