Reference no: EM133837194

Question

Operational goals can then be set, with Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) being a method to monitor performance as they provide targets, milestones for activity and expected outcomes. These need to be SMART to ensure activity is measurable. Operational planning also needs to consider the resources available. This includes staff availability and the skills of those staff. Development may need to be considered and factored into the KPI. In addition, time scales need to be carefully considered and managed with clear milestones and reporting frequencies set from the outset. One disadvantage of using KPI's is the time resource required for their development, therefore managers need to factor this in to the process. When operational planning, managers will find that they are required to complete a number of tasks, and it is helpful to utilise tools to manage this. A Gantt chart provides a visual tool that can be used for planning the process and offers the opportunity to quickly review the progress of tasks and identify where progress is not meeting the planned objectives. These charts can be extremly complex and need to be constantly updated, however, and can, at times, be difficult to see easily and therefore these disadvantages need to be factored in and managed effectively.