The Operational Plan is a one year plan that spells out the detail of the Delivery Program, identifying the individual projects and activities that will be undertaken in a specific financial year to achieve the commitments made in the four year Delivery Program.

The Operational Plan must include the council’s detailed annual budget, along with the council’s Statement of Revenue Policy, which includes the proposed rates, fees and charges for that financial year.

It should be apparent how the Operational Plan activities work towards achieving the Delivery Program, and in turn work towards achieving the objectives of the Community Strategic Plan. The activities of the Operational Plan are enabled by the Resourcing Strategy.

Operational Plan responsibilities should be linked to team planning and the staff performance system, so that they become an intrinsic part of a staff member’s work planning and regular performance review.

The ‘Operational Plan’ chapter in the Integrated Planning and Reporting Handbook for local government in NSW provides detailed information.