Operations Plan

Why Your Operations Plan is Important

Your Operations Plan must detail 1) the key day-to-day processes that your company performs to serve customers and 2) the key milestones your company expects to accomplish as you grow.

Anyone can have lofty goals (e.g., we will reach $X million in revenue in year X). The Operations Plan proves to the reader that you have thought through and devised a plan to achieve your goals.

What to Include

The Operations Plan section of your plan has two sub-sections: Key Operational Processes and Milestones.

Key Operational Processes

Detail the key day-to-day processes that your company performs to serve customers such as marketing, product development, etc.

Below are key operational functions that your organization may need to fulfill. In your plan, identify each of these areas that are relevant to your company and what the role of that function is. For example, our Customer Service team will ensure our customers are satisfied. We will provide 24/7 customer service and post product updates on social media each week.

• Product Development
• Sales
• Marketing
• Finance
• Customer Service
• Manufacturing
• Administration
• Accounting/Payroll
• Human Resources
• Legal
• Purchasing

Milestones

Here you will detail the key milestones that your company expects to accomplish as you grow and when you expect to accomplish them.

Sample milestones include:

• New products and services introductions
• Store opening date
• Revenue milestones (date when sales exceed $X, when sales exceed $Y, etc.)
• Key partnerships executed
• Key customer contracts secured
• Key financial events (future funding rounds, IPO, etc.)
• Key employee hires