Building and Implementing an Operational Plan.

Radiology practices engage in planning processes with varying frequency. Organizational planning can occur on three levels. Strategic planning is an infrequent event occurring every 5-7 years. It is aspirational and is guided by the mission and the vision of the organization. Operational planning is a yearly process in which businesses articulate their goals for the year. Creating a yearly operational plan provides departmental employees with a road map for the upcoming year and helps to tie their daily activities to the larger strategic plan of the organization. Finally, a project plan provides details describing how a specific goal will be met. The differences among these three types of plans (strategic plan, operational plan, and project plan) are described. The article then focuses on operational planning, providing a rationale for building an operational plan and then a description of the method used in the authors' division to build an operational plan. © RSNA, 2018.