How do we get there?
The Operational Plan format and content needs to be consistent with council’s Corporate Plan.
As a working document, the Operational Plan will also provide specific details including performance targets, references to budgets and responsibility for taking action.
Key steps
Recommended resources
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Step 3.1 Confirm links to the Corporate Plan
There is a direct link between these plans as indicated in the following diagram:
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Step 3.2 Establish the Operational Plan format and content
The information required to be documented in the Operational Plan is a direct result of the actions taken as part of the development of council's Corporate Plan. These are described in these Guidelines at Stage 2, Step 2 - Plan for corporate outcomes.
For examples of operational plan formats, refer to Case Study 21 - Budget linkages - Toowoomba City Council (
PDF 144 kB), Case Study 24 - Performance measures - Redland Shire Council ( PDF 137 kB) and Case Study 26 - Performance measures - Gold Coast City Council. ( PDF 85 kB)
The key items to be included in an Operational Plan are:
Activity | | Beginning with a verb, this describes what will be done to achieve a particular outcome from the Corporate Plan. Many councils use the term 'action' when referring to these activities. |
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Projects | | Council-approved projects that support achievement of corporate plan outcomes are listed in the Operational Plan (usually along with activities). |
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Measures | | Each activity (or action) has one or more measures that are also included in the quarterly reporting process. |
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Baseline | | The initial (actual) level of performance, against which a target is set. |
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Target | | A quantifiable level of performance to be attained at a specific future date. |
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Milestone | | Sets a timeframe for completion of all or part of a project or activity and is usually expressed in terms of a completion date or percentage towards completion. |
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Responsibility | | Responsibility is assigned to a responsible council manager (usually identified by organisational units) to provide direct accountability for achieving targets and/or milestones. |
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Step 3.3 Meet targets and milestones
To ensure the Operational Plan is developed within required timeframes and in concert with other activities, councils are advised to make use of Template 10 - Corporate planning diary ( PDF 127 kB) and (optionally) Template 9 - Worksheet - Project Plan. ( PDF 24 kB)
In addition to the annual review as part of the Planning Cycle, a local government may, by resolution, amend its Operational Plan at any time before the end of the financial year for which it is prepared (S 509).
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