Operations Planning & Control

Introduction

Operations Planning & Control is a comprehensive five-day training program designed to develop participants’ understanding and capabilities in planning, coordinating, monitoring, and controlling operational activities. The course focuses on the principles and practices required to achieve efficient utilization of resources, maintain operational continuity, improve productivity, and align day-to-day operations with organizational objectives.

Participants will explore operational planning principles, demand and capacity considerations, resource planning, scheduling, inventory and materials coordination, performance measurement, risk management, and continuous improvement.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the fundamental principles of operations planning and control.
• Explain the relationship between operational strategy, planning, and organizational objectives.
• Understand the key components of an effective operations planning framework.
• Analyze operational demand, requirements, and resource needs.
• Understand capacity planning and resource utilization principles.
• Develop effective approaches to operational planning and scheduling.
• Understand the coordination of manpower, materials, equipment, and other operational resources.
• Identify operational constraints, bottlenecks, and potential disruptions.
• Understand inventory and materials planning principles.
• Apply appropriate approaches to operational monitoring and control.
• Establish meaningful operational performance measures and indicators.
• Analyze operational deviations and understand corrective action approaches.
• Manage operational risks, uncertainties, and changing priorities.
• Improve coordination and communication across operational functions.
• Support continuous improvement and operational efficiency.
• Align operational plans with business priorities and performance objectives.

Training Methodology

The course will be delivered through a structured theoretical and interactive learning approach, including:

• Instructor-led presentations and explanations.
• Facilitated discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions.
• Guided analysis of operations planning and control concepts.
• Review of operational scenarios and industry practices.
• Discussions on common planning and operational challenges.
• Question-and-answer sessions.
• Group discussions on operational performance and control.
• End-of-topic reviews and knowledge checks.

Who Should Attend?

This course is suitable for:

• Operations Managers and Supervisors.
• Operations Planning professionals.
• Business Analysts involved in operations planning.
• Production and Manufacturing professionals.
• Supply Chain and Logistics professionals.
• Planning and Scheduling professionals.
• Resource Planning professionals.
• Maintenance and Engineering Managers.
• Project and Program Managers.
• Performance Management professionals.
• Department Heads and Team Leaders.
• Professionals responsible for coordinating, planning,

Course Outline

Day 1: Fundamentals of Operations Planning & Control

1. Introduction to Operations Management

• Definition and objectives of operations management.
• Role of operations in organizational performance.
• Operations strategy and business objectives.
• Key components of an operations management system.
• Operational planning versus operational control.
• Roles and responsibilities in operations planning and control.
• Principles of operational efficiency and effectiveness.

2. Operations Planning Framework

• Principles of effective operational planning.
• Strategic, tactical, and operational planning.
• Planning horizons and timeframes.
• Translating business objectives into operational plans.
• Operational requirements and priorities.
• Planning assumptions and constraints.
• Coordination between operational functions.

3. Demand and Operational Requirements

• Understanding operational demand.
• Demand patterns and variability.
• Forecasting principles for operational planning.
• Identifying operational requirements.
• Demand uncertainty and planning assumptions.
• Balancing demand and operational capability.
• Impact of demand changes on operational plans.

Day 2: Capacity, Resource Planning & Scheduling

4. Capacity Planning

• Principles of capacity planning.
• Capacity requirements and availability.
• Capacity utilization and efficiency.
• Identifying capacity constraints.
• Capacity flexibility and scalability.
• Balancing capacity with demand.
• Managing under-capacity and over-capacity situations.

5. Resource Planning

• Principles of operational resource planning.
• Workforce and manpower requirements.
• Equipment and facility requirements.
• Materials and supporting resources.
• Resource availability and allocation.
• Resource prioritization.
• Efficient utilization of operational resources.
• Resource constraints and dependencies.

6. Operations Scheduling

• Principles of operational scheduling.
• Scheduling objectives and priorities.
• Short-term and medium-term scheduling.
• Sequencing operational activities.
• Managing competing priorities.
• Scheduling constraints and dependencies.
• Coordination of activities and resources.
• Managing schedule changes and disruptions.

Day 3: Materials, Inventory & Operational Coordination

7. Materials Planning

• Fundamentals of materials planning.
• Materials requirements and availability.
• Supplier and internal supply considerations.
• Materials lead times.
• Coordination between operations and supply functions.
• Managing material shortages and excesses.
• Materials availability and operational continuity.

8. Inventory Planning and Control

• Objectives of inventory management.
• Types and functions of inventory.
• Inventory requirements and planning considerations.
• Inventory levels and replenishment principles.
• Safety stock concepts.
• Balancing inventory availability and operational cost.
• Inventory risks and control considerations.

9. Operational Coordination and Workflow

• Coordination between operational departments.
• Information flow and communication.
• Managing operational handoffs.
• Interdependencies between activities.
• Workflow continuity.
• Identifying operational bottlenecks.
• Managing operational priorities and conflicts.
• Cross-functional coordination.

Day 4: Operations Monitoring, Performance & Risk Control

10. Operations Monitoring and Control

• Principles of operational control.
• Monitoring planned versus actual performance.
• Identifying operational deviations.
• Operational status reporting.
• Exception management.
• Corrective and preventive actions.
• Escalation and decision-making.
• Maintaining operational stability.

11. Operations Performance Management

• Principles of operational performance measurement.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Productivity and efficiency measures.
• Quality and service performance.
• Cost and resource utilization indicators.
• Schedule adherence.
• Capacity utilization.
• Establishing meaningful operational targets.

12. Operational Risk and Disruption Management

• Identifying operational risks.
• Operational uncertainties and vulnerabilities.
• Supply and resource disruptions.
• Capacity and scheduling risks.
• Business continuity considerations.
• Risk assessment and prioritization.
• Contingency planning principles.
• Responding to operational disruptions.

Day 5: Optimization, Continuous Improvement & Integrated Operations Control

13. Improving Operational Efficiency

• Principles of operational efficiency.
• Identifying operational waste and inefficiencies.
• Process bottlenecks and constraints.
• Resource optimization.
• Improving workflow and coordination.
• Reducing delays and operational losses.
• Balancing cost, quality, productivity, and service.

14. Continuous Improvement in Operations

• Continuous improvement principles.
• Identifying improvement opportunities.
• Operational problem-solving approaches.
• Performance gap analysis.
• Standardization and process consistency.
• Monitoring improvement outcomes.
• Sustaining operational improvements.

15. Integrated Operations Planning & Control

• Integrating demand, capacity, resources, materials, and schedules.
• Linking operational plans with performance management.
• Coordinating planning and control activities.
• Managing changing operational priorities.
• Balancing operational efficiency and business requirements.
• Strengthening operational decision-making.
• Establishing an effective operations planning and control framework.

16. Best Practices and Course Review

• Key principles of effective operations planning and control.
• Common operational planning challenges.
• Critical success factors for operational excellence.
• Improving coordination and organizational responsiveness.
• Building a sustainable operations control approach.
• Review of major course concepts.
• Final discussion and knowledge review.