Operational level management is a division of an organization that is responsible for carrying out the daily operations of the organization. This level of management is focused on ensuring that the organization's objectives are met and deals with the daily processes of the organization. These processes include sales, production, customer service, finance and human resources. The operational level is defined as the lowest level of management in an organization and focuses on short-term goals.
At this level, the focus is on quality management and process improvement. Managers prepare operational plans for managing the business, which can last three to six months. The primary responsibility of management is to ensure that daily operations are executed as expected and are aligned with the organization's strategy. The lower levels of a company are in contact with customers and recognize new trends or new competition before top management. For example, a strategy to be environmentally responsible could lead operations to decide to apply for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Operational control involves the control of operations and processes in the medium term, but not of commercial strategies.
The tactical level is an intermediate management stage in which activities and actions are developed to support a company's strategy. The measurement and management of organizational performance, as well as the improvement of business performance, can be viewed and analyzed at three different levels. Unlike strategic control, operational control focuses more on internal sources of information and affects smaller units or aspects of the organization, such as production levels or the choice of equipment. Operations managers are responsible for daily operations that directly affect the company's external customers. Managers at any level are expected to perform interpersonal, informational and decision-making roles in an organization. This makes the level of operational management crucial to the success of an organization's strategic and competitive objectives. Mid-level management uses operational controls to make decisions in the medium term, usually for a year or two.
Operational management must translate the medium-term goals of middle management into short-term goals and plans that, when carried out, lead to the realization of the objectives of middle management.
