Strategic planning manager to chief operating officer
A strategic planning manager already meets 35% of what the chief operating officer role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.3/ 100
1 How much of what a chief operating officer is expected to do is already part of a strategic planning manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the chief operating officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chief operating officer role treats 7 of its required skills as things a strategic planning manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- business process modelling
- collaborate in company's daily operations
- company policies
- evaluate performance of organisational collaborators
- integrate strategic foundation in daily performance
- lead managers of company departments
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chief operating officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a strategic planning manager background worth leading with.
- already held imprint visionary aspirations into the business management management skills
- already held lead managers of company departments management skills
- already held implement operational business plans communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held operations management business, administration and law
- already held define organisational standards management skills
All 16 carried skills, including the 7 the chief operating officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn conclude business agreements required
- still to learn develop professional network required
- still to learn establish collaborative relations required
- still to learn negotiate with stakeholders required
- optional, not held apply import strategies optional
- optional, not held apply export strategies optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held interact with the board of directors optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- still to learn make strategic business decisions required
- still to learn plan medium to long term objectives required
- still to learn shape organisational teams based on competencies required
- optional, not held develop revenue generation strategies optional
- optional, not held assume responsibility for the management of a business optional
- optional, not held define the corporate structure optional
- optional, not held integrate shareholders' interests in business plans optional
- optional, not held set organisational policies optional
- optional, not held shape corporate culture optional
- still to learn analyse business plans required
- still to learn interpret financial statements required
- still to learn track key performance indicators required
- optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
- still to learn financial statements required
- still to learn marketing management required
- optional, not held financial management optional
- optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
- still to learn abide by business ethical code of conducts required
- still to learn ensure lawful business operations required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chief operating officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 abide by business ethical code of conducts practise this
- 02 analyse business plans practise this
- 03 conclude business agreements practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held business process modelling knowledge
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations skill
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- already held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- already held lead managers of company departments skill
- already held operations management knowledge
- already held define organisational standards skill
- already held develop business plans skill
- already held develop company strategies skill
- already held develop organisational policies skill
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held implement operational business plans skill
- already held implement strategic planning skill
- already held imprint visionary aspirations into the business management skill
- already held manage budgets skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply import strategies optional
- optional, not held develop revenue generation strategies optional
- optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
- optional, not held apply export strategies optional
- optional, not held assume responsibility for the management of a business optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held define the corporate structure optional
- optional, not held financial management optional
- optional, not held integrate shareholders' interests in business plans optional
- optional, not held interact with the board of directors optional
- optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- optional, not held set organisational policies optional
- optional, not held shape corporate culture optional
38 held skills the chief operating officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on communication strategies skill
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role business analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate sustainability knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop environmental policy skill
- not needed by the target role develop strategy to solve problems skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate internal communications skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies skill
- not needed by the target role financial department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role gather feedback from employees skill
- not needed by the target role government policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role hoshin kanri strategic planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role human resources department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify undetected organisational needs skill
- not needed by the target role impart business plans to collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations skill
- not needed by the target role legal department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
- not needed by the target role management consulting knowledge
- not needed by the target role management department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor company policy skill
- not needed by the target role operations department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role organisational policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role process commissioned instructions skill
- not needed by the target role program management knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote organisational communication skill
- not needed by the target role provide feedback on job performance skill
- not needed by the target role revise drafts made by managers skill
- not needed by the target role sales department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn financial statements required
- still to learn marketing management required
- optional, not held financial management optional
- optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
Other moves recorded from strategic planning manager
Common questions about this move
Can a strategic planning manager become a chief operating officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A strategic planning manager already covers 35% of what a chief operating officer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 7 of which the chief operating officer role treats as required.
What skills does a strategic planning manager need to become a chief operating officer?
14 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is abide by business ethical code of conducts.
How hard is the move from strategic planning manager to chief operating officer?
Its learning distance is 66.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.