In fact SOSTAC(r) works at any level as long as you are 100% clear about which level of plan you want and then you just apply the basic logical structure:

Situation Analysis (where are we now)
Objectives (what do we want to achieve?)
Strategy (summary of how will we achieve it )
Tactics (details of how we will achieve it)
Action (day -to-day details, checklists, processes, systems, internal training & motivation & communication required)
Control (are we getting there – what needs to be measured, how often by whom, how much it costs & most importantly, what happens we spot a blip -who reports to whom & ideally, what happens when a blip is observed).

At an operational level you need some form of situation analysis (identifying major issues, problems, barriers, opportunities, skill levels, resource levels etc. benchmarking, previous performances etc)

You need crystal clear operational objectives (which can & should be broken down granularly)

Strategy – a summary of how you are going to achieve your operational objectives.

TAC – see above it is generic but can be readily applied to an operational plan.

I have examples of SOSTAC(r) being used for Health & Safety, HR, and many other diverse applications including planning a wedding and even your own life-plan. SOSTAC(r) is a simple logical system that works as long as you are clear about what level you are planning. You build a separate SOSTAC(r) plan for each level and can pass it onto the next level to help them e.g. Business Plan, Marketing Plan, Operations Plan. It works.

We are launching the SOSTAC(r) Planning Portal for SOSTAC(r) Certified Planners this quarter where these examples will be made available. We welcome your SOSTAC(r) Operations Plan (if you or anyone eventually develops one).

More info http://www.PRSmith.org/SOSTAC

I hope this comment helps clarify SOSTAC(r) & its wide usage.
Paul
PR Smith

PS
Sarah, for examples of strategy – have you seen the Strategy section in the SOSTAC(r) Guide to your Perfect Digital Marketing Plan . It is a fascinating area and am continually searching for new material and new ways to improve this – so this is ongoing development and all suggestions are most welcome.

PPS I have just done a draft blog post ‘How To Win The Next U.S. Presidential Election (using SOSTAC(r)) – late last night – needs a lot more polishing (all feedback is most welcome) – but SOSTAC can , and , in my opinion, should, be used in an election campaign too. http://prsmith.org/how-to-win-the-next-usa-election/

The first is more semantic or cultural. the word “strategy” is used and abused very freely in the business world. It can mean a full-blown, well-thought out approach to doing business (as defined by PR Smith and many others). It can also be used to refer to an action plan, a desired course of action or a way of gaining short term competitive advantage. That means that asking a company to commit an appropriate amount of time to creating a strategy is sometimes rebuffed.

My second reason for struggling with it, in terms of planning, is the circular relationship between situational analysis, objectives and strategy, which is where I find your blog so interesting. It is true that problem definition is at the heart of the SOSTAC approach and often, if clients are not facing huge or unidentifiable problems, they feel they can get straight to the strategy, the rest seems like navel gazing or consultants charging for sitting and thinking. And your definition of strategy, or calling it concept, is probably going to be easier for them to follow.

So, very interesting, I will be following the comments on this thread to hear other people’s thoughts.