Consultation is an ongoing process when operational planning and should be carried out and reviewed as a matter of course. The operational planning process should be timed within the financial year to allow sufficient time for preparation of an annual operating budget and therefore should be developed between February and June. Given this scope, broad consultation with relevant parties should be carried out July to January.
Following the consultation process, feedback should be gathered and this information then communicated back to relevant team members and management. A positive outcome of this; would be that they would be more likely to contribute ideas when next asked.