Military Career: Management Analysts and Planners
Overview
Good management and planning reduces waste and inefficiency. By improving its management techniques, the military makes the best use of its human and material resources. Management analysts and planners study operations and organizations, identify and evaluate problems, and develop recommendations based on their findings.
What They Do
Management analysts and planners in the military perform some or all of the following duties:
- Study organizations and their functions to determine personnel, information systems, finances, or equipment needs Gather data for studies using a variety of methods
- Develop and implement plans and policies that support organizational objectives
- Determine organizational structures for new or existing offices
- Perform comparison studies to review alternative options and determine the impacts of different factors
- Analyze work processes and resource usage patterns
- Design rules or procedures for work activities or information flow
Branches of the Military
Army
Navy
Air Force
Marine Corps
Coast Guard
Helpful Attributes
Helpful fields of study include management, organizational planning, operations research, and business or public administration. Helpful attributes include:
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing
- Interest in collecting and analyzing data
- Interest in solving problems
Training Provided
Job training consists of 6 to 10 weeks of classroom instruction. Training length varies depending on specialty. Course content typically includes:
- Management engineering techniques
- Methods of statistical analysis
- Internal review and analysis techniques
- Systems analysis procedures
- Organizational planning
Work Environment
Management analysts and planners normally work in offices, although they sometimes study work that occurs outdoors.
Civilian Counterparts
Civilian management analysts and planners often work in private management consulting firms. Many others work in hospitals, universities, government agencies, or manufacturing firms. Civilian management analysts and planners perform duties similar to those performed in the military. They are sometimes called management consultants. Some consultants specialize by industry, such as banking, health care, or transportation. Others specialize by business functional area, such as human resources, or information systems management.
Below is a list of similar civilian occupations:
Opportunities
Civilian management analysts and planners often work in private management consulting firms. Many others work in hospitals, universities, government agencies, or manufacturing firms. Civilian management analysts and planners perform duties similar to those performed in the military. They are sometimes called management consultants. Some consultants specialize by industry, such as banking, health care, or transportation. Others specialize by business functional area, such as human resources, or information systems management.
Source: U.S.
Department of Defense, Washington D.C.
