Management Analysts and Planners

Background

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:

• Analyze work processes and resource usage patterns
• Design rules or procedures for work activities or information flow
• Determine organizational structures for new or existing offices
• Develop and implement plans and policies that support organizational objectives
• Gather data for studies using a variety of methods
• Perform comparison studies to review alternative options and determine the impacts of different factors
• Study organizations and their functions to determine personnel, information systems, finances, or equipment needs

Physical Demands

No information available.

Special Requirements

A four-year college degree is normally required to enter this career.

Helpful Attributes

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

Helpful School Subjects

No information available.

Helpful Fields of Study

Helpful fields of study include:

• Business administration
• Management
• Operations research
• Organizational planning
• Public administration

Work Environment

Management analysts normally work in offices, although they sometimes study work that occurs outdoors.

Services offering this career:

• Air Force
• Army
• Coast Guard
• Marine Corps
• Navy

Hiring Practices

To serve in the military, a person must be at least 17; the maximum age for enlistment varies. To enlist, a person must pass a physical exam and an aptitude test. An enlistee must also meet military standards of discipline and be a US citizen or permanent resident alien.

This position is for officers.

Wages

The military is competitive with the civilian world when it comes to pay and benefits. All branches offer the same basic pay and benefits.

Pay depends mainly on rank or grade as well as length of service. Bonuses and the situation in which the person is serving (for example: flight duty, sea duty, hazardous duty) also affect pay. 

Cost-of-living increases usually occur every year, based on inflation. The military also pays allowances for food, clothing, and housing. All these factors combined are called Regular Military Compensation (RMC). They should all be considered when comparing military pay to civilian pay.

There are two main parts to RMC: basic pay and allowances. There are also additional incentives for special abilities, training, or hazardous duty.

Check out the RMC Calculator to calculate your RMC based on your inputs.

Training Provided

Job training consists of six to ten weeks of classroom instruction. Training length varies depending on specialty.

Course content typically includes:

• Internal review and analysis techniques
• Management engineering techniques
• Methods of statistical analysis
• Organizational planning
• Systems analysis procedures

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.

Related Civilian Careers

• General and Operations Managers
• Management Analysts
• Operations Research Analysts

Employment and Outlook

In peace time the services have about 2,000 management analysts and planners. In times of military action the number may be different, depending on the type of specialties required. Each year the services need new analysts and planners due to changes in personnel and the demands of the field. After job training, management analysts are assigned to analysis teams. With experience, they may advance to senior management or command positions.