Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The typical contents of a full form business or strategic plan are listed below.
Executive summary
What is the business?
What is the market?
What is the potential for the business?
Forecast profit figures
Funding requirements
Prospects for the investor/ lender
Description of the business
What is the business?
A brief description of the business idea and why it should be a success
History of the enterprise and its ownership
Information about the entrepreneurs qualifications, experience and
financial status
Location
Products and services
A description of the product and what it does
An explanation of ways in which the product is distinctive and unique
Analysis of the competition
How the product will be developed and what new products are being
considered as replacements
Intangible assets & protection (e.g. copyright, trade marks)
The market
Size and expected growth of the market
Analysis of market by segments
Identification of target segments
Competitors - who they are, ownership, size, market share, likely
response to the challenge
Customers (existing & potential) - who they are, how they buy, why
they buy
Distribution channels
Situational audit (where are we now?)
This involves data collection and analysis
Purpose of data collection and analysis:
Determine which opportunities to pursue
Identify SWOT
Identify competitive advantages
Provide a background for the formulation of strategy
Main analytical techniques:
PEST/ PESTLE analysis
SWOT analysis
Competitor analysis
Marketing audit
Statement of aims and objectives (where do we want to go?)
A statement of what the business should achieve over a five year
period
Aims should be expressed in terms of hierarchy of objectives becoming
progressively more detailed and specific
Vision - what the organisation will be like in the future
Labour relations
Employment and related costs
The body of the business plan should include detailed discussions of the
following subjects:
I. Background and Purpose
A. History - a brief overview of the history of the company
B. Current Status of Company
C. The Product or Service Concept
D. Business Objectives
II.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Market Analysis
Overall Industry or Market
Specific Market Segment
Competition
Sales Forecasts
III.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
IV.
A.
B.
C.
Marketing
Survey Results
Marketing Strategy
Contingency Plans
V. Financial Data
A. Current Financial Position
B. Accounts Payable
C. Accounts Receivable
D. Cost Control Measures
E. Break-Even Analysis
F. Financial Ratios
G. Financial Projections
VI. Organization Structure and Management
A.
Key Personnel -- describe the qualifications and responsibilities of
management.
The quality of management is often the key factor in
obtaining debt or equity funding.
B. Other Personnel
C. Directors and Advisors
D. Professional Advisors.
E. Key Future Personnel
F. Forecasted Labor Force
VII. Ownership
A. Business Structure
B. Current Capitalization
Product Launch
Substitute.
Combine.
Adapt.
Modify.
Eliminate.
Reverse.
You use the tool by asking questions about existing products, using each of
the seven prompts above. These questions help you come up with creative
ideas for developing new products, and for improving current ones.
What will happen if you change your feelings or attitude toward this
product?
Combine
How could you change the shape, look, or feel of your product?
Could you recycle the waste from this product to make something
new?
Eliminate
What would happen if you took away part of this product? What
would you have in its place?
Reverse
NB. Many of the ideas may be unfeasible or may not suit the equipment used by the
manufacturer, but some ideas could be good starting points for discussion of new
products.