department business plan template

Department Business Plan Template

What is a Department Business Plan?

A department business plan outlines the focus areas, objectives, and projects of a team or department within a company. It is used to develop a roadmap to success and ensure that the team is working towards the same goals. It can also be used to track progress and measure the results of the team’s efforts.

What's included in this Department Business Plan template?

• 3 focus areas
• 6 objectives

Each focus area has its own objectives, projects, and KPIs to ensure that the strategy is comprehensive and effective.

Who is the Department Business Plan template for?

This department business plan template is for department heads and business leaders in all industries. It provides a framework to help create a plan for their department or team as well as a way to track their progress and results.

1. Define clear examples of your focus areas

Focus areas are the main topics that your team or department needs to address. Examples of focus areas could include improving internal communication, streamlining onboarding processes, or improving customer experience. These focus areas should be specific and measurable.

2. Think about the objectives that could fall under that focus area

Objectives are the goals that you want to achieve for each focus area. It is important to set measurable objectives for each focus area that you can track and measure. This will help you to determine if you are making progress towards the goals. Examples of some objectives for the focus area of Improve Internal Communication could be: Increase Team Collaboration, and Improve Team Communication.

3. Set measurable targets (KPIs) to tackle the objective

Setting measurable targets, or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), are important for each objective to help track progress. KPIs should have an initial value, a target value, and a unit. Examples of KPIs could include increasing team collaboration usage from 20% to 80%, or decreasing onboarding process time from 30 days to 15 days.

4. Implement related projects to achieve the KPIs

Projects, or actions, are the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the KPIs. These could include increasing team meetings, automating onboarding processes, or increasing customer surveys. It is important to ensure that the projects are related to the objectives and KPIs.

5. Utilize Cascade Strategy Execution Platform to see faster results from your strategy

Cascade Strategy Execution platform helps teams or departments develop, track, and measure their business plans. Cascade makes it easy to collaborate, communicate, and execute on your strategy and see faster results from your efforts.

How to Write a Department Business Plan

• Small Business
• Business Planning & Strategy
• Write a Business Plan
• ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Pinterest" aria-label="Share on Pinterest">
• ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Reddit" aria-label="Share on Reddit">
• ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Flipboard" aria-label="Share on Flipboard">

Role of Financial Management in Corporate Structure

Lease contract administration functions, how to create a business plan as an entrepreneur.

• How Is a Budget Used to Motivate a Staff?
• How to Make a Business Budget Plan

Even a small business can be organized into separate departments, each one being assigned its own goals, such as revenue targets or units to be produced, and having its own expense budget. Each manager writes a department business plan, usually with guidance from the small-business owner and the finance staff. The managers of each department are held accountable for meeting these goals and staying within budgeted – often called forecast – expenses.

Review Last Year's Finances

Compare actual results to what had been in the forecast. Determine the reasons for significant variances. Analyze whether negative variances were due to one-time events or are likely to recur in the upcoming year and should be taken into account in the forecast.

Analyze Overall Performance

Review the productivity of the department as a whole and each member of the department. Set goals for productivity improvement – including better teamwork – in the upcoming year. Transmit these goals to each member of the department.

Align with Company-wide Goals

Determine departmental goals and make sure they conform with the expectations expressed in the company-wide goals and assumptions about the economy and industry. If the business owner seeks to keep cost increases to less than 2 percent in order to build up cash reserves, make sure your department budget is in line with that expectation.

Create Department Mission Statement

Express how the department will contribute to the company’s overall growth and productivity. State the value the department provides to the company as a whole. For example, the purchasing division’s mission could be to have critical inventory items available at all times while keeping inventory costs as low as possible.

Create a Financial Forecast

Create a forecast for revenues and expenses based on past results combined with the goals the company owner expressed for the upcoming year. The business owner may have set a goal of opening three new retail locations. Each department must determine what additional resources it needs to operate, in light of these expansion goals, and the cost of these resources, including personnel.

Transmit the Plan

Review the plan with the owner and his finance staff and justify proposed expenditure increases included in the departmental plan. Modify the plan based on recommendations from the business owner.

Final Review

Review the final plan with each member of the department to ensure all team members are aware of the expectations the business owner has for the department and the goals that have been set for it.

• When submitting the department budget to top management, include detailed analysis of the logic behind the revenue and expense forecast line items. This will increase the chance that proposed expense increases will be approved.

Each department manager should expect back-and-forth negotiations with top management, including the small-business owner, during the finalization of the department budgets. A department manager should not have the attitude that he is being singled out – in most instances all departments will be asked to make modifications to their plans.

• Forbes: New Managers: How To Create Your Department's Tactical Plan
• SBA.gov: Write Your Business Plan
• Strathcona: Department Business Plan
• nibusinessinfo.co.uk: Prepare a business plan for growth
• Each department manager should expect back-and-forth negotiations with top management, including the small-business owner, during the finalization of the department budgets. A department manager should not have the attitude that he is being singled out -- in most instances all departments will be asked to make modifications to their plans.

Brian Hill is the author of four popular business and finance books: "The Making of a Bestseller," "Inside Secrets to Venture Capital," "Attracting Capital from Angels" and his latest book, published in 2013, "The Pocket Small Business Owner's Guide to Business Plans."

Related Articles

How to put a business plan in motion, what are quotas & goals, organization strategy & division strategy, how to forecast profits for a business plan, how to run an effective hr department, the importance of a financial plan for a small business, what is a quarterly budget, how to write a golf club business plan, budgetary control techniques, most popular.

• 1 How to Put a Business Plan in Motion
• 2 What Are Quotas & Goals?
• 3 Organization Strategy & Division Strategy
• 4 How to Forecast Profits for a Business Plan

550+ Business Plan Examples to Launch Your Business

Need help writing your business plan? Explore over 550 industry-specific business plan examples for inspiration.

Find your business plan example

Accounting, Insurance & Compliance Business Plans

• View All 25

Children & Pets Business Plans

• Children's Education & Recreation
• View All 33

Cleaning, Repairs & Maintenance Business Plans

• Auto Detail & Repair
• Cleaning Products
• View All 39

Clothing & Fashion Brand Business Plans

• Clothing & Fashion Design
• View All 26

Construction, Architecture & Engineering Business Plans

• Architecture
• Construction
• View All 46

Consulting, Advertising & Marketing Business Plans

• Advertising
• View All 54

Education Business Plans

• Education Consulting
• Education Products

Business plan template: There's an easier way to get your business plan done.

Entertainment & Recreation Business Plans

• Entertainment
• Film & Television
• View All 60

Events Business Plans

• Event Planning
• View All 17

Farm & Agriculture Business Plans

• Agri-tourism
• Agriculture Consulting
• View All 16

Finance & Investing Business Plans

• Financial Planning
• View All 10

Fine Art & Crafts Business Plans

Fitness & Beauty Business Plans

• Salon & Spa
• View All 36

Food and Beverage Business Plans

• Bar & Brewery
• View All 77

Hotel & Lodging Business Plans

• Bed and Breakfast

Brought to you by

Create a professional business plan

Using ai and step-by-step instructions.

Secure funding

Validate ideas

Build a strategy

IT, Staffing & Customer Service Business Plans

• Administrative Services
• Customer Service
• View All 22

Manufacturing & Wholesale Business Plans

• Cleaning & Cosmetics Manufacturing
• View All 68

Medical & Health Business Plans

• Dental Practice
• Health Administration
• View All 41

Nonprofit Business Plans

• Co-op Nonprofit
• Food & Housing Nonprofit
• View All 13

Real Estate & Rentals Business Plans

• Equipment Rental

Retail & Ecommerce Business Plans

• Car Dealership
• View All 116

Technology Business Plans

• Apps & Software
• Communication Technology

Transportation, Travel & Logistics Business Plans

• Airline, Taxi & Shuttle
• View All 62

View all sample business plans

Example business plan format

Before you start exploring our library of business plan examples, it's worth taking the time to understand the traditional business plan format . You'll find that the plans in this library and most investor-approved business plans will include the following sections:

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally only one to two pages. You should also plan to write this section last after you've written your full business plan.

Your executive summary should include a summary of the problem you are solving, a description of your product or service, an overview of your target market, a brief description of your team, a summary of your financials, and your funding requirements (if you are raising money).

Products & services

The products & services chapter of your business plan is where the real meat of your plan lives. It includes information about the problem that you're solving, your solution, and any traction that proves that it truly meets the need you identified.

This is your chance to explain why you're in business and that people care about what you offer. It needs to go beyond a simple product or service description and get to the heart of why your business works and benefits your customers.

Market analysis

Conducting a market analysis ensures that you fully understand the market that you're entering and who you'll be selling to. This section is where you will showcase all of the information about your potential customers. You'll cover your target market as well as information about the growth of your market and your industry. Focus on outlining why the market you're entering is viable and creating a realistic persona for your ideal customer base.

Competition

Part of defining your opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage may be. To do this effectively you need to get to know your competitors just as well as your target customers. Every business will have competition, if you don't then you're either in a very young industry or there's a good reason no one is pursuing this specific venture.

To succeed, you want to be sure you know who your competitors are, how they operate, necessary financial benchmarks, and how you're business will be positioned. Start by identifying who your competitors are or will be during your market research. Then leverage competitive analysis tools like the competitive matrix and positioning map to solidify where your business stands in relation to the competition.

Marketing & sales

The marketing and sales plan section of your business plan details how you plan to reach your target market segments. You'll address how you plan on selling to those target markets, what your pricing plan is, and what types of activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success.

The operations section covers the day-to-day workflows for your business to deliver your product or service. What's included here fully depends on the type of business. Typically you can expect to add details on your business location, sourcing and fulfillment, use of technology, and any partnerships or agreements that are in place.

Milestones & metrics

The milestones section is where you lay out strategic milestones to reach your business goals.

A good milestone clearly lays out the parameters of the task at hand and sets expectations for its execution. You'll want to include a description of the task, a proposed due date, who is responsible, and eventually a budget that's attached. You don't need extensive project planning in this section, just key milestones that you want to hit and when you plan to hit them.

You should also discuss key metrics, which are the numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common data points worth tracking include conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, profit, etc.

Company & team

Use this section to describe your current team and who you need to hire. If you intend to pursue funding, you'll need to highlight the relevant experience of your team members. Basically, this is where you prove that this is the right team to successfully start and grow the business. You will also need to provide a quick overview of your legal structure and history if you're already up and running.

Financial projections

Your financial plan should include a sales and revenue forecast, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, and a balance sheet. You may not have established financials of any kind at this stage. Not to worry, rather than getting all of the details ironed out, focus on making projections and strategic forecasts for your business. You can always update your financial statements as you begin operations and start bringing in actual accounting data.

Now, if you intend to pitch to investors or submit a loan application, you'll also need a "use of funds" report in this section. This outlines how you intend to leverage any funding for your business and how much you're looking to acquire. Like the rest of your financials, this can always be updated later on.

The appendix isn't a required element of your business plan. However, it is a useful place to add any charts, tables, definitions, legal notes, or other critical information that supports your plan. These are often lengthier or out-of-place information that simply didn't work naturally into the structure of your plan. You'll notice that in these business plan examples, the appendix mainly includes extended financial statements.

Types of business plans explained

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. To get the most out of your plan, it's best to find a format that suits your needs. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan

The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used for external purposes. Typically this is the type of plan you'll need when applying for funding or pitching to investors. It can also be used when training or hiring employees, working with vendors, or in any other situation where the full details of your business must be understood by another individual.

Business model canvas

The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

The structure ditches a linear format in favor of a cell-based template. It encourages you to build connections between every element of your business. It's faster to write out and update, and much easier for you, your team, and anyone else to visualize your business operations.

One-page business plan

The true middle ground between the business model canvas and a traditional business plan is the one-page business plan . This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business.

By starting with a one-page plan , you give yourself a minimal document to build from. You'll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences making it much easier to elaborate or expand sections into a longer-form business plan.

Growth planning

Growth planning is more than a specific type of business plan. It's a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, forecast, review, and refine based on your performance.

It holds all of the benefits of the single-page plan, including the potential to complete it in as little as 27 minutes . However, it's even easier to convert into a more detailed plan thanks to how heavily it's tied to your financials. The overall goal of growth planning isn't to just produce documents that you use once and shelve. Instead, the growth planning process helps you build a healthier company that thrives in times of growth and remain stable through times of crisis.

It's faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

Download a free sample business plan template

Ready to start writing your own plan but aren't sure where to start? Download our free business plan template that's been updated for 2024.

This simple, modern, investor-approved business plan template is designed to make planning easy. It's a proven format that has helped over 1 million businesses write business plans for bank loans, funding pitches, business expansion, and even business sales. It includes additional instructions for how to write each section and is formatted to be SBA-lender approved. All you need to do is fill in the blanks.

How to use an example business plan to help you write your own

How do you know what elements need to be included in your business plan, especially if you've never written one before? Looking at examples can help you visualize what a full, traditional plan looks like, so you know what you're aiming for before you get started. Here's how to get the most out of a sample business plan.

Choose a business plan example from a similar type of company

You don't need to find an example business plan that's an exact fit for your business. Your business location, target market, and even your particular product or service may not match up exactly with the plans in our gallery. But, you don't need an exact match for it to be helpful. Instead, look for a plan that's related to the type of business you're starting.

For example, if you want to start a vegetarian restaurant, a plan for a steakhouse can be a great match. While the specifics of your actual startup will differ, the elements you'd want to include in your restaurant's business plan are likely to be very similar.

Use a business plan example as a guide

Every startup and small business is unique, so you'll want to avoid copying an example business plan word for word. It just won't be as helpful, since each business is unique. You want your plan to be a useful tool for starting a business —and getting funding if you need it.

One of the key benefits of writing a business plan is simply going through the process. When you sit down to write, you'll naturally think through important pieces, like your startup costs, your target market , and any market analysis or research you'll need to do to be successful.

You'll also look at where you stand among your competition (and everyone has competition), and lay out your goals and the milestones you'll need to meet. Looking at an example business plan's financials section can be helpful because you can see what should be included, but take them with a grain of salt. Don't assume that financial projections for a sample company will fit your own small business.

If you're looking for more resources to help you get started, our business planning guide is a good place to start. You can also download our free business plan template .

Think of business planning as a process, instead of a document

Think about business planning as something you do often , rather than a document you create once and never look at again. If you take the time to write a plan that really fits your own company, it will be a better, more useful tool to grow your business. It should also make it easier to share your vision and strategy so everyone on your team is on the same page.

Adjust your plan regularly to use it as a business management tool

Keep in mind that businesses that use their plan as a management tool to help run their business grow 30 percent faster than those businesses that don't. For that to be true for your company, you'll think of a part of your business planning process as tracking your actual results against your financial forecast on a regular basis.

If things are going well, your plan will help you think about how you can re-invest in your business. If you find that you're not meeting goals, you might need to adjust your budgets or your sales forecast. Either way, tracking your progress compared to your plan can help you adjust quickly when you identify challenges and opportunities—it's one of the most powerful things you can do to grow your business.

Prepare to pitch your business

If you're planning to pitch your business to investors or seek out any funding, you'll need a pitch deck to accompany your business plan. A pitch deck is designed to inform people about your business. You want your pitch deck to be short and easy to follow, so it's best to keep your presentation under 20 slides.

Your pitch deck and pitch presentation are likely some of the first things that an investor will see to learn more about your company. So, you need to be informative and pique their interest. Luckily we have a round-up of real-world pitch deck examples used by successful startups that you can review and reference as you build your pitch.

For more resources, check out our full Business Pitch Guide .

Ready to get started?

Now that you know how to use an example business plan to help you write a plan for your business, it's time to find the right one.

Use the search bar below to get started and find the right match for your business idea.

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

No thanks, I prefer writing 40-page documents.

Discover the world’s #1 plan building software

How to Develop a Strategic Plan for Business Development [Free Template]

Published: May 01, 2023

Business development is usually confused with sales , often overlooked, and only sometimes given the strategic focus it deserves. Having a business development strategy, however, is crucial to long-term success. It ensures that everyone in your company is working toward a common goal.

But how do you develop a business development plan? Pull up a chair and stay awhile, I’m diving into that and more below.

Free Strategic Planning Template

Access a business strategic planning template to grow your business.

• Sales and Revenue Growth
• Growth of Customer Base
• Expansion into New Regions

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Fill out this form to get the strategic growth template.

Business development.

Business development is the practice of identifying, attracting, and acquiring new business to further your company’s revenue and growth goals. How you achieve these goals is sometimes referred to as a business development strategy — and it applies to and benefits everyone at your company.

It’s not unusual to mistake business development with sales, but there’s an important distinction between the two. Business development refers to many activities and functions inside and outside the traditional sales team structure. In some companies, business development is part of the larger sales operations team. In others, it’s part of the marketing team or sits on its own team altogether.

Because business development can look so different among industries and businesses, the strategy behind this function is expansive. Below, we outline each step in the strategy and how to apply it to your business development plan.

Business Development Strategy

• Understand your competitive landscape.
• Choose effective KPIs.
• Develop long-term customer relationships.
• Implement customer feedback.
• Keep your website content and user interface fresh.
• Speed up your response time.
• Leverage a sales plan to identify areas of growth.
• Implement a social listening strategy.
• Sponsor industry organizations, conferences, and events.

1. Understand your competitive landscape.

Before you can develop a strategic plan to drive business growth, you must have a solid understanding of the competitive landscape in your industry. When you know who your ideal customer is and what problem they are looking to solve with your product or service, research who else is providing a viable solution in your industry.

Identify other companies operating in your space. What features do their products have? How competitive is their pricing? Do their systems integrate with other third-party solutions? Get crystal-clear on what the competition is offering so you know how to differentiate your product to your customers.

Featured Resource: 10 Competitive Analysis Templates

2. Choose effective KPIs.

How will you know if your business development efforts are successful? Ensure you can measure your goals with relevant, meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect the health of your business. The result of these metrics should give you a strong indication of how effective your business development efforts are.

Featured Resource: Sales Metrics Calculator Dashboard

3. Develop long-term customer relationships.

Do you engage with your customers even after the deal has been closed? If not, it’s time to develop a plan to keep your buyers engaged. Building long-term relationships with your customers pays off. A grand majority of a company's business comes from repeat customers, and returning customers are cheaper to convert. Indeed, it’s famously known that it costs five times more to convert new customers than it does to sell to returning customers.

Not only are repeat customers easier to sell to, they can also provide valuable feedback and insights to help you improve your business. Additionally, customer testimonials can be used for valuable content that can attract your next buyer.

4. Implement customer feedback.

If and when you have customers who are willing to provide feedback on your sales process and offerings, make sure you hear them out and implement it. Your customers offer a unique, valuable perspective because they chose your product over the competition — their insights can help shape your strategy to keep your business ahead of the curve.

5. Keep your website content and user interface fresh.

When was the last time your company had a website refresh? Can you ensure that all links are working, that your site is easy to navigate, and that it is laid out and intuitive for those who want to buy from you?

Keeping your website up-to-date and easy to use can make or break the sale for customers who know they are ready to buy. Don’t make it too difficult for potential customers to get in touch with you or purchase your product directly (if that suits your business model).

6. Speed up your response time.

How fast your sales team responds to your leads can make or break your ability to close the deal. If you notice your sales process has some lag time that prevents you from responding to prospects as soon as possible, these could be areas to prioritize improvement.

7. Leverage a sales plan to identify areas of growth.

No business development strategy is complete without a sales plan . If you’ve already established a plan, make sure to unify it with your business development efforts. Your plan should outline your target audience, identify potential obstacles, provide a “game plan” for sales reps, outline responsibilities for team members, and define market conditions.

While a sales plan primarily affects your sales team, it can inform the activities of your business development reps. A sales plan can help them understand where the business needs growth — whether it’s in a new vertical, a new audience, or a new need that’s recently come to light in the industry.

Not sure how to create a sales plan? Download the following template to get started.

Featured Resource: Sales Plan Template

8. Implement a social listening strategy.

While social listening is mainly used in a marketing and customer service context, it’s also an essential practice for business development. There are more than 4 billion social media users worldwide. Naturally, social media is one of the best places to hear directly from consumers and businesses — without needing to reach out to them first.

In business development, you can use social listening to track what the general public is saying about your brand, industry, product offerings, product category, and more. It can help you identify key weaknesses in the industry, making it a prime opportunity to be the first to address those pitfalls.

Use a social listening tool to pick up on trends before they gain traction.

9. Sponsor industry organizations, conferences, and events.

A key facet of business development is reaching potential customers where they are. One of the easiest ways to do that is by sponsoring industry organizations, conferences, and events. This strategy will guarantee that your business development reps get valuable face-to-face time with your business’ target audience. The additional visibility can also help establish your business as a leader in the field.

Now that you understand what business development entails, it's time to create a plan to set your strategy in motion.

How to Develop a Strategic Plan

When we refer to a business development strategic plan, we’re referring to a roadmap that guides the whole company and requires everyone’s assistance to execute successfully and move your customer through the flywheel . With a plan, you’ll close more deals and quantify success.

Let’s go over the steps you should take to create a strategic plan.

1. Download our strategic plan template .

First, download our free growth strategy template to create a rock-solid strategic plan. With this template, you can map a growth plan for increasing sales, revenue, and customer acquisition rates. You can also create action plans for adding new locations, creating new product lines, and expanding into new regions.

Featured Resource: Strategic Plan Template

2. Craft your elevator pitch.

What is your company’s mission and how do you explain it to potential clients in 30 seconds or less? Keeping your elevator pitch at the forefront of all strategic planning will remind everyone what you’re working toward and why.

Some people believe the best pitch isn’t a pitch at all , but a story. Others have their favorite types of pitches , from a one-word pitch to a Twitter pitch that forces you to boil down your elevator pitch to just 280 characters.

Find the elevator pitch that works best for your reps, company, and offer, and document it in your business development strategy.

3. Include an executive summary.

You’ll share your strategic plan with executives and maybe even board members, so it’s important they have a high-level overview to skim. Pick the most salient points from your strategic plan and list or summarize them here.

You might already have an executive summary for your company if you’ve written a business proposal or value proposition . Use this as a jumping off point but create one that’s unique to your business development goals and priorities.

Once your executives have read your summary, they should have a pretty good idea of your direction for growing the business — without having to read the rest of your strategy.

3. Set SMART goals.

What are your goals for this strategy? If you don’t know, it will be difficult for your company and team to align behind your plan. So, set SMART goals . Remember, SMART stands for:

Featured Resource: SMART Goal Setting Template

Download the template now.

If one of your goals is for 5% of monthly revenue to come from upsells or cross-sells, make this goal specific by identifying what types of clients you’ll target.

Identify how you’ll measure success. Is success when reps conduct upsell outreach to 30 clients every month, or is it when they successfully upsell a customer and close the deal? To make your goal attainable, ensure everyone on your team understands who is responsible for this goal: in this case, sales or business development reps.

This goal is relevant because it will help your company grow, and likely contributes to larger company-wide goals. To make it time-based, set a timeline for success and action. In this case, your sales team must achieve that 5% upsell/cross-sell number by the end of the quarter.

4. Conduct SWOT analysis.

SWOT is a strategic planning technique used to identify a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Before conducting a SWOT, identify what your goal is. For example, “We’d like to use SWOT to learn how best to conduct outreach to prospective buyers.”

Once you’ve identified what you’re working toward, conduct market research by talking with your staff, business partners, and customers.

Next, identify your business’ strengths. Perhaps you have low employee turnover, a central location that makes it easy to visit with prospects in person, or an in-demand feature your competitors haven’t been able to mimic.

Featured Resource: Market Research Kit with SWOT Analysis Template

Your business’ weaknesses are next. Has your product recently glitched? Have you been unable to successfully build out a customer service team that can meet the demands of your customers?

Then, switch to opportunities. For example, have you made a new business partnership that will transition you into a previously untapped market segment?

What are the threats? Is your physical space getting crowded? What about your market space? Is increasing competition an issue?

Use SWOT results to identify a better way forward for your company.

5. Determine how you’ll measure success.

You’ve identified strengths and weaknesses and set SMART goals , but how will you measure it all ? It’s important for your team to know just how they will be measured, goaled, and rewarded. Common key performance indicators (KPIs) for business development include:

• Company growth
• Lead conversion rate
• Leads generated per month
• Client satisfaction
• Pipeline value

6. Set a budget.

What will your budget be for achieving your goals? Review financial documents, historical budgets, and operational estimates to set a budget that’s realistic.

Once you have a “draft” budget, check it against other businesses in your industry and region to make sure you’re not overlooking or misjudging any numbers. Don’t forget to factor in payroll, facilities costs, insurance, and other operational line items that tend to add up.

7. Identify your target customer.

Who will your business development team pursue? Your target market is the group of customers your product/service was built for. For example, if you sell a suite of products for facilities teams at enterprise-level companies, your target market might be facilities or janitorial coordinators at companies with 1000+ employees. To identify your target market:

• Analyze your product or service
• Check out the competition
• Choose criteria to segment by
• Perform research

Your target customer is the person most likely to buy your product. Do your homework and make sure your business development plan addresses the right people. Only then will you be able to grow your business.

8. Choose an outreach strategy.

What tactics will you use to attract new business for your sales team to close? You might focus on a single tactic or a blend of a few. Once you know who your target market is and where they “hang out,” then you can choose an appropriate outreach strategy.

Will your business development plan rely heavily on thought leadership such as speaking at or attending conferences? Will you host a local meetup for others in your industry? Or will your reps network heavily on LinkedIn and social media?

If referrals will be pivotal to your business’ growth, consider at which stage of the buying process your BDRs will ask for referrals. Will you ask for a referral even if a prospect decides they like your product/service but aren’t a good fit? Or will you wait until a customer has been using your solution for a few months? Define these parameters in your strategy.

Upselling and Cross-Selling

Upselling and cross-selling are a cost-effective way of growing your business. But it’s important that this tactic is used with guardrails. Only upsell clients on features that will benefit them as well as your bottom line. Don’t bloat client accounts with features or services they really don’t need — that’s when turnover and churn start to happen.

Sponsorship and Advertising

Will your BDR work with or be on the marketing team to develop paid advertising campaigns? If so, how will your BDRs support these campaigns? And which channels will your strategy include? If you sell a product, you might want to feature heavily on Instagram or Facebook. If you’re selling a SaaS platform, LinkedIn or Twitter might be more appropriate.

What’s your outreach strategy? Will your BDRs be held to a quota to make 25 calls a week and send 15 emails? Will your outreach strategy be inbound , outbound , or a healthy combination of both? Identify the outreach guardrails that best match your company values for doing business.

Strategic Plan Example

Let’s put all of these moving parts in action with a strategic plan example featuring good ol’ Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

Elevator Pitch Example for Strategic Plan

Dunder Mifflin is a local paper company dedicated to providing excellent customer support and the paper your business needs to excel today and grow tomorrow.

Here are some additional resources for inspiration:

• Elevator Pitch Examples to Inspire Your Own
• Components of an Elevator Pitch

Executive Summary Example for Strategic Plan

At Dunder Mifflin, our strengths are our customer service, speed of delivery, and our local appeal. Our weakness is that our sales cycle is too long.

To shorten the sales cycle 5% by the end of Q4, we need to ask for more referrals (which already enjoy a 15% faster sales cycle), sponsor local professional events, and outreach to big box store customers who suffer from poor customer support and are more likely to exit their contract. These tactics should allow us to meet our goal in the agreed-upon timeline.

• How to Write an Incredibly Well-Written Executive Summary [+ Example]
• Executive Summary Template

SMART Goals Example for Strategic Plan

Dunder Mifflin’s goal is to decrease our sales cycle 5% by the end of Q4. We will do this by more proactively scheduling follow-up meetings, sourcing more qualified, ready-to-buy leads, and asking for 25% more referrals (which have a 15% shorter sales cycle already). We will measure success by looking at the sales pipeline and calculating the average length of time it takes a prospect to become closed won or closed lost.

• 5 Dos and Don'ts When Making a SMART Goal [Examples]
• How to Write a SMART Goal
• SMART Marketing Goals Template

SWOT Analysis Example for Strategic Plan

Strengths: Our strengths are our reputation in the greater Scranton area, our customer service team (led by Kelly Kapoor), and our warehouse team, who ship same-day reams to our customers — something the big box stores cannot offer.

Weaknesses: Our greatest weakness is that our sales team has been unable to successfully counter prospects who choose big box stores for their paper supply. This results in a longer-than-average sales cycle, which costs money and time.

Opportunities: Our greatest business opportunity is to conduct better-targeted outreach to prospects who are ready to buy, ask for more referrals from existing customers, and follow up with closed lost business that’s likely coming up on the end of an annual contract with a big box store.

Threats: Our biggest threat is large box stores offering lower prices to our prospects and customers and a sales cycle that is too long, resulting in low revenue and slow growth.

• How to Conduct Competitive Analysis
• How to Run a SWOT Analysis for Your Business [+ Template]
• SWOT Analysis Template and Market Research Kit

Measurement of Success Example for Strategic Plan

We will measure success by looking at the sales pipeline and calculating the average length of time it takes a prospect to become closed won or closed lost.

Budget Example for Strategic Plan

You've laid out the SMART goals and the way you'll measure for success. The budget section's goal is to estimate how much investment it will take to achieve those goals. This will likely end up being a big-picture overview, broken down into a budget by a program or a summary of key investments. Consider laying it out in a table format like so:

• Budgeting Templates
• How to Write an Incredible Startup Marketing Budget

Target Customer Example for Strategic Plan

Our target customer is office managers at small- to medium-sized companies in the greater Scranton, PA area. They are buying paper for the entire office, primarily for use in office printers, custom letterhead, fax machines. They are busy managing the office and value good customer service and a fast solution for their paper needs.

• How to Create Detailed Buyer Personas for Your Business
• Make My Persona Tool

Outreach Strategy Example for Strategic Plan

Networking, sponsorships, and referrals will be our primary mode of outreach. We will focus on networking at regional paper conferences, HR conferences, and local office manager meetups. We will sponsor local professional events. And we will increase the volume of referrals we request from existing customers.

Create a Strategic Plan for Business Development

Without a strategic plan, you can invest resources, time, and funds into business development initiatives that won't grow your business. A strategic plan is crucial as it aligns your business development and sales teams. With a solid business development strategic plan, everyone will be working toward the greater good of your company.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

9 Strategic Planning Models and Tools for the Customer-Focused Business

S&OP: A Comprehensive Overview of Sales and Operations Planning

A Straightforward Guide to Qualitative Forecasting

4 Clever and Effective Ways to Simplify Your Sales Process From Seasoned Sales Experts

Lead Distribution Methods and Best Practices

Lead Routing: How to Precisely Implement and Route Key Prospects

The 25 Best Lead Distribution Software in 2022

Return on Sales: How to Calculate It and What You Need to Know

30 Key Interview Questions and Answers for Sales Operations Role

How Using a Document Library Can Improve Your Sales Process

Plan your business's growth strategy with this free template.

Powerful and easy-to-use sales software that drives productivity, enables customer connection, and supports growing sales orgs

Powerful business plan templates

Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion..

Put your ideas to work with simple templates for every business plan

Every successful business took a lot of planning to get there, and these templates will be cornerstones of your future success. Whether you're looking to attract new business, pitch your services or reimagine your company, with these simple, customizable templates at your fingertips you can turn complexity into something tangible. These templates can become marketing assets or simply remain internal touchpoints for your team. And as your dreams change, you'll always have this template to refer to – it's easy to change what exists on paper. If you're a small business, focusing on your niche can help you dominate in your field, and you can forge a plan to figure out exactly what that niche might be and how to target your ideal customer . When it's time to share your vision with stakeholders, craft a presentation that outlines your plan succinctly and with style. Let these templates from Microsoft Designer be your partner in business strategy for years to come.

Business Plan Template for Purchasing Departments

• Great for beginners
• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
• Get started in seconds

Purchasing departments play a crucial role in the success of any business. But without a solid plan, it's easy to get lost in the world of procurement, cost management, and supplier relationships. That's where ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Purchasing Departments comes in!

With this template, you can:

• Strategically outline your department's goals, objectives, and strategies
• Streamline your procurement processes for maximum efficiency
• Effectively manage costs and optimize your budget
• Foster strong and productive relationships with suppliers
• Drive overall operational excellence within your department

Don't let your purchasing department run on autopilot. Take control with ClickUp's Business Plan Template and achieve procurement success like never before!

Business Plan Template for Purchasing Departments Benefits

A business plan template for purchasing departments can provide numerous benefits to businesses, including:

• Streamlining procurement processes and ensuring efficient purchasing practices
• Optimizing cost management strategies to maximize savings and minimize expenses
• Improving supplier relationship management for better collaboration and negotiation
• Enhancing overall operational excellence by aligning procurement goals with the overall business objectives
• Providing a strategic roadmap for the purchasing department to achieve long-term success
• Facilitating effective communication and alignment between different stakeholders involved in the procurement process
• Enabling better risk management and contingency planning for potential disruptions in the supply chain
• Enhancing transparency and accountability in purchasing decisions and processes
• Supporting data-driven decision-making through the collection and analysis of relevant procurement metrics
• Promoting continuous improvement in procurement practices through regular reviews and updates of the business plan.

Main Elements of Purchasing Departments Business Plan Template

ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Purchasing Departments is perfect for organizing and streamlining your procurement processes. Here are the main elements you'll find in this template:

• Custom Statuses: Track the progress of your purchasing department's tasks with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do.
• Custom Fields: Save important information about your business plan such as Reference, Approved, and Section, making it easy to categorize and search for specific details.
• Custom Views: Access different views like Topics, Status, Timeline, Business Plan, and Getting Started Guide to visualize your purchasing department's goals, objectives, and strategies from various angles.
• Task Management: Utilize ClickUp's powerful task management features, including assignees, due dates, subtasks, and attachments, to keep your team aligned and efficient.
• Collaboration: Collaborate seamlessly with your team using @mentions, comments, and notifications, ensuring everyone is on the same page throughout the business planning process.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Purchasing Departments

If you work in a purchasing department and need to create a business plan, the Business Plan Template in ClickUp can help streamline the process. Follow these steps to effectively utilize the template and develop a comprehensive plan for your department:

1. Define your objectives and goals

Start by clearly defining the objectives and goals of your purchasing department. What do you aim to achieve? Are you looking to optimize procurement processes, reduce costs, or improve supplier relationships? Defining your goals will help you structure your business plan and set the right priorities.

Utilize Goals in ClickUp to set and track your department's objectives and align them with the overall company goals.

2. Assess current processes and identify areas for improvement

Take a close look at your current purchasing processes and identify any inefficiencies or areas for improvement. Are there any bottlenecks, redundancies, or manual tasks that can be automated? Analyze your data and metrics to gain insights into your department's performance and identify key areas where changes can be made.

Use the Gantt chart in ClickUp to visualize and analyze your processes, identify dependencies, and plan improvements.

3. Analyze supplier relationships and procurement strategies

Evaluate your current supplier relationships and procurement strategies. Are you getting the best value for your money? Are there opportunities to negotiate better terms or explore new suppliers? Analyzing your supplier relationships and procurement strategies will help you optimize costs and ensure a reliable supply chain.

Create tasks in ClickUp to assess and evaluate your supplier relationships, track negotiations, and document important information.

4. Develop a budget and financial forecast

Create a budget and financial forecast for your purchasing department. This will help you allocate resources effectively and ensure that your purchasing activities align with the overall financial goals of the organization. Consider factors such as procurement costs, inventory management, and potential cost savings through strategic sourcing.

Utilize the custom fields in ClickUp to track and manage your budget, expenses, and financial forecasts.

5. Implement and monitor your plan

Once your business plan is complete, it's time to put it into action. Assign responsibilities and tasks to your team members, and establish clear timelines and milestones. Regularly monitor and review the progress of your plan, making adjustments as needed to ensure that you stay on track towards achieving your goals.

Use Automations in ClickUp to streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and keep everyone accountable.

By following these steps and utilizing the Business Plan Template in ClickUp, your purchasing department can develop a strategic and effective plan that aligns with the overall objectives of your organization.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Purchasing Departments

Purchasing departments can use this Business Plan Template for Purchasing Departments to strategically outline goals, objectives, and strategies for efficient procurement processes and supplier relationship management.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to streamline your purchasing processes:

• Use the Topics View to categorize different sections of your business plan, such as procurement strategies, cost management, and supplier relationship management
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each section, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do
• The Timeline View will give you a visual representation of your business plan, with start and end dates for each section
• The Business Plan View will provide a comprehensive overview of your entire plan, including goals, objectives, and strategies
• The Getting Started Guide View will help you navigate through the template and provide tips and best practices for creating an effective business plan
• Utilize the custom fields Reference, Approved, and Section to add additional information and categorize your plan
• Update statuses and custom fields as you make progress and receive approvals
• Monitor and analyze your plan to ensure alignment with your purchasing department's goals and objectives
• Business Plan Template for Wholesalers
• Business Plan Template for Schedulers
• Business Plan Template for Construction Companies
• Business Plan Template for Portfolio Managers
• Business Plan Template for Kawan Food Berhad

Template details

Free forever with 100mb storage.

Free training & 24-hours support

Serious about security & privacy

Highest levels of uptime the last 12 months

• Product Roadmap
• Affiliate & Referrals
• On-Demand Demo
• Integrations
• Consultants
• Gantt Chart
• Native Time Tracking
• Automations
• Kanban Board
• vs Airtable
• vs Basecamp
• vs MS Project
• vs Smartsheet
• Software Team Hub
• PM Software Guide

One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide

By Joe Weller | April 6, 2020

• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn

Link copied

In this article, we’ve gathered a variety of free, one-page business plan templates for you to download in Excel, Word, and PDF formats. 

Included on this page, you’ll find a one-page business plan template for a service business , business plan template for a product business , business plan for a real estate agent , a Lean business plan template , and more. To help get you started, we’ve also included an example of a one-page business plan , and  a quick guide on how to create your one-page business plan .

One-Page Business Plan Template

Download One-Page Business Plan Template

Excel  | Word  |  PDF | Smartsheet

Use this one-page business plan template — designed to be simple, organized, and easy to use — to immediately get started on your plan. Write down your thoughts and key ideas as you decide if your business concept is viable, and adjust it as circumstances change. You can also use this template as a basis to build a more detailed and elaborate plan.

One-Page Business Plan for a Service Business Template

Download One-Page Business Plan for a Service Business Template

Excel | Word | PDF

This business plan template is designed specifically for businesses that provide a service. The one-page plan provides space to list the essential information about your strategy, including the service you offer, the problem you are solving for customers, your mission and vision statements, target audience, staffing requirements, key objectives, and much more. This template also includes a timeline at the bottom for you to add key milestones.

One-Page Business Plan for a Product Business Template

Download One-Page Business Plan for a Product Business Template

Use this one-page template to develop a strategic roadmap for your organization’s product offerings. This template provides space for you to include a business overview, a description of your target market, your competitive advantage, a list of marketing channels and materials you plan to utilize, as well as your pricing strategy, distribution channels, and success metrics. You can also use the visual timeline of milestones at the bottom to enter key dates and events.

One-Page Business Plan for Real Estate Agents Template

Download One-Page Business Plan for Real Estate Agents Template

This one-page business plan template is created for real estate agents to set objectives and put together an action plan. Enter your overarching goal at the top of the template, and establish three high-level activities you need to complete to achieve the goal. The template also includes a strategic action plan that breaks down each high-level activity into tasks and deadlines, with an accompanying visual timeline to ensure you stay on track.

One-Page Business Plan for Nonprofit Organization Template

Download One-Page Business Plan for Nonprofit Organization Template

This one-page business plan is designed for a nonprofit organization, with space to detail your mission, vision, and purpose statements, as well as who you serve, the problem(s) you solve, and programs and resources you offer. Additionally, the template includes space to detail your financial plan, marketing activities, costs, and more.

One-Page Business Plan for Startup Template

Download One-Page Business Plan for Startup Template

This one-page business plan template is intended for an entrepreneur or a small startup business to document a plan as they determine if an idea is feasible. This template provides space to describe the problem and solution, the product or service, the target customer, existing alternatives, the unique value proposition, a marketing and sales plan, success metrics, and other information. You’ll also find room to detail sources of funding and how the funds will be used.

One-Page Business Plan for Small Business Template

Download One-Page Business Plan for Small Business

Use this one-page small business plan template to outline the essential aspects of your business strategy. Provide details on your organization’s vision, mission, product or service offering, and management team. Then identify the target audience, market size, competitor offerings, and your competitive advantage. This plan also includes room to detail your marketing and sales strategy, key objectives, and financial plan.

One-Page Lean Business Plan Template

Download One-Page Lean Business Plan Template

This one-page template uses a Lean approach to develop your business plan. Use this customizable template to detail the crucial elements of your strategy, including a brief business and industry overview, your product or service offering, options from your competitors, and your competitive advantage. Plus, this template includes room to detail your marketing plan, success metrics, financial plan, and a visual timeline of milestones.

One-Page Business Planning Template with Timeline

Download One-Page Business Planning Template with Timeline

Excel | Smartsheet

Use this business planning template to organize and schedule key activities for your business. Fill in the cells according to the due dates, and color-code the cells by phase, owner, or category to provide a visual timeline of progress.

One-Page Business Plan Example

This one-page business plan covers all the essential elements and offers a visually appealing presentation. Information for each aspect of the plan is concise, with details about the business mission, management team, product offerings, key marketing activities, competitors, and financial projections. This plan also provides links to additional resources so that stakeholders can easily find information to support the specifics of the plan.

How to Write a One-Page Business Plan (with Sample Outline)

A one-page business plan takes a standard business plan and extracts the fundamental aspects, then condenses the essential information down to one page. To determine the key elements to emphasize in your one-page plan, consider the type of business you operate, as well as the financial (and other resources) needs of your business.

To streamline your business plan into a one-page document, follow the steps below.

• Create a simple outline for your plan using bullet points. Below, you’ll find an example of an outline for a one-page business plan. You can add or remove sections according to the needs of your business. 
• Business mission
• Problem you are solving
• Funds needed (if applicable)
• Product or service positioning statement
• Unique value proposition
• Target customers
• Market size
• SWOT analysis
• Direct competitors
• Existing alternatives
• Competitive advantage
• Key marketing strategy (e.g., channel or method that will yield the best results)
• Key sales strategy
• Specialized equipment or facilities
• Staffing requirements (e.g., key personnel, skills, and training needs)
• Distribution method
• Sales projection
• Profit and loss projection 
• Gather all your findings on your business and industry.

Compile all the current information you have gleaned from market research, interviews, surveys, and various teams in your business (e.g., the marketing and finance teams). Comb through each document and extract the information that is fundamental to your business’s operation and relevant to the bullet points on your outline.

• Write two to three brief sentences for each main bullet point.

Once you create your outline and gather information, write two to three sentences for each main bullet point that expands on and summarizes the sub-bullet points for that section. For example, the plan summary section could say the following:

Donny’s Food Truck will offer a variety of fresh food at an affordable price in a convenient location. Increased traffic in the Hungry Town area, combined with severely limited dining options, provides an opportunity to offer customers a quick, nutritious meal at a competitive price. A food truck with the necessary equipment has already been acquired, so we are seeking $200,000 to cover wages, emergency repairs, and licenses needed to fund our first year of operations.

• Ensure you are able to support all the information provided in your plan.

Since a one-page plan omits many of the details provided in a traditional business plan, be sure you have market research and other supporting documentation on hand to show stakeholders in case they have questions as they review your plan. In addition, make sure you thoroughly understand the supporting information and know how to restate it in your own words before you disburse the plan. 

• Ensure your plan answers all the vital questions .

At a minimum, an effective one-page business plan should answer the following questions:

• What product or service do we offer?
• Who will use the product or service?
• What problem does our offering solve?
• How will the product or service get to our customers?
• What alternatives do our customers use, and why are we superior?
• What is our unique value proposition?
• What strengths and opportunities can we use to our advantage?
• What resources do we need to get up and running?
• What will our sales look like for the first few years?
• When do we expect to be profitable?

In addition to the steps provided above, you can save time and get started on your plan by downloading one of the templates provided on this page. You can also check out “ Free Executive Summary Templates ,” which can serve the same purpose as a one-page business plan.

Benefits of a One-Page Business Plan

Organizations and stakeholders can unite behind a strategic direction when they have a business plan in place. Developing a traditional business plan can be a daunting task, so many entrepreneurs, small startups, graphic designers, freelancers, and consultants find a one-page business plan a less intimidating place to start. 

Creating a one-page business plan benefits your organization in the following ways:

• Push you to prioritize and focus on key ideas.
• Enable your audience to quickly scan and grasp the core concepts of your plan.
• Allow you to easily share and pitch your business idea to prospective investors and stakeholders (e.g., email attachment, single piece of paper).
• Accelerate business setup, especially businesses that don’t need a loan or investment to get going.
• Provide a solid starting point to expand upon at a later time.
• Enable you to document your thoughts and ideas to see if you have a feasible plan.

Tips for Creating a One-Page Business Plan

Now that you know how to create a one-page plan and the benefits in doing so, here are some tips to get you started:

• Set a time limit (up to one hour) to focus and work on your plan.
• Use a one-page business plan template (you can choose from the options above), or refer to the sample outline provided on this page.
• Ensure your plan details only the core aspects that are fundamental to running and operating your business. 
• Remember that this is a living document — continue to revisit and adjust it as strategies and objectives change.
• Expand on your plan as your business size and needs grow. 

When the time comes that you need more space to lay out your goals and strategies, choose from our variety of free simple business plan templates . You can learn how to write a successful simple business plan here . 

Visit this free non-profit business plan template roundup  or download a  fill-in-the-blank business plan template  to make things easy. If you are looking for a business plan template by file type, visit our pages dedicated specifically to  Microsoft Excel ,  Microsoft Word , and  Adobe PDF  business plan templates. Read our articles offering  startup business plan templates  or  free 30-60-90-day business plan templates  to find more tailored options.

Improve Business Planning with Real-Time Work Management in Smartsheet

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

Department Strategic Plan

A department strategic plan can be a five-year strategic plan or it may also contain action plans and strategies that will be implemented for a short time period.

• 9+ Non-Profit Strategic Plan Examples
• 13+ Museum Strategic Plan Examples

A department strategic plan is an important business document that allows a department or a division to present all their projects and activities that can help further improve the entire operations or areas of the business. This document also showcases the initiatives, strategies, and action plans that are needed to be executed so that it can support the vision and corporate objectives of the company.

One of the most important things that you have to remember when creating a department strategic plan is that its content must be aligned with the overall strategic plan of the business. Hence, the content that can be seen in the document must be precise, specific, and relevant. We have put together a number of department strategic plan examples that you can refer to if you want to start developing the strategic plan of your department.

Detailed Department of Finance Strategic Plan Example

Department of Early Education and Care Strategic Plan Example

Size: 409 KB

Department of Finance and Management Strategic Plan Example

Size: 267 KB

First Time to Create a Department Strategic Plan?

Department strategic plans can be created by the human resource department , the managers or supervisors of the division, the management, or the third parties that the business have hired to assess the current condition of each department and come up with a strategic plan based on their expert insights and observations.

If this is your first time to be tasked or be required to develop a department strategic plan, here are some of the things that you need to be aware of:

1. Your strategic plan must be tactical. It is important for you to consider the ability of the entire department to attain the objectives that you have listed. Make sure to match the deliverable of the team with the things that you would like to implement. In this manner, you can create a realistic and attainable model for the department strategic plan. You may also see strategic planning checklist examples .

2. Consider how your department strategic plan can possibly affect the operations of the business as well as the things that it would like to achieve. You first need to look into the overall impacts and effects of the strategies and action plans that you have set so that you can measure its feasibility when applied into actual processes. You may also like sales strategic plan examples .

3. Ensure that your department strategic plan is time-bound. The next entire operational year of the department will mostly rely on the plans that you have created, which is why it is very important for you to come up with time frames that can present the specific milestones that must be achieved in certain periods for these results to have a maximum contribution to the growth and development of the business. You may also check out security strategic plan examples .

4. Just like when creating a  compliance strategic plan , you have to look into the general corporate procedural policies and other rules of the business first. You have to be knowledgeable of the regulations and protocols that are essential to be considered so that you will not negate the objectives of the business or the processes that are done by other departments.

5. If the department where you are assigned at have previous strategic plans, compile all these documents so you can see the trends when it comes to action plan creation and strategy incorporation. Having the knowledge of previous processes can make it easier for you to create new decisions for the department. More so, it can give you an overview of the strategies and simple action plans that worked and those that did not.

Human Resources Department Strategic Plan Example

Police Department Strategic Plan Example

Tribal Health Department Strategic Plan Example

Size: 924 KB

How to Come Up with an Impressive Department Strategic Plan

In comparison to the creation of recruitment strategic plan examples and all the other kinds of strategic plan documents, it is also evident that not all department strategic plans are in the same level of effectiveness and efficiency. This being said, there are actually a lot of factors and elements that can affect the successful development and implementation of this document.

One of which is the process followed by the department when creating the strategic plan. A basic procedure that you can always execute if you want to come up with a simple department strategic plan is listed below.

1. Browse through the business strategic plan of the company first. Familiarize with the processes followed by the business and the plans that will be executed for the next operational plan . Again, it is very important for you to align the content of the department strategic plan with the information presented in the business strategic plan.

2. Evaluate the department’s existing issues, problems, and concerns. More so, have an idea about the current condition of the department’s operations as well as the strengths that you can capitalize on. Being able to understand the dynamics of the team can help you allocate resources and maximize the potential of skills, abilities, expertise, and other deliverable. You may also see health and safety strategic plan examples .

3. Conduct internal and external analysis. As you may have noticed, the initial steps of creating a department strategic plan is mostly focused on the acquisition of data from surveys questionnaires , and other data-gathering tools. It is important for you to know a lot about the environment, the potential effects of your strategic plan and the ways in which the document can develop the relationship and performance of each department members.

4. Have a goal in mind. What would you like the department strategic plan to achieve in the future? What is the vision that you have for the department and how can it help the business achieve its vision? Setting your goals can make it easier for you to be more direct and precise when creating the content of the department strategic plan.

5. If you are already aware of what you will be working on, you can already specify the action plans, programs, and other efforts that you would like the department to execute. Alongside these plans are the set of time duration in which milestones should already be identified. Come up with tactics and backup plans so you can make your department strategic plan more flexible and dynamic. You may also like personal strategic plan examples .

6. Put all the details that you have gathered together with the strategic plans that you will execute. Use templates and other references that can help you present your discussion in a presentable and understandable manner. Make sure to review the document before sending it to your target audience. You may also check out school strategic plan examples .

7. In some instances or if you have the budget allocation for this activity, you can also seek for an expert’s advice so you can ensure the quality of the document that you came up with. There are already professionals who offer their services so they can help you come up with an effective department strategic plan. You might be interested in one-page strategic plan examples .

Health Department Strategic Plan Example

Size: 480 KB

Department of Finance Strategic Plan Example

Size: 559 KB

Law Department Strategic Plan Example

Size: 469 KB

Useful Recommendations and Tips to Help You Make a Department Strategic Plan Successfully

From a  club strategic plan  to a  restaurant strategic plan , there are different departments who can make use of a variety of strategic plans based on the nature of their processes and the activities that the workforce within the department needs to execute to comply with the business standards, requirements, and expectations.

Even if there are different kinds of strategic plans, there are also some similarities when it comes to the development of these documents.

Some useful recommendations and tips that you can use as references and guides when making a successful department strategic plan are as follows:

1. Ensure that your department strategic plan contains all the action plans that can help you achieve particular goals and objectives . Whether it is to connect with your target market more effectively or to help the business obtain competitive advantage, what is important is for your call-to-actions to be relevant.

2. Gather all your team members and have an initial meeting about the potential content of the department strategic plan. You have to look into all issues and problems in different angles so you can create a department strategic plan that has a high potential of being effective. You have to understand root causes, previous effects, and actual implications so you can ensure the efficiency of the document that you will create. You may also see procurement strategy plan examples .

3. Set proper expectations. You have to ensure that the items that you will include in the department strategic plan are realistic and measurable. Keep in mind that the attainability of your goals and objectives can affect the implementation of your general action plans and strategies.

4. Designate responsibilities and work processes accordingly. You have to make sure that all action plans are given to responsible entities so that lapses and loopholes during the plan execution can be minimized or even be eliminated. You also have to make sure that the workforce is aware of what is expected from them so they can function accordingly. You may also like audit strategic plan examples .

5. Create a department strategic plan that is brief and concise. You have to include necessary information that targets the key areas of the department’s operations. If you can successfully do this, then it will be easier for you to present your discussion in an understandable manner. You may also check out community strategic plan examples .

Finance Department Strategic Plan Example

Size: 387 KB

Department of Conservation: Information Systems Strategic Plan Example

Strategic Planning Guide for Offices and Department Managers Example

The Role of References in Department Strategic Plan Drafting

An outstanding department strategic plan, may it be an  HR strategic plan  or any strategic plan made and used by other departments, is one that considers the content of the overall business strategic plan of the company and all the other factors that are essential in the successful usage of the document.

Listed below are some of the ways on how references can help you draft a department strategic plan.

1. Downloadable and existing examples of department strategic plans can help you identify all the information that are considered necessary and relevant to be included in the document that you generally  plan to make. With the usage of these examples, you will know whether you have already completed all the things that are expected to be included in your own department strategic plan.

2. Aside from downloadable examples, you can also refer to templates specifically for formatting purposes. A department strategic plan must be well-presented so that it can appeal to the target audience of the department especially to the decision-makers within the management. You may also see real estate strategic plan examples .

The discussion flow can be more understandable if you can put all details in their proper places within the document. This can reflect the quality standards that you have considered when making the document.

3. There are also organizational tools that you can use as references. Examples of these are the previous outlines, checklists, drafts, and summaries of the department strategic plans used by the business. Using these references can help you become aware of the loopholes that made the previous documents weak or irrelevant. You may also like strategic action plan examples .

We suggest you to browse through and download the department strategic plan examples in PDF that we have put together in this post for your advantage. Using these existing examples can further develop your knowledge when it comes to the factors and elements that you need to consider when creating a department strategic plan. Create a department strategic plan draft now so your department, your team, and the business can already benefit from the effects of the document’s usage.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Create a study plan for final exams in high school

Develop a project timeline for a middle school science fair.

All Formats

Plan Templates

11+ department strategic plan templates – pdf.

Every simple business has different departments and each of these departments have their own specific tasks that they need to be able to complete. However, there those who are working within these departments which may need to be reminded about what it is they should be doing and how they should be doing it.

• 44+ Strategic Plan Samples
• 40+ Strategic Plan Templates

Department of Commerce Strategic Plan

3 Year Department Strategic Plan

Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Plan

What Is a Strategic Plan?

Why do departments need strategic plans, health department strategic plan.

Finance and Management Strategic Plan

Sample Fire Department Strategic Plan

Education Department Strategic Plan

4 Year Department Strategic Plan

Department of Education Strategic Plan

What Benefits Can Be Gained From Coming Up with the Strategic Plans?

1. they’re given tasks specifically meant for them, 2. it will motivate them, 3. it will help you make decisions.

Athletic Department Strategic Plan

Police Department Strategic Plan

How to Make a Department Strategic Plan

1. point out the goals of your business, 2. know who you should appoint important tasks to, 3. know their strengths and weaknesses, 4. look for areas of growth, 5. know what actions you need to take and what you’ll need, more in plan templates, character reference letter for apartment rental, department kra template, monthly medication chart, medication process flow chart, it department raci chart, advertising internal department gantt chart template, production planning and control department gantt chart template, restructuring department gantt chart template, hr department gantt chart template, law firm department flowchart template.

• 7+ Financial Plan Templates
• 10+ Operational Plan Templates
• 9+ Training Plan Templates
• 5+ Shooting Schedule Template
• 11+ School Counselor Lesson Plan Templates in PDF | Word
• 9+ Interdisciplinary Lesson Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word
• 10+ Business Continuity Plan Templates in Google Docs | Ms Word | Pages | PDF
• 18+ Compensation Plan Templates in Google Docs | MS Word | Pages | PDF
• 10+ Executive Bonus Plan Templates in PDF
• 8+ Facility Management Plan Templates in PDF
• 10+ Diversity Recruitment Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word
• 11+ Audit Corrective Action Plan Templates in MS Word | Excel | PDF
• 9+ Recruitment Agency Marketing Plan Templates in PDF
• 10+ Recruitment Marketing Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word
• 10+ Student Recruitment Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word

File Formats

Word templates, google docs templates, excel templates, powerpoint templates, google sheets templates, google slides templates, pdf templates, publisher templates, psd templates, indesign templates, illustrator templates, pages templates, keynote templates, numbers templates, outlook templates.