Help! I Need To Write A Business Plan
Business Development Series (Article 2 of 9)

A business development plan lays out a series of tasks and activities that are specifically designed to “develop” all of the structural elements of your organization so that you can successfully implement your current strategy.

Those elements include your employees, your technology, your systems, etc. A business plan is often useful during the start-up phase—when an organization is just forming or starting up. If you are in the start-up phase, a business development plan will help you build and grow your business step by step. The most important thing that an organization in the start-up phase needs is a clear, step-by-step plan that identifies the specific tasks and activities necessary to develop the organization’s structure.

A business plan is also useful for organizations that are more mature. Maturity can run the gamut from long-standing small businesses to multinational corporations. If you find that your organization is no longer in the start-up phase, but that you do need a document to help you get things done more efficiently and more effectively, perhaps you might need a business development plan.

Finally, some people come to the conclusion that they need to be able to give prospective investors, funders, or even strategic partners something that describes the specific structural elements that, if developed further, would propel you forward. In this situation, a business development plan becomes a selling tool that can be used to attract additional resources that can help you strengthen your existing infrastructure.

So, after reading these scenarios, what if you really do need a business development plan?

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