Business Plans are prepared to enable leadership to make a decision, usually about an investment or change in service/product portfolio. As a result, they need to include the information and insight that leaders can use to weigh the merits of what is being proposed against the requirements and risks. These factors need to be evaluated against the strategic direction and priorities of the organization.

Many small and even mid-size organizations find that they can effectively outsource the preparation of a Business Plan, and that doing so has some benefits, including:

• The consultant provides an unbiased, neutral perspective
• Outsourcing the work frees up organization staff to focus on other responsibilities
• An experienced consultant can leverage their experience in preparing many business Plans, leading to a more complete and informative document

While the specific content of a business Plan is usually customized somewhat to what is being proposed, it tends to follow a standard outline, especially within an organization. That said, the ultimate standard for evaluating the format, organization and content areas of a Business Plan is that is should fully address the needs and interests of the sponsoring organization, giving its leaders confidence that they fully and fairly considered the opportunity presented.

SCS has written a variety leadership and Board approved Business Plans using both client outlines as well as an SCS recommended outline.

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