Prepare a business plan for growth

When and how to review your business plan

Once you have drawn up your new business plan and put it into practice, it needs to be continually monitored to make sure the objectives are being achieved. This review process should follow an assessment of your progress to date and an analysis of the most promising ways to develop your business. To find out more about these stages see our guides on how to review your business performance and how to assess your options for growth.

This process is called the business plan cycle. In some businesses, the cycle may be a continuous process with the plan being regularly updated and monitored. For most businesses, an annual plan - broken down into four quarterly operating plans - is sufficient. However, if a business is heavily sales driven, it can make more sense to have a monthly operating plan, supplemented where necessary with weekly targets and reviews.

It's important to keep in mind that major events in your business' target marketplace (eg competitor consolidation, acquisition of a major customer) or in the broader environment (eg new legislation) should trigger a review of your strategic objectives.

Regardless of whether or not there are fixed time intervals in your business plan, it must be part of a rolling process, with regular assessment of performance against the plan and agreement of a revised forecast if necessary.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The importance of ongoing business planning
• What your business plan should include
• Drawing up a more sophisticated business plan
• Plan and allocate resources effectively
• Use targets to implement your business plan
• When and how to review your business plan
• Here's how I managed rapid growth