What sections should a business plan consist of? Main sections of a business plan. A short guide. Learn more about each point of the business plan structure

Nowadays, many people are beginning to be inspired by the idea of ​​doing own business and not depend on working for someone else. But in practice, implementing this decision is not so easy. To begin with, in order to receive funds for the initial development of your business, you need to provide a detailed and clear plan that describes in detail the directions of your activity to possible investors.

If you don’t know what sections of a business plan should be included, it’s unlikely that you’ll end up with anything really meaningful. In this article we will not only consider all the stages, but also give a comprehensive description of them.

Front page

It’s very strange, but many people completely forget about this detail, considering it a “trifle” and a “waste of time.” Of course this is not true. A competently and beautifully designed title page is useful at least because it shows your responsible attitude to the matter, and this is already an important circumstance. So, what should be included in the “title”?

Firstly, you should indicate information about your company, or simply the name of the individual entrepreneur. Everything you need is written down there. contact information: physical address, telephone, address email. Many people forget that on the title page it is necessary to indicate brief information about what you plan to do, as well as the total expected cost. Important! IN mandatory write a footnote that should contain something like: “Data that contains sections of the business plan should not be disclosed and/or transferred to third parties.”

Resume

When writing this section, you need to remember one subtlety. Despite the fact that the sequence of sections of the business plan suggests that this item is in the forefront, its preparation is carried out at the very last resort, when the entire document is ready. Basically, the whole purpose of this data is to interest prospective investors or lenders. Its volume should not exceed four pages, but should not be less than two. A note should be made here: when you describe the features and prospects of your project, you need to avoid vague and intricate phrases.

In general, it is necessary to describe the matter in such a way that no one has even a shadow of doubt about its full prospects. In general, the characteristics of the sections of a business plan are a rather vague concept, since everyone has their own business, but still some aspects always remain unchanged.

So, it is very important to make a long-term forecast (at least for a couple of years) on the expected sales volumes, as well as how much money you will need to set up production. Of course, it is necessary to especially emphasize the rate of return you are counting on. However, the situation should not be embellished. At the end, write down in a separate paragraph the time period after which you will return the money invested in you to investors and with what profit for them. What other sections of a business plan are needed?

Analysis of the state of affairs in the industry

This stage is extremely important, since here you describe how things are in your chosen industry, what is the annual gross income and its prospects for several next years. As in other cases, the structure and content of sections of a business plan when writing a resume should reflect the most important information:

  • What happened in this field of activity over five to seven years.
  • The likelihood of its stagnation or, on the contrary, development.
  • It is important to find out how many new companies that appeared in the market you are discussing remained afloat, and how many had to leave. Explain the reasons for unfavorable outcomes.
  • It is necessary to describe all types of new goods and services that have appeared in this field of activity, indicating their prospects.
  • Investors will be very curious to know what competing organizations exist in the market and what your advantage is over them.
  • How are you going to achieve a leading position, what methods will you use to achieve the highest results.
  • What are the sales rates of competing firms?
  • List their strengths and weaknesses, build a methodology for “pushing” your products onto the market, based on previously obtained data.
  • Indicate which segments of the population will be your potential buyers and what their purchasing power is.
  • How will your customers be different from those served by your competitors?

Experience shows that investors tend to ask these questions. If you find the answers to them and correctly formulate your report, lenders will certainly pay attention to you.

Essence of the proposed project

All other sections of the business plan are important, but at this stage you will have to try especially hard. You must show everyone that your product or service will be competitive in modern market that they will always have buyers. To do this, you need to write down the answers to some sections in the document. So, what should the structure of a business plan include (the sections are given approximately):

  • Name of the product or service.
  • Describe trademarks, patents used (if any), other features.
  • Please indicate your company location again.
  • Where is the room used as production workshop or places for providing services?
  • Indicate whether you own (if you have not yet answered the previous question) such a workshop or whether you will have to rent it.
  • If you have a premises, is it in need of renovation? What is the condition of the property you are planning to rent?
  • What qualifications and skills will you need workers?
  • Complete list of required equipment.
  • Is it possible to rent these means of production or will you have to purchase them all?
  • What experience do you have in entrepreneurial activity? This information, by the way, should be contained in sections of the business plan (business project).
  • Do you have experience working on leadership position. If so, what is the length of service?
  • Please provide your short resume.
  • Why did you decide to start your own business?
  • Why are you confident in the success of your business?
  • What stage is the project currently at?

Once again, reveal other nuances: what kind of packaging are you going to do for your product, how are you going to distribute it, what advertising costs can you budget for, and also give an example of your (or similar) marketing research in the field of demand for this product or service in your region (or city). If you describe exactly how you are going to create stable demand for your products, this will be a huge plus. What is the further sequence of sections of the business plan?

Production plan

Many people make a grave mistake at this point, describing only the standard production plan. In fact, it is important to describe not only this, but also the timing of production deployment, as well as methods for controlling the quality of the products. Will you be able to meet the allotted schedule and will the services you offer meet the quality standards - this is another, no less important, question.

Sub-clauses

Economists and financiers of potential investors are extremely interested in this issue, and therefore it is important to approach the design of the section with all possible responsibility. Here are the topics that need to be covered in more detail:

  • It is necessary to fully list the production cycles, and especially focus on the involvement of subcontractors: is it planned to do this, and if “yes,” then what technological operations will you use them for?
  • If you involve subcontractors, you will have to list all their contact information.
  • Explain why you chose these particular companies.
  • How much do you plan to pay subcontractors?
  • It is necessary to draw up technological schedules and diagrams.
  • Provide in your plan the most detailed list of equipment and materials that you will buy and/or rent.
  • Tell us in detail what raw materials you need and what kind technical characteristics it must have.
  • List all available suppliers consumables, indicate the terms of cooperation with them.
  • What is the expected cost of your product?
  • Try to make a list of the equipment that you may need in the future, indicate its price.

If you plan to engage in trade or service services, developing sections of a business plan also includes analysis of the following issues:

  • Indicate specific suppliers of goods.
  • It doesn’t hurt to decide in advance which system you will use for warehouse control, and what configuration you will need to buy for this. Prices for their varieties can differ significantly, so the size of your profit directly depends on this.
  • Do you have a room that you can use as a storage room? Indicate whether you own it or if you intend to rent it.

Please note that when planning your work large enterprise you must provide all the data in this section for four to five years in advance. If your company does not reach that size, three years will suffice. It is very important to show a simple and as transparent diagram as possible of how and where you intend to source the raw materials, what quality they will be, and how you intend to communicate this information to potential consumers of your product. Once again, we remind you of the importance of how detailed you are about your proposed quality control scheme. It is especially important to indicate how and at what stages of production you are going to implement it, as well as the expected cost of this activity.

In the same section you can talk about protective measures environment, about their cost, which will affect the cost finished products. This is especially important for those entrepreneurs who are planning to open their own production of this scale for the first time.

Marketing research

This is the main section of a business plan. It involves detailed influence of internal and external factors for your chosen field of activity. External forces are especially important. An entrepreneur is not able to influence them, but they have an extremely serious impact on his activities, and therefore cannot be ignored. Here is a list of such factors:

  • Macroeconomic indicators, including GDP dynamics, statistical data on the level of income of the population and real numbers according to your region. This is the financial section of the business plan, so include colorful, clear graphs with detailed diagrams.
  • Social factors: population size, its focus on consuming your specific products and services, the average age of your potential buyers.
  • Indicate the dynamics of technology development in the world and in Russia regarding your chosen field of activity.
  • Show the stability of the level of demand for the products you produce and immediately predict and model your actions in cases where it decreases or increases.
  • Important! Show that you are aware of all the laws that regulate your activities, provide excerpts from the laws and comment on how this or that rule specifically concerns you.
  • It is necessary to draw up a strategy for the development of the enterprise in the light of the actions of competitors. How can you compete with more developed and older companies?

Finally, indicate what you would do if the supply of raw materials needed by your production dropped sharply. Will you be able to repurpose yourself into producing other products as soon as possible, or will you have to close your company? Some highlight this item in a separate section, “business plan risks,” but practice proves it is undesirable to focus on undesirable aspects, since creditors may not like it.

Very often you can come across the question of how to correctly draw up sections of a business plan for the activities of an enterprise.

Business planning is required to create enterprise development plans, in order to analyze existing production facilities and create new ones, as well as develop measures for implementation scientific and technological progress and attracting investment.

Production plan

In this section it is necessary to display the infrastructure of the enterprise and its work areas:

  • Enterprise infrastructure. If the enterprise produces goods, then it is necessary to describe in detail its infrastructure, as well as market value premises and equipment, availability of licenses, certificates and permits. It is necessary to give a general description of the product release process. When creating a business plan, it is recommended to analyze the state of affairs with a forecast of up to 3 years. It is necessary to make a calculation of investments in the environment.
  • Production process. In this section it is necessary to make a description from the technological and production side, as well as to characterize the professionalism of the recruited personnel who will be involved. The need to retrain them or recruit additional employees.
  • Form of ownership.
  • Founders (participants) of the enterprise.
  • Copies of licenses for activities.
  • Copies of agreements with other organizations.
  • Organization of personnel management

    There are 2 approaches to personnel management adopted in the world: American and Japanese. The first is based on individual decision making.

    The second is characterized by the overall responsibility of the team. It is necessary to list management positions and name the people who will occupy them, indicate.

    Planning is a very important process in everyday life. modern society. It all starts with setting tasks for the current day and continues in the future for a month, a year, a five-year period and longer periods. Planning also plays a key role in building a business. If you want to successfully implement your idea, you need to draw up clear instructions for action. In addition, it is necessary not only for the businessman himself, but also for his partners, investors, and banks. In this article we will look at what it is, why it exists, the contents of a business plan, the main provisions, procedure and stages of development.

    The essence of the business plan

    So, what is and what should be the content of a business plan? Are you thinking about starting your own business, but don't know where to start? Any undertaking should not be started on a rash impulse. You should develop a behavior strategy, find out everything about the industries in which you are going to work, arrange your competitors, calculate possible risks and profits. All these points represent the content of the business plan in short version. At its core, this is a document from which any well-thought-out business begins; on its basis, large companies and successful entrepreneurship. This document has its own standards, although, of course, it does not have a mandatory regulatory form. But you should listen to recommendations on its structure, since it will come in handy many times during the life of a business entity.

    Why do you need a business plan?

    First of all, the content of the business plan will allow the entrepreneur himself to act clearly and consistently. Without instructions at hand, performing operations and transactions in a chaotic order and without preliminary calculations, you can make a lot of mistakes, which will soon destroy all your work. Planning should be based on the best possible information available. This approach to the matter will allow us to calculate possible consequences several steps forward, avoid negative incidents and find additional paths solutions to emerging issues. The content of the business plan will allow you to push yourself to action, since all people are afraid of the unknown that awaits them at the next step, but here it seems like everything becomes open and clear.

    The second reason to draw up this document is to attract additional affiliate programs, investing in a project from external sources, gaining access to large amounts of lending. Any self-respecting partner, and especially large organizations, do not want to get involved with projects of questionable profitability and viability. But the structure and content of a business plan may well convince prestigious and wealthy organizations to invest their funds in the development of a new project. The investment must pay off, and therefore it is necessary to provide analytical information on the upcoming business, which will clearly outline the benefits of this kind of financial investment in a newcomer to the market. A correctly drawn up structure and content of a business plan will open the door for an entrepreneur to large bank loans for favorable conditions, state support and subsidies, commercial investments from outside famous companies. Such assistance during the start-up period will ensure a successful and fast startup, and in the future it will strengthen the position in the chosen industry.

    Who are investment intermediaries?

    At the stage of thinking about a business plan, it is very important not to overestimate your own capabilities for foresight and ability to anticipate turns of events. The ability to analyze situations and identify, based on the data obtained, the short-term and long-term prospects of market behavior comes with experience. Neither education nor natural ingenuity will help here. Some things can only be done by going through a visual representation many times. Therefore, many novice entrepreneurs do not risk taking on the basic provisions of a business plan on their own, much less delving into analytical activities.

    Young entrepreneurs prefer to turn to so-called investment intermediaries. These are companies that undertake registration obligations of this document. Their tasks include many items and processes, but they also charge a significant fee for their efforts, often in the form of an advance payment. Typically, the size is determined by a percentage of the amount of desired investment in the project from third parties. Such companies employ experienced specialists in various economic sectors, theorists and practitioners of building a successful project, who form the approximate content of the business plan. The sample is provided to you for consideration, decision-making, and correction of inaccuracies. All details are repeatedly discussed and clarified, a lot of meetings and re-executions of the first version of the plan take place before it takes on its final form.

    Choosing an investment intermediary is a very responsible matter. A big name can be the result of just the skillful work of a PR company. And as a result, you can receive a standardized and customized business plan. There cannot be any clichés or cliches in the development of this document; each project is developed strictly individually with full understanding of the essence of the project under construction. Therefore, at the stage of signing the contract, discuss all the details with your investment intermediary, so as not to end up in an undesirable situation with prospective investors.

    The dangers of an incorrectly drawn up business plan

    Contents of a business plan, sample of it correct structure invented for a reason. It would seem, why complicate it into any specific forms if the document does not have regulatory requirements for completion from the state, tax authorities and other regulatory authorities? Everything can be done much easier and faster. Look at the first content of a business plan you come across, an example of which you will find on the Internet, adjust the wording to the meaning of your direction - and you’re done.

    Maybe for own use this option will do. And even then, it will cause much more problems than it is worth. But such a document will definitely not attract third-party investments. First of all, investors check the market situation and the compliance of your data with them. No self-respecting organization will rely solely on the unprofessional statements of an absolute beginner. Not a single bank will provide a loan for such a business plan, not a single commercial figure will see a gold mine in your project. As a result, all funds spent in the first stage will simply be irretrievably lost. And for a beginning entrepreneur, these are significant amounts that can delay the creation of a business project for long time or completely destroy hopes of opening a business sometime in the future.

    General requirements for the document

    So, rule one relates to the joint work of project initiators and planners. The initiators are terms of reference, pass it on to the developers, then during the compilation process all accuracy and omissions are discussed. It is necessary to conduct a complete market analysis in order to accurately formulate a forecast for losses and income.

    An important point is to draw up a portrait of the client. It is necessary to clearly understand who the product is aimed at. Many entrepreneurs, when inventing a completely innovative product, count on the “right of the first idea.” In this case, we should not forget that the most competitive and powerful organizations can reproduce this product very quickly and at lower costs. It is necessary to adequately assess your weaknesses, as well as your goals. It is important for lenders to provide information about the repayment process and expected time frame. The content of the enterprise's business plan and the procedure for its development must be completely under the control of the initiator.

    The second rule relates to the scope and specificity of the document. The structure and content of sections of the business plan must be clearly formulated, not contain water, too vague and thoroughly deciphered processes technical production products. Document size typically ranges from eight to twelve pages printed text(on both sides). In some cases, the volume can be up to twenty-five pages of double-sided printed text. The content of the project business plan should be simple and complete. The document must present an honest analysis based on real events. It must outline the company's risks.

    The following sequence of project information items is generally used as a standard:

    • title page;
    • resume;
    • description of the enterprise and industry;
    • product description;
    • marketing analysis, strategy and sales;
    • production plan;
    • management and organizational plan;
    • financial plan;
    • focus and effectiveness of the project;
    • risks and guarantees;
    • attachments (accompanying documents).

    Description of the company and product

    The title page must contain the following information: title, legal structure, telephone numbers and addresses of the organization, status, telephone numbers, names and addresses of its owners, confidentiality of reporting, date and year of drawing up the business plan, as well as the names of its compilers.

    Resume is business card your organization. This is what it represents summary business plan and its original outcome. Here you can find condensed information about the company, the uniqueness of its project, financial needs to implement the idea, features of the sales market, guarantees and profitability forecast. The investor should decide to familiarize himself with the business plan in its entirety by reading the executive summary. Since reputable companies receive several dozen such projects a week, not all of them will be read, which means that the resume must include maximum specificity and seductiveness of the project.

    A description of the enterprise and industry requires a statement of the company's history, its current status and future plans. This section highlights financial results economic activity, personnel composition and management, what the activities are aimed at, achievements and merits in the industry, economic prospects for the industry and the company, connections with partners and activity in the social environment.

    And the services are necessarily required by the content. A description of the production technology is also required. Each type of product is described separately, and it is best to provide a visual example or, at worst, a photograph. Describe what technical innovations are required to successfully implement your plan, competitors with similar products, technology patents, the reasons why you chose your product, technology or service.

    Marketing, production and management

    Marketing analysis is the most important part. The content of the business plan for an investment project requires a particularly careful approach to the description of this paragraph. Whenever possible, true, interrelated factors should be addressed when conducting analysis. This section should show the investor how likely the product is to market successfully. Wholesalers and retailers, as well as end consumers, must be taken into account. A portrait of the end consumer must be presented, his age, gender, place of residence, geographical and regional characteristics of the implied part of the population. Here the consumer characteristics of the product itself are highlighted: type, purpose, price, shelf life or use, safety, etc. Approximate structure section implies the presence of a clause on consumer requirements for the product and a clause on competition in the market.

    The structure and content of the main sections of the business plan requires the presence of a clause on the production plan. In this paragraph it is necessary to talk about the production facilities involved in production and planned for implementation in the future. It is necessary to calculate the volume of production that covers operating costs, calculate direct and indirect expenses, raw materials, etc. The most complete cost estimate should be presented here.

    The business plan should reflect a list staffing organizations. The management team and the role of each specialist in economic activity and production must be specifically described. In addition, the costs of salaries and bonuses for employees are indicated. Potential lenders are closely studying the management team in whose efforts and professionalism they are going to invest their cash.

    Finance, focus and efficiency

    The content and procedure for developing a business plan requires reflecting all financial information on the project being prepared. The section should indicate the amounts that need to be spent on the preparatory and current stages, calculate the profit from the project, clarify the costs of lending, taxes, other items, and so on. In this section, it is advisable to indicate the total amount of funds requested, the financial request to the investor, the schedule according to which the debt will be repaid, in what amounts and on what dates. It is necessary to indicate for what purposes the allocated funds will be used and in what percentage. The structure of the currently existing capital is indicated, as well as the efficiency of using available funds.

    The section must indicate the focus, sensitivity to market changes, volatility, and significance for society.

    Risks and guarantees

    In this section, it is necessary to take into account all possible business risks and circumstances equivalent to force majeure. The lender must be sure that in any circumstances his investment will be returned to him at least in the amount of the deposit. A period of two to five years of the organization’s operation is usually considered. The main risks are the reactions of competing organizations and possible weaknesses of personnel or specialists. The risk may relate to the functioning of the technical equipment of the organization and competitors. Even if no risky situations are planned, they should be specified in detail in the business plan. The lender and investor must see that the organization is aware of the riskiness of any business and is ready to take responsibility for its actions.

    Applications

    It is recommended to attach to each business plan the documents on the basis of which it was drawn up. Also attached here constituent documents organizations ( legal entity). Such applications include a certificate of registration, charter and agreement on establishment, documents confirming data on certification, patents, licensing, diplomas and background information on the education of key personnel, excerpts from press articles about the activities of the organization.

    Applications include product photographs, market research data, calculations and tables. It is advisable to include in these materials photographs of production and retail outlets, a map of the organization, some contracts with partners, resume data from the management staff, analytical results of third-party organizations.

    As an appendix to the clause on risks and guarantees, you should attach warranty cards, letters, the composition and value of the collateral, contracts, extracts from legislative and regulatory materials. The more fully the sections describe the existing and planned situation, the state of the market today and forecasts for the demand for goods and services offered in the future, the higher the likelihood of receiving a subsidy, loan, investment for an entrepreneur, both a beginner and one operating in the market for a long time.

    A modern business plan consists of the following main sections and elements:

    1) resume;

    2) business history of the organization (description of the industry);

    3) characteristics of the organization’s business object;

    4) analysis of the organization’s business environment;

    5) marketing plan;

    6) production plan;

    7) organizational plan;

    8) financial plan;

    9) risk assessment and insurance;

    Sections of the business plan can be changed, other sections can be added, depending on the specifics of the business plan.

    Let us briefly describe the sections listed above.

    Resume (business concept) - a brief summary of the main provisions of the proposed plan, i.e. information about the planned business and the goals that the enterprise or entrepreneur sets for itself when starting their own business or developing an existing one.

    The concept is drawn up after all sections of the business plan have been written, as it contains the most basic of all its sections.

    The resume indicates business opportunities, their attractiveness, importance for the enterprise and the region, necessary financial resources(own or borrowed), possible repayment period borrowed funds, expected profit and its distribution, investment conditions. The summary should contain the main goal of the proposed business and the purpose of the business plan being developed.

    In addition to highlighting the main goal(s) of the business plan, it is indicated for whom it is intended: for a potential investor or lender, possible business partners or shareholders, co-founders, management of the enterprise or the entrepreneur himself (as a means of self-organization), state or municipal authorities ( in order to receive support).

    Thus, the resume contains the following data:

    Ideas, goals and essence of the project;

    Features of the goods (services, works) offered and their advantages in comparison with similar products of competitors;

    Strategy and tactics for achieving goals;

    Qualification of personnel and especially leading managers;

    Forecast of demand, sales volumes of goods (services, works) and revenue amounts in the coming period (month, quarter, year, etc.);

    The planned cost of production and the need for financing;

    Expected net profit, level of profitability and payback period;

    Main factors of success (description of methods of action and measures).

    Business history of the organization (description of the industry)

    This section contains basic information about the company and its scope of activity. It reflects the main events that influenced the emergence of ideas for the proposed business, as well as the main problems facing the organization at the present time. The actual position of the enterprise in the market is assessed, directions for its development in the future are indicated. A long-established enterprise leads a short history of its economic activities. The type of proposed business is indicated. The types of activities that the enterprise intends to engage in or is already engaged in are presented.

    The section describes the positive and negative aspects location of the enterprise. The main factors influencing or capable (with certain conditions) influence the activities of the enterprise. This section also contains general characteristics industry.

    The section ends with the formulation of the mission and goals of the enterprise and the definition of business strategy.

    Characteristics of the organization's business object

    The section of the business plan “Characteristics of the organization’s business object” (“Characteristics of services and products”) provides a description of the enterprise’s products from the consumer’s perspective. For this purpose, the following information is provided:

    Needs satisfied by the product;

    Quality indicators;

    Economic indicators;

    Exterior design;

    Comparison with other similar products;

    Patent protection;

    Export indicators and its possibilities;

    Main directions for product improvement;

    Possible key factors success.

    The main purpose of the product is to satisfy the needs of the company's client. The business plan reflects the scope of application, a list of functional features, and factors of product attractiveness. Factors of product attractiveness include value, purchase opportunity, price, quality, environmental friendliness, image, brand, shape, packaging, service life, etc.

    The properties of a product are associated with indicators of its quality - durability, reliability, ease and safety of operation and repair, etc. Some quality indicators can be assessed quantitatively; the corresponding data is provided in the business plan. The availability of industrial product certificates is indicated.

    The difference between a new or existing product from competitors' products. The patent rights of the enterprise, patents for utility models, and trademarks are described. Availability of licenses and know-how are indicated. The possibility of exporting products is indicated. If products are supplied to the foreign market, then the main indicators characterizing exports are given (country, sales volume, foreign exchange earnings).

    For a new product, the business plan indicates whether this product meets the requirements of novelty. This term refers to the following products:

    A product that has no analogues on the market;

    A product that has a significant qualitative improvement in comparison with similar products;

    A product that was already on the market, after which it was improved so that its properties fundamentally changed;

    A product of market novelty, i.e. new only for a given market;

    Old product found new area applications.

    The role of this section of the business plan is to present to the potential investor what new unique properties the product has, and to prove that it is capable of arousing the interest of buyers.

    Analysis of the organization's business environment

    This section, as a rule, is devoted to research and analysis of the market, competition in it, etc. First of all, market research is aimed at identifying today's consumers of products and services and identifying potential ones. The priorities that guide the consumer when purchasing are determined - quality, price, time and accuracy of delivery, reliability of supply, service etc.

    As part of market research, market segmentation is carried out, the size and capacity of markets for the company's products are determined.

    Marketing plan

    Marketing is a system for organizing the activities of a company in the development, production and sale of goods and provision of services based on a comprehensive study of the market and real customer requests in order to obtain high profits.

    The main thing in marketing is a dual and complementary approach. On the one hand, this is that all the activities of the company, including the formation of its production programs, scientific and technical research, capital investments, financial resources and workforce, as well as sales programs, maintenance and others must be based on deep and reliable knowledge of consumer demand and its changes. It is necessary to identify unsatisfied customer needs in order to orient production towards their satisfaction. On the other hand, it is important to actively influence the market and existing demand, to shape needs and consumer preferences.

    Production plan

    This section of the business plan is prepared only by the company that is or will be engaged in production. For non-manufacturing firms, the need for long-term assets, working capital and cost forecast are determined in the “Financial Plan” section.

    Depending on the type of business in terms of production, it is given brief description features technological process manufacturing products or providing services. The production plan is formed on the basis of the sales plan for manufactured products and the designed production capacity of the enterprise.

    The developers of the business plan in this section must show that the enterprise can actually produce required quantity products in required deadlines and with the required quality.

    Organizational plan

    This section of the business plan is devoted to the company’s management system and its personnel policy. The section structure may look like this:

    Organizational structure;

    Key management personnel;

    Professional advisors and services;

    Staff;

    Personnel policy of the company;

    Schedule;

    Social Development Plan;

    Legal support of the company's activities.

    The organizational structure is a way and form of uniting workers to achieve the production and management goals set for the enterprise. It is documented in graphical structure diagrams, staffing tables personnel, regulations on the divisions of the enterprise management apparatus, job descriptions individual performers. The organizational structure is characterized by the number of links, hierarchy, the nature of the distribution of powers and responsibilities vertically and horizontally in the structure of the management system.

    The organizational structures used in industry depend on many factors - the size of the enterprise, the volume of funds, the number of employees, the principle of operation, market structure, etc.

    The business plan provides the following information:

    On the production and technological structure of the enterprise;

    On the functions of key departments;

    On the composition of subsidiaries and branches, their organizational relationships with the parent company;

    About the organizational structure of management;

    On the organization of coordination of interaction between services and divisions of the company;

    About automation of the control system.

    Conformity assessment is given organizational structure goals and strategies of the enterprise.

    Financial plan

    This section of the business plan addresses issues financial security activities of the company and most effective use funds (own and attracted) based on an assessment of the current financial information and forecast of volumes of sales of goods on markets in subsequent periods, i.e. here is a reliable system of data reflecting the expected results financial activities companies.

    Forecast financial results designed to answer the main questions that concern the manager. It is from this section that the manager learns about the profit he can count on, and the lender learns about the potential borrower’s ability to service the debt.

    Risk assessment and insurance

    The activities of economic entities are constantly associated with risk.

    There are various types risk depending on the object or action whose riskiness is assessed: political, industrial, property, financial, currency, etc.

    With the development of market relations, business is always carried out in conditions of uncertainty and variability, both external and internal environment. This means that there is constant uncertainty about the usefulness of what is expected. final result and therefore there is a danger of unforeseen losses and failures.

    Thus, to summarize, we can say that a business plan is one of effective tools creation of new projects and development, which is in the arsenal of the top management of the enterprise, regardless of its size, scope and scale of activity.

    What is the optimal structure of a business plan. What sections must be included in it and what is their content. We will give answers to these questions in the article, as well as give examples.

    How to write a business plan simply and clearly and at the same time include all the information an investor needs? How to correctly structure data into sections of a business plan? How to fill each of the sections so that the information is not mixed into a heap of incomprehensible numbers and diagrams, but tells about your project step by step, section by section? Read on.

    Optimal composition and structure of a business plan

    There is no clearly defined structure of a business plan. It may vary depending on whether your project is a manufacturing project or a trade project, a high-tech startup or operating business in the service sector.

    The most universal business plan structure was presented in 1978 by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization). industrial development). Since then, the writing rules presented by the organization have been successfully used by enterprises, banks, government agencies and even entire countries.

    According to UNIDO, a business plan should consist of 10 sections:

    1. Resume.
    2. Description of the industry and company.
    3. Product Description.
    4. Marketing plan.
    5. Production plan.
    6. Organizational plan.
    7. Financial plan.
    8. Project performance indicators.
    9. Risks and guarantees of the project.
    10. Applications.

    What information should you fill these sections with? Let us next consider the structure of the business plan point by point.

    Resume

    A resume is usually no more than a page in length. And on this page you should include all the information about the market, about the project and its team, about the product. Be sure to indicate in your resume the amount and conditions for attracting funding, key indicators investment efficiency. For example, this way:

    To implement the project, borrowed funds in the amount of 12 million rubles are required

    Discounted payback period of the project (DPP) – 17 months

    Investment performance ratio (ARR) – 223%

    Net present value (NPV) – RUB 283.68 million.

    Internal rate of return (IRR) – 89%

    Investment Profitability Index (PI) – 9

    Borrowed funds are planned to be insured by JSC IC "ALLIANCE".

    It goes without saying that pictures and graphs have no place in a resume; you will place them in other sections of the business plan. .

    A resume can be compared to an elevator pitch (literally “speech in an elevator”) - the format of a presentation to an investor no longer than one minute. Imagine that you have jumped into an elevator after an investor, and you need to captivate him with your project until the elevator doors open and he leaves to go about his business. This is roughly the effect a resume should have.

    If it:

    • uninteresting,
    • does not promise sufficient financial benefits,

    Many practitioners recommend writing your resume last. Because when, it’s easier for you to formulate your idea in a concentrated manner and draw conclusions.

    Description of the industry and company - the basis of the business plan

    This section is the necessary basis for the entire business plan. After all, without target market no need to create a project. And you must clearly show the investor that the project will find its consumer and be successful.

    To write a good industry description, you should start from two starting points:

    1. The investor knows nothing about your market.
    2. You know your market well.

    The first point is clear. You need to describe the market, its history, current situation and prospects, competition and the position of your project in the market as clearly as possible.

    But many people have difficulties with the second point. Precisely because having decided to create new project, usually entrepreneurs do not know their industry well or have a very subjective concept of it that is not based on research.

    The most in a simple way write the section "Description of the industry" is a purchase marketing research market, ready-made or to order. To attract large investments this is the only right step, since the results of the study will be professional, objective, and, so to speak, more accurate. But it is clear that this method is also the most expensive. Research can cost from 30 to 120 thousand rubles, and not every entrepreneur is ready to invest that kind of money in preparing a business plan.

    An alternative would be to conduct independent research based on information from open sources and own experience. Here you will need to use all your analytical skills, since information will need to be collected literally bit by bit from different sources.

    In the “Industry Description” you should talk about:

    1. What market are you going to explore?
    2. Whether it is independent or a niche of a larger market.
    3. Who is target audience– end consumers or production. Social characteristics target audience.
    4. What is the scale of the market (within a city, region, country, or international).
    5. Its history for the previous 3–5 years. What happened with demand, supply, capacity and competition, with prices.
    6. Are there any special market factors such as seasonality, stage life cycle product.
    7. About the current situation on the market (capacity, saturation).
    8. Give a forecast of the dynamics of capacity and saturation for the planning period (3–5 years).
    9. About competition in the market and its forecast for the planning period.

    If there are studies of consumer preferences, then it is good to give conclusions on them.

    All information should be presented as objectively as possible and with links to authoritative sources, such as well-known consulting agencies, industry leaders, and iconic personalities in the business environment. The presentation of information should look exactly like a story, with the logic of one number flowing into another, and not a general accumulation of numbers and diagrams from which no conclusions can be drawn.

    In short you have to tell the story:

    Market X was formed in such and such a year and since then such and such changes have occurred in it (here is a diagram and specific numbers).

    Today, according to analysts' estimates, the market capacity is such and such. The market forecast for 3-5 years, again according to analysts’ estimates, is something like this (again, diagram and specific numbers).

    Competitors in the market are such and such (give a brief description and shares), our share is Z%

    Our forecasts for increasing/weakening competition are as follows, so the forecast for market share by year is %%% (diagram)

    As a result, by tying all the numbers together, you should get sales figures by year, which you will later use in your sales plan. .

    A little hint: you can focus on the indicators of a similar project that has already been implemented on the market, then it will be easier to make forecasts.

    Description of a company (project) is not such a difficult task, because all the necessary information is at your fingertips. Here, too, you need to tell the investor a short story, identifying the main milestones of the company’s development and, of course, favorably presenting the company’s victories. It is worth mentioning separately the key members of the project team, describing their competencies and positive experience in the industry and in business. .

    If you are writing a business plan for a startup, especially in an innovative industry, you may have no background data at all about the market, and naturally, no history of the company. Then limit yourself general calculations in similar industries and your own (not unfounded) forecasts, and place special emphasis on the description of the team. Next, we will consider other important elements of the structure of the business plan and the content of its main sections.

    Product Description

    In this section, you should convey three main ideas to the investor:

    1. What is your product?
    2. Why is it valuable to the consumer?
    3. Why is it better than competitors' products?

    The product description can take up half a page, if your project is not new and technologically simple, or ten. The main thing is that you can explain to a potential investor who does not understand your business at all what you are going to do (produce).

    A good practice is to support the text with diagrams, simple drawings and product images. This way you include visual perception and keep the investor's attention on the business plan.

    It is not enough to tell what you are going to do, you need to answer the question “why?” A product that is not needed by the consumer will not be sold. And you will not receive funding for it. Therefore, try to prove as convincingly as possible that your project is needed by the market. Arguments may include calculations from the previous section on unmet demand, social surveys, and consumer preferences.

    In the third part of the section, you need to clearly show why your product is better than your competitors. In my experience, competitive analysis tables work best for this. For example (Table 1).

    Table 1. Competitor analysis

    Manufacturer

    X

    Y

    Z

    W

    U

    Q

    Model

    Market value

    Installation power

    Multi-fuel

    Number of DG moves

    Auto cleaning

    Fuel types

    Solid-gas-diesel-fuel oil

    Gas-diesel

    Gas-diesel

    Gas-diesel

    Gas-diesel-fuel oil

    Gas-diesel

    Manufacturer

    Having such a table in your business plan shows that you know your market, competitors' products, their advantages and disadvantages. When creating your product, you took into account existing analogues on the market and made your product better in some way.

    It is necessary to indicate in such a table significant parameters, such as price (!), operating characteristics, quality. You can provide the table with additional parameters: after-sales service, brand recognition, modern design. Indicate all the characteristics by which your product outperforms competitors, but also indicate significant disadvantages. Investors will discover them anyway.

    Marketing plan

    This section is closely linked to the Industry Description, because this is where your future sales figures are indicated. IN Marketing plan you must reveal your steps to achieve these numbers.

    The sales plan is another integral element of the business plan.

    First, you must detail exactly what, how and when you will sell.

    Total sales figures by year should be broken down:

    • for products (or groups of products), the manufacturing process of which is different. For example, milk, dairy products, cheeses. Or software technical support, development;
    • by quantity of products and price;
    • by period (forecast by month and year);
    • across sales channels (wholesale, retail, e-commerce...).

    In fact, this section is where you should lay the foundation for your production plan, because once you create your sales plan, you will have an idea of ​​how much, what, and when you will need to produce.

    And it also begins with a sales plan, without which not a single business plan can do.

    Sales channels

    Second, you should describe how you will make sales.

    Who will your customers be? End users or dealers, or both? Wholesale sales are different from retail sales, e-commerce is not like a network of offline stores. Each channel needs its own resources, its own rules, and its own price for the product.

    Only by describing each of the channels will you show that you understand your actions in the future and are ready to enter the market.

    Advertising and promotion

    You’ve decided on sales and resources, but what about promotion? You need to understand:

    • how consumers learn about a new product,
    • what positioning will it have?
    • how will you create information environment and will you,
    • how will you form positive image product and company
    • whether you will create a trademark.

    The answers to all these questions must be contained in the advertising and promotion plan. Having a budget for each of the tools will be a plus, but you can also indicate the total amount you plan to spend on advertising.

    Dealer policy and service policy

    These sections are optionally added to the business plan if your business involves working with dealers and after-sales service.

    When you write about working with dealers, indicate specific commercial offer with dealer margin and sales conditions. Don't forget that all numbers must match the sales plan.

    Procedure for provision after sales service also describe realistically: what after-sales service activities you expect to perform, either on your own or with the help of partners, what the cost of after-sales service will be for the project.

    Production plan

    A key section for production projects, for projects without any production you can skip it.

    Your main task in this section is to provide a reasoned explanation of why you chose this or that raw material, supplier, equipment and technological process.

    It is advisable to start the section with a description of the technological process of manufacturing the product, providing it with a diagram if possible. More detailed diagrams, drawings, descriptions can be given in the Appendices.

    Then move on to a description of the raw materials and components needed for production. It is good to provide the business plan with a list of specific suppliers from whom you will buy, and give in the Appendices an estimate of the consumption of raw materials with prices per unit of the product produced. Don’t forget about planning warehouse stocks of raw materials, processing and finished products.

    Next you should write about the equipment used, its characteristics, and cost. Calculate the load on production lines and justify why you should purchase exactly that many means of production.

    The production plan must be continued by calculating the necessary labor resources, a description of the qualifications of workers and work schedules, the payment system.

    In conclusion, you must justify the choice of location of production facilities and labor organization.

    At the moment when the production plan is written, the financial model will be almost ready, because the most difficult thing in creating a model is calculating production costs by combining the sales plan and the estimated costs per unit of production.

    Organizational plan

    The purpose of the organizational plan is to provide the investor with the missing information on organizing the business.

    Typically this is:

    • organizational structure of the company, number of legal entities and their relationships, structure of divisions and workshops;
    • description of support and administrative units, such as financial services, HR, project management and so on;
    • rent or purchase of office and industrial (retail, warehouse) space;
    • staffing table and description of remuneration and motivation mechanisms;
    • carrying out developments and surveys;
    • description of the tax burden on business;
    • import and export policies, where applicable;
    • and others.

    All this information should not only be presented in a structured and reasonable manner, but also put into numbers, which should be reflected in the financial model.

    Financial plan

    The financial plan combines the three previous sections of the business plan and presents them in the form financial settlements– Forecasting income and expenses, Cash flow of the project with the mandatory use of discounting cash flows, less often Forecast balance.

    All project flows must be divided financially into investment (investment of the investor in the project, capital costs), operational (sales plan, production and organizational plans), and financial (receipt and repayment of borrowed funds, interest, deposits) with calculation of the result for each group.

    The best way to present information in the financial plan section would be to place the financial model itself briefly with a detailed deployment in the Appendices.

    Plus, in financial terms, you must justify the amount requested from the investor and the conditions for receiving it. You should describe whether this will be debt or equity financing, at what interest rate you discounted and why, how the mechanism for making a profit for the investor and returning the invested funds (optional) will be structured, how the investor’s exit from the project will be organized.

    Project performance indicators

    In this section, briefly present the findings on financial plan, explain in numerical terms the benefits that the investor will receive from the project.

    Be sure to do the calculation financial indicators efficiency:

    1. .
    2. .
    3. Discounted payback period – DPP.
    4. Profitability Index – PI.
    5. Average rate of return – ARR.

    If there are additional benefits, such as full acquisition of the business after a certain period or synergistic effect, mention them here. In this section they will attract maximum investor withdrawals.

    Project risks and guarantees

    The most controversial section of the business plan, but it is mandatory to write it for all projects. On the one hand, the fact that you describe the commercial, financial, production and organizational risks of the project and strategies for reducing them will not protect your project from the onset of unpredictable risks. But, on the other hand, you will show your prudence, insight and readiness to act at the right time according to a pre-planned scenario.

    Investors do not like business plans that do not describe risks, because in such business plans they have to calculate the risks themselves. Do this work for them.

    The larger the project, the more scientific approach should be used to calculate risks. To raise a relatively small amount, it is enough to do a SWOT analysis of the project, based on the opinions of 2-5 experts.

    To attract large sums, it will be necessary to conduct a project sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis, and then a risk assessment using probabilistic and statistical methods.



    
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