The Miller Consulting Internal Business Plan Model


© Francis Miller 2001

The model presented here is a summary of the model I use in my work. Too often business plans are written and then forgotten about. Therefore I have made the development and implementation of an action plan into key parts of the process.

Do not be deceived by the apparent simplicity of this model. Each of the steps can be made as complex as necessary to match the circumstances of individual businesses, both large and small.

The whole process is explained fully in the Internal Business Plan Manual - 7 Steps to Success. It will show you in detail how to use this process to help you achieve your business goals. For more information, go to the Manual page.

Here are some of the comments received about the manual:

"Congratulations on a well-written manual - it is easy to follow and understand."
Etuale Sefo - Regional Manager, Pacific Forum Line, Auckland, New Zealand

"The manual seems to be exactly what I have been looking for."
Steve Cranny - Sales Director, Courtyard Electronics Limited
www.courtyard.co.uk

7 Step Internal Business Plan Model

Step 1 - Develop Your Business Identity

Your business identity defines who you are as a business and what you do. There are three key components.

Vision - what you want your business to achieve in the future?

Mission - what does the business do and why does it exist?

Values - what is important about what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it?

Step 2 - Analyse Your External Environment

Your external environment comprises not just your existing and potential customers but also your competitors, your suppliers, potential new entrants to the market and other key groups. Therefore your analysis will assess the business opportunity that you are targetting and how it's likely to change.

Another important component of this step is analysing general social, economic and technological changes and how they are going to affect your business.

Once you've done the analysis, it's important to assess what implications these opportunities and threats have for your business and how you need to react?

Step 3 - Analyse Your Internal Environment

Your internal analysis is concerned both with the past and the future. On the one hand, it looks at how the business has performed in the past and what its strengths and weaknesses are

On the other hand, the analysis takes the vision and begins to work out how exactly it is going to be achieved. Very important here is the identification of key success factors, which define what needs to happen in order to achieve your objectives.

Step 4 - Develop Your Action Plan

Your business plan is nothing without an action plan because, without it, little is going to get done. Your action plan will describe who needs to do what by when and what resources are needed?

Step 5 - Implement Your Business Plan

Implementation ensures, not just that everyone knows what they have to do, but also that they actually do it.

Step 6 - Assess Progress and Adjust Your Plans

The whole purpose of your internal business plan is to get results, which could be increased sales, profits, growth or whatever else your objectives are. The aim of Step 6 is to check that you're getting the results that you want or whether you need to adjust your plans.

Step 7 - Review Your Plan

Every six or twelve months, lots will have changed both internally and externally and your existing plan may have become out-of-date. You'll need to review it and probably start writing another one.

© Francis Miller 2001-2007