Creating Business Plans
Administrators and channel managers can create business plans and assign channel managers to create drafts.
Requirements
To create a business plan, users must be assigned a security role with one of the following permissions:
- Administrator System Role permissions
- All Entities, Business Plan: Create: Yes
- Tab Settings, Business Plan: On
- App Settings: App with the Business Plan Tab must be Visible
Creating Business Plans
To Create A Business Plan
- Navigate to the Business Plan tab
- Click New
- In the Business Plan creation form, complete the required fields and optional sections as needed
- Click Save to create the business plan
Required Fields Configuration
Business Plan Information Section
- Name: Enter a name for the business plan
- Plan Start Date: Enter the starting date for the business plan
- Owner: Select an employee user to be the channel manager (lookup shows all active users)
- Partner Account: Select the parent account of the partner
- Primary Partner User: Select a partner portal user of the partner account (lookup shows all partner contacts)
- Status: Select the status of the business plan:
- Draft Outline: The plan is being drafted by the administrator and/or channel manager
- Draft: The plan is being reviewed by the partner
- In Progress: The plan is approved and is in progress for the annual year
- Completed: The plan is completed for the annual year
QBRs Section
- New Year Plan Kickoff: Select the business plan's kickoff date (required)
Optional Fields and Sections
Plan Details Section
- Description: Enter a description of the business plan
- Overall Goals and Objectives: Define high-level goals for the partnership
- Growth Objectives: Specify growth targets and expectations
- Competitors: Identify competitive landscape information
QBRs Section
- QBR Meeting 1: Set date for first quarterly business review
- QBR Meeting 2: Set date for second quarterly business review
- QBR Meeting 3: Set date for third quarterly business review
- QBR Meeting 4: Set date for fourth quarterly business review
Partner Profile Section
- Annual Revenue: Enter partner's annual revenue information
- Number of Locations: Specify number of partner locations
- Number of Employees: Enter partner employee count
Target Account Planning Section
- Target Account Deals: Define target account deal objectives
- Target Account Qualified Deals: Specify qualified deal targets
SWOT Analysis Section
- Strengths: Identify partner and market strengths
- Weaknesses: Document areas for improvement
- Opportunities: Outline potential opportunities
- Threats: Identify potential challenges or threats
Business Plan Timeline and Structure
Annual Planning Framework
- Duration: All business plans are considered annual plans
- Start Date: Populate the start date as either the first day of the calendar year or the date you started planning with a new partner
- End Date: Automatically calculated as the last day of the same calendar year
- Quarterly Tracking: The annual structure is particularly important for quarterly tracking of objectives
Status Selection Strategy
When creating a new business plan, it's recommended to:
- Start with Draft Outline status for internal preparation and planning
- Change to Draft status when ready to share with partners for review
- Progress to In Progress when the plan is approved and active
- Mark as Completed at the end of the annual cycle
Best Practices
- Comprehensive Planning: Complete all relevant sections to provide a thorough partnership framework
- Strategic Start Dates: Choose start dates that align with your organization's planning cycles
- QBR Scheduling: Plan quarterly business review dates in advance to ensure regular partner engagement
- Partner Profile Accuracy: Gather accurate partner information to inform objective setting
- SWOT Analysis: Conduct thorough SWOT analysis to identify strategic opportunities and challenges
- Status Management: Use appropriate status progression to control partner access and collaboration timing
Integration Features
- Account Association: Business plans are tied to specific partner accounts for proper data filtering
- User Assignment: Channel manager assignment enables proper ownership and responsibility
- Quarterly Structure: Built-in QBR framework supports structured partner relationship management
- Target Account Planning: Integrated target account management for focused sales efforts
Creating comprehensive business plans provides the foundation for successful partner relationship management and structured collaboration throughout the annual partnership cycle.
Jump to Business Planning Checklist
<< Configuring the Business Planning Module | Editing Business Plans >>