Business plan

Benefits of the business plan

The business plan developed with our strategic consultancy provides your organisation with:

  • A business model based on the organisation’s mission, vision and values; the business plan sets out the strategy and planning.
  • A strategic plan with quantified and planned strategic objectives to be achieved in the medium term. These are essential for implementing the organisation’s strategy.
  • The business plan’s financial plan increases the company’s profitability through the planning and optimisation of financial management. The business plan helps to control the company’s costs, margins and profits.
  • Marketing Plan, with marketing mix strategies (relating to product, price, promotion, distribution and communication) to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage that enables greater profitability. It takes into account actions to build customer loyalty.
  • Commercial plan. This includes the objectives and strategies to be implemented in order to achieve the business objectives.
  • Operations plan or production plan. This takes into account all aspects relating to the manufacture of products or the provision of services. It is structured around: products or services, processes, the production and procurement schedule, and stock management.
  • Human Resources Plan, as part of the business plan, analyses and determines personnel policy: definition of roles, functional organisation, workforce size and structure, and the recruitment, hiring and training of staff.
  • Contingency Plan for business continuity. Based on the identification and assessment of risks, the business plan sets out how we will minimise contingencies and how we will respond should they arise.

Strategic consultancy

Our strategic consultancy service for drawing up business plans stands out for:

  • Clearly defining the expected end results, thereby involving executives in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the plan.
  • It assists with business planning and monitoring, and helps identify opportunities to capitalise on. With the business plan, the manager gains a better understanding of the business and the options available. The business plan sets out short- and medium-term goals, making it easier to measure results.
  • It helps with securing funding and attracting new partners or collaborators. The business plan is useful for convincing third parties, such as banks or potential investors, to provide funding for the business. It facilitates the obtaining of bank financing, as it contains forecasts of the business’s economic and financial statements and provides adequate information on its viability and solvency.
  • Minimising risks to business continuity. The ‘Contingency Plan’ within the business plan anticipates difficulties that may arise and the possible corrective measures to avoid them. We know how to integrate your plan with your ISO 9001 certification

FAQs: Business Plan

How is ISO integrated into the company’s strategic development?

ISO certification lends credibility, trust and structure to the management model. It reinforces the professionalisation of the business, enhances its standing with customers and investors, and demonstrates a commitment to quality, environmental management, occupational health and safety, information security and social responsibility.

The business plan can incorporate the ISO standards that best support the organisation’s objectives and the sector.

ISO standards are based on continuous improvement, a process-oriented approach and decision-making based on indicator data. This aligns with strategic planning, as it enables the setting of measurable objectives, the allocation of resources and structured, documented monitoring.

Yes. In fact, that is the best approach. The objectives of the ISO system should be derived from strategic planning.

For example, if the plan aims to expand into new markets, quality objectives might focus on customer satisfaction, delivery times or international standards.

You can use the balanced scorecard to monitor the integrated management system. Many strategic indicators also serve as management system indicators.

For example: complaint rate, non-conformity rate, customer satisfaction, emissions or productivity. A single balanced scorecard can serve both purposes.

It is not mandatory to include the business plan in the ISO certificate, but it is highly recommended. ISO standards (such as ISO 9001 for quality) require organisations to demonstrate strategic planning, an understanding of the context, and alignment of objectives. The business plan is a key tool for meeting these requirements.

Mainly:

  • The mission, vision and values (for the organisational context), in clause 4.
  • The SWOT analysis or similar (for the sections on context, stakeholders and risks/opportunities).
  • The strategic and operational objectives (for monitoring and improving the system, in accordance with clause 6).
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs) (for performance monitoring). The balanced scorecard can be a tool shared between strategy and ISO certification.
  • Resource and action planning, for operational planning and management review (clause 9.3), where the degree of compliance with the business plan is analysed.
The objectives set out in the business plan can be used as objectives for the ISO system. Provided that the objectives are SMART and consistent with the system’s policy, they can form part of the management system and make it easier to monitor progress.

Integrating the business plan into the ISO system offers the following benefits:

  • True alignment between strategy and operations.
  • Improved effectiveness of the management system.
  • Decision-making based on real business data.
  • Greater involvement from senior management.
  • Better preparation for audits by ISO certification bodies and for internal decision-making.