5 year strategic business plan template word

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Strategic Plan Template

Use this free Strategic Plan Template for Word to manage your projects better.

When a company wants to map out its long-term business objectives and how it’ll get there, they use a strategic plan. Our free strategic plan template captures all topics that any company needs to define, so everything is aligned with the overall mission and vision of the company. More than that, the free strategic plan template guides you through the actions, resources and costs that will help you get there.

What Is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is a document that company leaders use to capture the company’s future vision, goals and objectives. Unlike a business plan that focuses on short-term goals of serval months to several years, a strategic plan looks at the mid-to-long-term goals such as 3-5 years but is often longer than that.

The strategic plan should be easily shared as it provides a map for the whole company to follow in order to meet its goals. The strategic plan isn’t only shared, but it’s thoroughly understood by company employees, customers, business partners and investors.

Strategic planning and the strategic plan that comes from this process isn’t a one-time occurrence. Teams should conduct strategic planning regularly to quickly respond to changes in the business, industry, legal and regulatory conditions. As conditions shift, so should the response plans.

Why You Need a Strategic Plan Template

A strategic plan template is a great tool in that it’s already laid out for you. Everything you need to define is outlined and saves you the time and effort of creating a new document. Templates are great for creating an archive of consistent documentation, especially as historical data can influence your current strategic plan.

In more general terms, all businesses need a target or direction to work towards. Strategic plans are like the roadmap that gets you there and defines the landscape. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never know when you get there. That’s true from the highest executive to the newest employee as well as customers, investors and so on.

Strategic plans also help you track your goals across departments. Each department can then set its own goals to help the business achieve its larger goals. These various initiatives can be monitored and tracked with key performance indicators (KPIs). This can be extended to business units, teams and even individuals so everyone is working towards the same goals.

A strategic plan template is only a static document. To implement that plan you need project management software. ProjectManager has online roadmaps that allow you to manage all the projects that feed into your company’s overall mission. You can track your tasks, budgets, resources, processes and more, so you know you’re always progressing. Of course, you can build a strategic plan with milestones in the software, too. Try ProjectManager today for free.

Who Should Use This Strategic Plan Template?

The free strategic plan template can be filled in by any number of people depending on the business. Usually, though, this responsibility falls on the shoulders of the owner or top business managers.

However, sometimes specialists are employed or the whole company becomes involved in the strategic planning process. In fact, more voices provide a wider perspective. One person should oversee refining those different perspectives in order to rein in the possible chaos of too many chefs in the kitchen.

Once the strategic plan is finalized, it should be shared among the company. The strategic plan template acts as a guide to keep the long-term goal in sight and how to get there. For some businesses, the customer should also be aware of the strategic plan. Other companies will want to share the strategic plan with investors.

How to Use This Strategic Plan Template

When you download our free strategic plan template for Word, you’ll find it’s broken up into sections. The free template is completely customizable so you can add or subtract as many sections as you need to flesh out your strategic plan. What we provide you with is the backbone of any thorough strategic plan, which is as follows.

1. Executive Summary

To start, you want to summarize what will follow. That’s all the executive summary is; a short introduction to the important information that’ll be fleshed out in the strategic plan. It gives an overview to investors and stakeholders.

2. Vision Statement

A vision statement is a statement that declares the mid-to-long-term goals of the company. Think of it as the target you want to hit with your strategic plan. What this statement should do is project your company into the future and in so doing help to define the plan and execution of getting you there.

3. Mission Statement

The mission statement is a short description of the purpose of the company. It should be no longer than one to three sentences at most and explain what the company does, who it serves and how it’s different from its competitors. But more than a dry definition, it should be inspirational, offering direction and focus for employees and giving customers a clear picture of what they can expect from the company.

4. SWOT Analysis

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis is used to assess those four aspects of the company. This is how a company can capture its current performance and build a strategy to achieve its future goals. But beyond internal factors or charting the company, make sure to explore external factors as well. This provides a fuller picture of how a company can carve a route to reach its objectives.

5. Business Goals

Business goals should define the target that a company is aiming for in the future. By doing this, a company has a way to measure its success, communicate these goals to its employees and ensure the company is going in the right direction.

6. Marketing Plan

The marketing plan outlines a company’s advertising strategy. It can be used to generate leads and reach a target audience, outreach and PR campaigns. Also included is how the company will measure the effectiveness of the initiatives.

• Market research:  Uses competitive analysis, testing, surveys, etc., to determine the target audience and what needs the company is fulfilling or pain point it’s resolving.
• Marketing campaigns: These include promotions, value propositions, differentiation factors, pricing, distribution channels, etc., to see the product or service.
• Marketing KPIs: Using various metrics will help the company measure the success of its campaigns.

7. Operations Plan

The operation plan is an outline of the strategic plan’s goals and how the company plans to meet them. It’s an action plan that shows team members what they’re responsible for in achieving the goals of the strategic plan.

8. Financial Projections

When making financial projections for a company’s strategic plans they should include a forecast of the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement. These financial projects like the strategic plan are mid-to-long term.

Identify the team members with the skills and experience who will be responsible for executing the operational plan set forth in the company’s strategic plan.

Other Templates to Help with Your Strategic Plan

The free strategic plan document template for Word is a helpful tool to outline a company’s mid-to-long-term objectives. We have dozens of other free templates for Word and Excel that can help you manage every phase of a project, from planning to closure. Here are just a few of the free templates that we offer for download that are related to strategic planning.

Executive Summary Template

If you need help with the executive summary portion of the free strategic plan template, this free executive summary template is a great asset. It breaks down the points you’ll want to capture for an effective executive summary and is a valuable tool to complete that section of the strategic plan.

Marketing Campaign Template

The marketing plan is another section of the strategic plan that can be fully fleshed out with the free marketing campaign template. It outlines all the steps you need to introduce your product or service to market. It has fields to collect the goals of the campaign, identify the target audience and much more.

SWOT Analysis Template 

We’ve included a small SWOT analysis table in the free strategic plan template, but you might want more space to capture this important data. If so, use our free SWOT analysis template for Word, which you can then attach to the strategic plan template. This colorful template helps you see where you are and offer guidance to get you where you want to be.

ProjectManager Is a Robust Planning Tool

Free templates are a great way to gather information and develop a strategic plan, but they’re not as good at managing that plan once you implement it. You need more robust tools, not static documents or spreadsheets. ProjectManager is online project management software that connects teams and helps them plan, manage and track their progress in real time.

Track Progress with Real-Time Dashboards

You’ve put the strategic plan in the Gantt chart and can now see the roadmap in a visual timeline. But to make sure you keep to that schedule you need to have a way to monitor progress and performance. Our real-time dashboards track metrics such as time, cost and more all in real time so you can respond quickly to changes that threaten your goals. Unlike other lightweight tools, there’s no configuration or set. It’s ready when you are.

Work How You Want with Multiple Project Views

Gantt charts are great for managers, but they’re not the ones who are will execute the strategic plan. It’s a group effort that involves every department in the company from marketing and sales to IT and manufacturing, and they all use different tools. That’s why we offer multiple project views that share the same real-time data whether you’re using a list view, the visual workflow of a kanban or a calendar to capture important dates. Everyone is working from a single source of truth.

Related Content

Strategic planning is a big subject and we’ve only scratched the surface. If you want to learn more, you’re in luck. ProjectManager isn’t only a great tool to create and manage your strategic plan, it’s also the online hub for all things project management. We have free blogs each week, tutorial videos, eBooks, white pages and, of course, free templates. Here are a few links to follow and read more about strategic plans.

• 15 Free Word and Excel Templates for Business
• Strategic Planning in Business
• Strategic Planning Models: An Introduction to 5 Popular Models
• A Quick Guide to Strategic Initiatives 

ProjectManager Helps You Reach Your Strategic Goals

ProjectManager is award-winning software that helps you plan, manage and track your strategic plans. Our collaborative platform connects everyone across departments and time zones. With features that help you manage risk, tasks and resources you’re more likely to adjust to changes in the market and hit your target. See why teams in organizations as varied as NASA, Siemens and Nestle use our tool to deliver success. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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18 FREE Strategic Plan Templates and Examples (Word | PDF)

It is not easy to achieve your goals without a plan. Right from your home, and that entails everything you do to your career. For everything to be successful, you need a strategic plan. Besides, a strategic plan considers all things your small business can tackle and narrows down to its potential. Suppose you are a business leader; a strategic plan template helps you find where to spend money, human capital, and time.

You must be wondering how small companies can create a strategic plan. This is much possible, more so when you use a strategic plan template. Multiple business books have tried to handle this topic to enlighten you more about strategic planning. This post will educate you on the strategic plan template.

What is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is an organizational process that requires you to use the knowledge to document your business ideas and the intended direction. You can utilize the strategic plan to allocate resources efficiently, prioritize efforts, and align employees and shareholders on your organization’s strategic plan. Similarly, ensure that your planning strategy is accompanied by data as well as sound reasoning.

What Is a Strategic Plan Template?

A strategic plan template is a document that assists a company or an organization explains their whole plan to help them achieve their corporate goals.

Essential Elements of a Strategic Plan Template

Financial projections.

Financial projection assists you in many ways, such as assessing the potential outcome of every chance you look forward to pursuing and mapping out your entire objectives. It helps you to set goals for the coming months and how to achieve them. Ensure that you have a strategic plan annually and update it monthly to get more intelligence and clarity. You might not achieve everything, but you will benefit from it maximally.

Operations plan

This brings all your plans to reality. This element needs you to find out your company’s projects and how you plan to execute them. After that, you have to arrange your project using a Gantt chart to tell which project will be the leader.

Here, you must ensure that you have human resources to take care of your organization’s opportunities and achieve the duties indicated in section 5 of your strategic plan. List the team members and create a list of people you might need to achieve your goals in the next year.

Marketing plan

Under your marketing plan, you must state how you will attract customers, make them paying customers, then your lifetime customers. This is essential; ensure you include it in your plan.

Advantage and competitive analysis

In your strategic plan, you must include the advantages as well as the competitive analysis. List your competitors’ weaknesses as well as strengths. This will assist you in determining current competitive benefits and how you can create more advantages.

Industry analysis

It does not have to do with your current business. However, the analysis should indicate that your business is growing and realize greater chances of growing.

Target customers

This section needs you to understand the demands of your customers. On the other hand, this will help you oversee your marketing effort and acquire maximum results in your business. Besides, your marketing language can attract your customers more.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

When you track your KPIs, you probably know your company’s performance, and you can make adjustments as needed. Furthermore, outstanding businesses understand their KPIs and metrics. Therefore, make sure you find out the KPIs that will make your business attractive and list them on your strategic plan.

Each business has goals, which makes them successful. This is a primary element of each organization or company. Nothing can be started without objectives. It would help if you considered this element in your strategic plan to find long-term and short-term goals. That is what you are planning to achieve in six years to come and one year to come. Remember to check your goals monthly to determine your performance.

This is an analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats. They help you to find the best opportunities to obtain your goals. It also makes you knowledgeable on the strengths you need to acquire to enhance your business.

Company mission statement

This tells more about what your company wants to achieve. Most people ignore it, but it is essential. It helps your employees in making perfect decisions that develop your company. Your company mission statement can inspire customers, partners, and investors to work with you efficiently.

Elevator pitch

The elevator description is a short description of your business and a primary key to the success of your business. It must fall under your strategic plan and ensure you update it annually.

Executive summary

You must have an executive summary of your strategic plan summarizing each section of your strategic plan. In addition, it assists key constituents, like investors, advisors, and employees, to understand and support your company’s plan.

Strategic Plan Templates & Examples

How to Do Strategic Planning (5 Steps)

Creating a strategic plan can seem tiresome, but it can be pretty easy to develop one if you follow the appropriate steps. Here is an overview of steps you need to consider to create a strategic plan:

Find out where you are

This can be quite challenging because people cannot see beyond themselves and figure out their impression of others. You must know that numerous business has got stuck here. If you want to figure out the current position of your business, you need to conduct an internal and external audit. This will make you understand your competitive environment and marketplace.

Identify what is vital

Ideally, it is excellent to focus on where you want to see your company soon, which defines your mission and vision. From this perspective, you are likely to identify what is essential to the well-being of your organization. Ensure that your company emphasizes this particular issue.

Define your goal

Here you need to understand your objectives and write down what your company must achieve to handle primary issues.

Determine who is responsible

When you do this, be sure to get where you want to be. Your budget, action plans, and strategies will correctly communicate your allocation of money, human capital, and time to address major problems and reach your goals.

It is never over until you review to make sure that your plan works a designed. This means you must regularly schedule formal reviews of the entire process you want to take, even if it is just a bit of it.

Benefits of Strategic Planning

It tracks your progress based on the strategic goals.

With the strategic plan, you can effectively track the progress you have achieved towards accomplishing your goal. Each team and department must understand your company’s great strategy to grow successfully and deliver outstanding performance. Furthermore, key performance indicators (KPIs) can be found by planning your organization’s strategy and defining its goals, especially at an organizational level.

Ensure that these goals reach individuals, teams, departments, and the business unit. Additionally, it makes sure that your company is appropriately aligned to influence your entire business performance and KPIs positively. According to Christensen, a strategic plan should be disruptive to enable you to encounter opportunities and challenges. A strategic plan needs you to be ready for success as well as challenges.

Concentrate on biases and flaws, especially in reasoning

Every decision you are likely to make must be accompanied by integral bias. Thus, a strategic plan requires you to have an explanation for every decision you come up with. You can back it up with case studies, projection, or even data. This will help you in opposing your cognitive biases. Below are several cognitive biases examples:

Inertia bias is a habit of choosing options that allow you to act, feel, and think in familiar ways.

Occam’s razor bias- Is a habit of ignoring the most obvious decision to be excellent decisions.

Recency effect- Selecting a recent option since it is new in your mind.

On the other hand, confirmation bias falls under cognitive bias. It can be challenging to find because it only allows you to concentrate on the viewpoint’s information. Whenever you want to create a strategic plan for your company, you are sure of the strategy you want to use. Ensure that you consider other options with varying opinions and views. This will help you in finding the information that disproves or proves your opinion. Remember, combating biases, especially in strategic planning, needs your dedication and effort from the whole team of your company. It has the maximum potential of making your organization’s strategy stronger.

Develop one and forward a focused vision

The strategy you set helps you to reach your organization’s goals, and it involves all employees. Furthermore, it developed a focused version, which aligns your shareholders and the company since it enlightens each person about your company, why and how your goals were chosen, and what they can do to reach them. It maximizes a sense of responsibility in your company

For your business to grow successfully, you need a strategic plan. It will take your company to the next step and lift it to a place you have never imagined. Suppose you have not created one for your business, develop one and get the best experience as you watch your business grow smoothly. A strategic plan template helps you maintain your business’s truck and see it grow in the future.

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• Business plans

5-Year Business Plan Template

Used 4,872 times

Empower your path to long-term success with our 5-year business plan template.

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Created by:

​ [Sender.FirstName] [Sender.LastName] ​

​ [Sender.Company] ​

Prepared for:

​ [Recipient.FirstName] [Recipient.LastName]

​ [Recipient.Company] ​

Business Overview

About the company.

​ [Sender.Company] is a leading force in the (Field) industry, seamlessly operating across diverse sectors and niches. [Sender.Company] 's unwavering commitment revolves around creating (Field)-related solutions that captivate and remain highly relevant and impactful.

Over time, they have earned the trust of some of the world's most esteemed (Field) brands, including (Insert the Clients you have collaborated with).

​ [Sender.Company] 's overarching mission is to craft immersive (Field) experiences that empower brands to meet and exceed their objectives.

They aspire to be known as the prominent (Field) company globally. Their excitement stems from leveraging their skills to propel your organization toward unprecedented success. The company's innate ability to comprehend and translate your unique narrative into compelling visual content sets them apart, forming a profound connection with your target audience.

​ [Sender.Company] ’s Product/Services and Pricing

​ [Sender.Company] would like to operate (Number of Days) days a week and (Hours) a day to handle all of the potential customers' inquiries and challenges. As demand dictates, the company's service hours may be extended or shortened. [Sender.Company] provides the following products and services.

Management Team

​ [Sender.Company] will be under the ownership and guidance of (Owner.Name), who has enlisted the support of another highly seasoned professional, (Staff.Name), to take on the role of CFO within the company. (Staff.Name) will oversee the financial operations, ensuring precise financial management.

(Staff.Name) brings a wealth of experience to the team, having served as the (Previous Position) for over a decade in an industry. Before this role, (Staff.Name) worked as a (Previous Work) at (Previous Company).

Together, their expertise forms the bedrock of [Sender.Company] 's commitment to financial excellence and operational efficiency.

Business Objectives

Key performance metrics.

Sales revenue:

lead conversion rates:

retention rate:

web page traffic:

lifetime value of clients:

(Add metrics)

Industry Analysis

Industry's size: (Description)

Market trends: (Description)

Competitive targets: (Description)

Customer preferences: (Description)

Regulatory implications: (Description)

Customer Analysis

Target customer profile.

​ [Sender.Company] focuses strategically on conquering the (Target Customer) market within (Location) and surrounding areas. This strategic choice stems from the knowledge that the surrounding region offers extensive commercial options. [Sender.Company] can efficiently cater to the demands of (Target Customer) seeking (Company.Products/Services) in the area by focussing on this local and regional market.

This strategy allows the company to establish itself as a significant player in the target region, establishing a solid reputation and a dedicated customer base before expanding into more critical areas. Furthermore, their central location makes them an appealing option for (Target Customer) visiting (Location).

Competitive Analysis

Competition.

Other companies with comparable company profiles will be [Sender.Company] 's significant competitors. Each similar business is briefly described below.

Competitive Advantage

​ [Sender.Company] has discovered that it has a competitive advantage over its rivals after thoroughly evaluating the market. The following are the company's competitive advantages:

(Competitive Advantage 1)

(Competitive Advantage 2)

(Competitive Advantage 3)

Marketing Plan

Brand and value proposition.

​ [Sender.Company] takes pride in its unique features tailored to meet the needs of its customers. The following are the distinct advantages and offerings that set [Sender.Company] apart in its industry:

Expert Team: (Description)

Versatile Solutions: (Description)

Prime Location: (Description)

Outstanding Customer Service: (Description)

Inclusivity: (Description)

Promotions Strategy

Ensuring that both customers and clients are well-informed about [Sender.Company] 's operational procedures are crucial for its seamless functioning. [Sender.Company] employs a diverse marketing strategy that effectively reaches its target audience through various channels, including referrals, word of mouth, and paid advertising campaigns.

​ [Sender.Company] has developed a comprehensive promotion strategy to enhance its visibility and reach. The following are the promotional strategies that [Sender.Company] offers:

These promotion strategies will assist [Sender.Company] in establishing a solid presence in the market and attracting a diverse range of customers and clients.

Pricing Strategy

​ [Sender.Company] provides a range of flexible payment options to cater to various customer preferences. The following list outlines these options, which can be adjusted as needed:

(Payment option 1)

(Payment option 2)

(Payment option 3)

SWOT Analysis

Operations Plan

Operational functions.

At [Sender.Company] , their (Field) team constitutes a formidable coalition of exceptionally talented individuals, each contributing their unique expertise to shape the success of assigned projects. The following are the brilliant minds that breathe life into (Field)-related visions:

CEO/Founder

(Mr./Mrs./Ms.) (Name) stands as the visionary leader of the (Field) team at [Sender.Company] , deeply committed to excellence and laying the foundation for the company's creative journey while guiding everyone toward new heights of achievement.

Lead (Field) Specialist

(Mr./Mrs./Ms.) (Name) is the creative genius behind the (Field)-related elements, ensuring striking visuals and an exceptional user experience, all with a meticulous eye for detail.

Creative Director

(Mr./Mrs./Ms.) (Name) spearheads creative direction in the (Field), consistently surpassing industry standards in design and user engagement.

Project Manager

(Mr./Mrs./Ms.) (Name) is a diligent project manager overseeing all aspects of (Field)-related projects, ensuring they stay on track, on schedule, and within budget.

Marketing Director

(Mr./Mrs./Ms.) (Name) brings a strategic approach to marketing (Field)-related ventures, resonating with target audiences and garnering well-deserved attention.

Additional Team Members

Beyond the core team, a pool of accomplished professionals, including experts, designers, and specialists, complements [Sender.Company] 's efforts in various technical aspects of (Field)-related projects. All collaborate seamlessly to deliver top-tier solutions for (Field)-associated endeavors.

​ [Sender.Company] is on track to reach several pivotal milestones over the next five (5) years:

These milestones underscore [Sender.Company] 's consistent progress toward establishing a successful presence in the (Industry.Name).

Financial Plan

Projected startup costs.

​ [Sender.Company] is looking for investment in the amount of (Amount) to launch its business. The primary areas where [Sender.Company] ​ will allocate its initial funding as listed below:

Projected Financial Statements

The company's projected income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement are shown below.

​ [Recipient.FirstName] [Recipient.LastName] ​

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Template Highlights

• Download the strategic planning template as a Word document or PDF.
• In the Executive Summary section, provide a brief overview of the company, your mission statement, your key objectives, and your major partners.
• Under Market Research, describe your main clients, your status in the market, and your major competitors.
• In the Development section, you should describe your product and provide details on your delivery capabilities and system, your pricing model, and any critical suppliers.
• Next, in the Marketing Plan section, describe your strategy, your client breakdown, your positioning, and your advertising plan.
• Finally, perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.

Template Preview

Strategic planning.

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

COMPANY OVERVIEW

MISSION STATEMENT

KEY OBJECTIVES

KEY PARTNERS

DEVELOPMENT:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

DELIVERY CAPABILITIES

PRICING MODEL

DELIVERY SYSTEM

CRITICAL ELEMENT SUPPLIERS

MARKET RESEARCH:

MARKET STATUS

COMPETITION

MARKETING PLAN:

CLIENT BREAKDOWN

POSITIONING

ADVERTISING

SWOT ANALYSIS

OPPORTUNITIES

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is strategic planning important, how do you lead a strategic planning session, is this template free, related tags:.

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How to Write a Five-Year Business Plan

Noah Parsons

15 min. read

Updated October 27, 2023

Learn why the traditional way of writing a five-year business plan is often a waste of time and how to use a one-page plan instead for smarter, easier strategic planning to establish your long-term vision. 

In business, it can sometimes seem hard enough to predict what’s going to happen next month, let alone three or even five years from now. But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t plan for the long term. After all, your vision for the future is what gets you out of bed in the morning and motivates your team. It’s those aspirations that drive you to keep innovating and figuring out how to grow.

• What is a long-term plan?

A long-term or long-range business plan looks beyond the traditional 3-year planning window, focusing on what a business might look like 5 or even 10 years from now. A traditional 5-year business plan includes financial projections, business strategy, and roadmaps that stretch far into the future.

I’ll be honest with you, though—for most businesses, long-range business plans that stretch 5 and 10 years into the future are a waste of time. Anyone who’s seriously asking you for one doesn’t know what they’re doing and is wasting your time. Sorry if that offends some people, but it’s true.

However, there is still real value in looking at the long term. Just don’t invest the time in creating a lengthy version of your business plan with overly detailed metrics and milestones for the next five-plus years. No one knows the future and, more than likely, anything you write down now could be obsolete in the next year, next month, or even next week. 

That’s where long-term strategic planning comes in. A long-term business plan like this is different from a traditional business plan in that it’s lighter on the details and more focused on your strategic direction. It has less focus on financial forecasting and a greater focus on the big picture. 

Think of your long-term strategic plan as your aspirational vision for your business. It defines the ideal direction you’re aiming for but it’s not influencing your day-to-day or, potentially, even your monthly decision making. 

• Are long-term business plans a waste of time?

No one knows the future. We’re all just taking the information that we have available today and making our best guesses about the future. Sometimes trends in a market are pretty clear and your guesses will be well-founded. Other times, you’re trying to look around a corner and hoping that your intuition about what comes next is correct.

Now, I’m not saying that thinking about the future is a waste of time. Entrepreneurs are always thinking about the future. They have to have some degree of faith and certainty about what customers are going to want in the future. Successful entrepreneurs do actually predict the future — they know what customers are going to want and when they’re going to want it.

Entrepreneurship is unpredictable 

Successful entrepreneurs are also often wrong. They make mistakes just like the rest of us. The difference between successful entrepreneurs and everyone else is that they don’t let mistakes slow them down. They learn from mistakes, adjust and try again. And again. And again. It’s not about being right all the time; it’s about having the perseverance to keep trying until you get it right. For example, James Dyson, inventor of the iconic vacuum cleaner, tried out 5,126 prototypes of his invention before he found a design that worked.

So, if thinking about the future isn’t a waste of time, why are 5-year business plans a waste of time? They’re a waste of time because they typically follow the same format as a traditional business plan, where you are asked to project sales, expenses, and cash flow 5 and 10 years into the future. 

Let’s be real. Sales and expense projections that far into the future are just wild guesses, especially for startups and new businesses. They’re guaranteed to be wrong and can’t be used for anything. You can’t (and shouldn’t) make decisions based on these guesses. They’re just fantasy. You hope you achieve massive year-over-year growth in sales, but there’s no guarantee that’s going to happen. And, you shouldn’t make significant spending decisions today based on the hope of massive sales 10 years from now.

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• Why write a long-term business plan?

So, what is the purpose of outlining a long-term plan? Here are a few key reasons why it’s still valuable to consider the future of your business without getting bogged down by the details.

Showcase your vision for investors

First, and especially important if you are raising money from investors, is your vision. Investors will want to know not only where you plan on being in a year, but where the business will be in five years. Do you anticipate launching new products or services? Will you expand internationally? Or will you find new markets to grow into? 

Set long-term goals for your business

Second, you’ll want to establish goals for yourself and your team. What kinds of high-level sales targets do you hope to achieve? How big is your company going to get overtime? These goals can be used to motivate your team and even help in the hiring process as you get up and running.

That said, you don’t want to overinvest in fleshing out all the details of a long-range plan. You don’t need to figure out exactly how your expansion will work years from now or exactly how much you’ll spend on office supplies five years from now. That’s really just a waste of time.

Instead, for long-range planning, think in broad terms. A good planning process means that you’re constantly revising and refining your business plan. You’ll add more specifics as you go, creating a detailed plan for the next 6-12 months and a broader, vague plan for the long term.

You have a long development time

Businesses with extremely long research and development timelines do make spending decisions now based on the hope of results years from now. For example, the pharmaceutical industry and medical device industry have to make these bets all the time. The R&D required to take a concept from idea to proven product with regulatory approval can take years for these industries, so long-range planning in these cases is a must. A handful of other industries also have similar development timelines, but these are the exceptions, not the rule.

Your business is well-established and predictable 

Long-term, detailed planning can make more sense for businesses that are extremely well established and have long histories of consistent sales and expenses with predictable growth. But, even for those businesses, predictability means quite the opposite of stability. The chances that you’ll be disrupted in the marketplace by a new company, or the changing needs and desires of your customers, is extremely high. So, most likely, those long-range predictions of sales and profits are pretty useless.

• What a 5-year plan should look like

With the exception of R&D-heavy businesses, most 5-year business plans should be more like vision statements than traditional business plans. They should explain your vision for the future, but skip the details of detailed sales projections and expense budgets. 

Your vision for your business should explain the types of products and services that you hope to offer in the future and the types of customers that you hope to serve. Your plan should outline who you plan to serve now and how you plan to expand if you are successful.

This kind of future vision creates a strategic roadmap. It’s not a fully detailed plan with sales forecasts and expense budgets, but a plan for getting started and then growing over time to reach your final destination.

For example, here’s a short-form version of what a long-term plan for Nike might have looked like if one had been written in the 1960s:

Nike will start by developing high-end track shoes for elite athletes. We’ll start with a focus on the North West of the US, but expand nationally as we develop brand recognition among track and field athletes. We will use sponsored athletes to spread the word about the quality and performance of our shoes. Once we have success in the track & field market segment, we believe that we will be able to successfully expand both beyond the US market and also branch out into other sports, with an initial focus on basketball.

Leadership and brand awareness in a sport such as basketball will enable us to cross over from the athlete market into the consumer market. This will lead to significant business growth in the consumer segment and allow for expansion into additional sports, fashion, and casual markets in addition to building a strong apparel brand.

Interestingly enough, Nike (to my knowledge) never wrote out a long-range business plan. They developed their plans as they grew, building the proverbial airplane as it took off.

But, if you have this kind of vision for your business, it’s useful to articulate it. Your employees will want to know what your vision is and your investors will want to know as well. They want to know that you, as an entrepreneur, are looking beyond tomorrow and into the future months and years ahead.

• How to write a five-year business plan

Writing out your long-term vision for your business is a useful exercise. It can bring a sense of stability and solidify key performance indicators and broad milestones that drive your business. 

Developing a long-range business plan is really just an extension of your regular business planning process. A typical business plan covers the next one to three years, documenting your target market, marketing strategy, and product or service offerings for that time period. 

A five-year plan expands off of that initial strategy and discusses what your business might do in the years to come. However, as I’ve mentioned before, creating a fully detailed five-year business plan will be a waste of time. 

Here’s a quick guide to writing a business plan that looks further into the future without wasting your time:

1. Develop your one-page plan

As with all business planning, we recommend that you start with a one-page business plan. It provides a snapshot of what you’re hoping to achieve in the immediate term by outlining your core business strategy, target market, and business model.

A one-page plan is the foundation of all other planning because it’s the document that you’ll keep the most current. It’s also the easiest to update and share with business partners. You will typically highlight up to three years of revenue and profit goals as well as milestones that you hope to achieve in the near term.

Check out our guide to building your one-page plan and download a free template to get started.

2. Determine if you need a traditional business plan

Unlike a one-page business plan, a traditional business plan is more detailed and is typically written in long-form prose. A traditional business plan is usually 10-20 pages long and contains details about your product or service, summaries of the market research that you’ve conducted, and details about your competition. Read our complete guide to writing a business plan .

Companies that write traditional business plans typically have a “business plan event” where a complete business plan is required. Business plan events are usually part of the fundraising process. During fundraising, lenders and investors may ask to see a detailed plan and it’s important to be ready if that request comes up. 

But there are other good reasons to write a detailed business plan. A detailed plan forces you to think through the details of your business and how, exactly, you’re going to build your business. Detailed plans encourage you to think through your business strategy, your target market, and your competition carefully. A good business plan ensures that your strategy is complete and fleshed out, not just a collection of vague ideas.

A traditional business plan is also a good foundation for a long-term business plan and I recommend that you expand your lean business plan into a complete business plan if you intend to create plans for more than three years into the future.

3. Develop long-term goals and growth targets

As you work on your business plan, you’ll need to think about where you want to be in 5+ years. A good exercise is to envision what your business will look like. How many employees will you have? How many locations will you serve? Will you introduce new products and services? 

When you’ve envisioned where you want your business to be, it’s time to turn that vision into a set of goals that you’ll document in your business plan. Each section of your business plan will be expanded to highlight where you want to be in the future. For example, in your target market section, you will start by describing your initial target market. Then you’ll proceed to describe the markets that you hope to reach in 3-5 years.

To accompany your long-term goals, you’ll also need to establish revenue targets that you think you’ll need to meet to achieve your goals. It’s important to also think about the expenses you’re going to incur in order to grow your business. 

For long-range planning, I recommend thinking about your expenses in broad buckets such as “marketing” and “product development” without getting bogged down in too much detail. Think about what percentage of your sales you’ll spend on each of these broad buckets. For example, marketing spending might be 20% of sales. 

4. Develop a 3-5 year strategic plan

Your goals and growth targets are “what” you want to achieve. Your strategy is “how” you’re going to achieve it.

Use your business plan to document your strategy for growth. You might be expanding your product offering, expanding your market, or some combination of the two. You’ll need to think about exactly how this process will happen over the next 3-5 years. 

A good way to document your strategy is to use milestones. These are interim goals that you’ll set to mark your progress along the way to your larger goal. For example, you may have a goal to expand your business nationally from your initial regional presence. You probably won’t expand across the country all at once, though. Most likely, you’ll expand into certain regions one at a time and grow to have a national presence over time. Your strategy will be the order of the regions that you plan on expanding into and why you pick certain regions over others.

Your 3-5 year strategy may also include what’s called an “exit strategy”. This part of a business plan is often required if you’re raising money from investors. They’ll want to know how they’ll eventually get their money back. An “exit” can be the sale of your business or potentially going public. A typical exit strategy will identify potential acquirers for your business and will show that you’ve thought about how your business might be an attractive purchase.

5. Tie your long-term plan to your one-page plan

As your business grows, you can use your long-term business plan as your north star. Your guide for where you want to end up. Use those goals to steer your business in the right direction, making small course corrections as you need to. 

You’ll reflect those smaller course corrections in your one-page plan. Because it is a simple document and looks at the shorter term, it’s easier to update. The best way to do this is to set aside a small amount of time to review your plan once a month. You’ll review your financial forecast, your milestones, and your overall strategy. If things need to change, you can make those adjustments. Nothing ever goes exactly to plan, so it’s OK to make corrections as you go.

You may find that your long-term plan may also need corrections as you grow your business. You may learn things about your market that change your initial assumptions and impacts your long-range plan. This is perfectly normal. Once a quarter or so, zoom out and review your long-range plan. If you need to make corrections to your strategy and goals, that’s fine. Just keep your plan alive so that it gives you the guidance that you need over time. 

• Vision setting is the purpose of long-term planning

Part of what makes entrepreneurs special is that they have a vision. They have dreams for where they want their business to go. A 5-year business plan should be about documenting that vision for the future and how your business will capitalize on that vision.

So, if someone asks you for your 5-year business plan. Don’t scramble to put together a sales forecast and budget for 5 years from now. Your best guess today will be obsolete tomorrow. Instead, focus on your vision and communicate that. 

Explain where you think your business is going and what you think the market is going to be like 5 years from now. Explain what you think customers are going to want and where trends are headed and how you’re going to be there to sell the solution to the problems that exist in 5 and 10 years. Just skip the invented forecasts and fantasy budgets.

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

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Free Strategic Plan Template and Best Practices

Written by: Raja Mandal

As a business owner, you know the excitement of witnessing your business thrive, outperforming competitors in a challenging market and achieving the goals you've been longing for.

Strategic planning can make all these things happen by helping define your goals, aligning your business with them, and creating a roadmap to reach them. However, you need the right template to help you get started with strategic plans like business plans, employee development, OKRs, Porter’s Five Forces and more.

That's why we've compiled a list of 11 easy-to-use strategic plan templates. These templates will help you kickstart your journey toward success or refine your existing plan for maximum effectiveness.

Along with the templates, we'll explain what a strategic plan is, its purpose and critical elements to help you get the most out of your strategic business plan.

Table of Contents

What is a strategic plan in business, 11 strategic plan templates, key elements of a strategic plan, types of strategic plans, the main purpose of a strategic plan, strategic plan vs. work plan: what’s the difference, best practices to execute your strategic plan.

• A strategic plan is a written document outlining an organization's strategy and the tactics it will employ to achieve its goals.
• To effectively execute a strategic plan, it is essential to clearly communicate goals, take actionable steps, remain flexible and adaptable, and regularly evaluate the plan's progress.
• The most popular types of strategic plans include Porter's Five Forces, SWOT analysis, PEST model, VRIO, OKRs, Gap planning, Balanced Scorecards, and Blue Ocean Strategy.
• The primary purpose of a strategic plan is to provide guidance and keep an organization focused on its objectives.
• Save time and effort by utilizing Visme's user-friendly strategic plan templates for creating a solid strategic plan.
• With Visme's wide selection of templates , drag-and-drop editor, and variety of design assets such as icons, illustrations, charts and graphs, creating professional strategic plans is easier than ever.

A strategic plan is a comprehensive framework that outlines an organization's vision, goals and the strategies needed to achieve them. It’s an excellent business tool that allows you to coordinate resources, capabilities and actions in a unified manner.

A well-crafted strategic plan covers important areas like analyzing the market, understanding the competition, making financial projections and creating operational strategies. With a strategic plan, you can make smart decisions, take advantage of opportunities and reduce risks for your business.

What Is a Strategic Plan Template?

A strategic plan template is a tool that helps you start or refine a strategic plan with a solid foundation. It’s a document or presentation that comes equipped with the pages or slides a strategic plan needs. Strategic plan templates come in all shapes and sizes to match your needs.

If you regularly conduct strategic planning initiatives, creating a strategic plan template for your brand will help save time and effort. You won’t have to start from scratch every time.

Now comes the most exciting part of this article—the templates. We’ve gathered together eight of the best strategic plan templates out there, so you can easily create your own long-term strategy.

1. Porter's Five Forces Strategic Plan Template

Let’s start with this Porter's Five Forces strategic plan template. The template simplifies the process of presenting each of Porter's five forces: supplier power, buyer power, competitive rivalry, the threat of new entrants, and the threat of substitutes.

Clear headings, concise instructions and visually engaging elements ensure you can input data and interpret the results effortlessly. Additionally, it includes data widgets that enable clear communication of the analysis findings. This feature enhances your ability to effectively present the results, making it a valuable tool for visually showcasing strategic insights.

2. VRIO Framework Strategic Plan Template

Maximize your business growth by utilizing this strategic plan template, which helps identify opportunities for sustainable competitive advantage and allocate resources effectively.

Each element of the VRIO framework (Value, Rivalry, Imitability, and Organization) is presented on separate slides, featuring a clean and minimal design that focuses on essential information for your strategic plan.

Personalize the slides with your brand's unique identity by adding brand colors , brand fonts and logos . With Visme's brand design tool , this process becomes incredibly easy. Simply set up your branding kit in Visme and apply your branding assets to your presentations with just one click.

This seamless integration allows your strategic plan to reflect your brand consistently and professionally.

3. Gap Planning Strategic Plan Template

Do you need a tool to close the gap between your company's present and future state?

Our user-friendly gap planning template helps you visually map your organization's current situation and identify the gaps between your current position and desired goals. Defining these gaps allows you to create effective strategies to bridge them and achieve success.

The template's whiteboard format provides flexibility and promotes collaboration, making it perfect for team discussions, brainstorming sessions and strategic planning meetings . Utilize Visme's online whiteboarding tool to brainstorm with your team using this template and many other whiteboard templates like it.

Creating a strategic plan is almost impossible without effective collaboration between teams and stakeholders. That's why Visme comes with a wide range of collaborative design features that empower your team to work collaboratively.

Invite your team members via email or a shareable link, allowing them to edit, pin, circle or point out specific parts of the plan, leave comments, reply to discussions and resolve issues seamlessly.

With the live editing feature, you can edit any part of the design and the changes will be visible to every collaborator in real-time.

Here is a video guide that you can watch to learn more about how to collaborate with your team in Visme.

Visme has been instrumental in revolutionizing how businesses approach design collaboration. But don't just take our word for it; hear what one of our satisfied customers, Jaime Kelm, the Director of Business and Data Strategy at LAFC, had to say:

"I absolutely recommend Visme due to its dynamic functionality and ability to integrate everchanging media and digital technologies. That combined with a collaborative environment which empowers our team to be more efficient with time has been a huge plus."

4. Balanced Scorecard Strategic Plan Template

Are you unsure if your company is making progress in the right direction? Our Balanced Scorecard Strategic Plan Template can help you assess and measure your organization's performance in various areas.

Imagine a visual representation of your organization's performance across various dimensions, all in one place. Our template lets you see the big picture by showcasing the financial, customer, internal processes and growth perspectives. It's like having a clear roadmap right before your eyes.

By utilizing this powerful tool, you'll uncover valuable insights and pinpoint areas for improvement. You can find other strategic planning charts in the Visme template library.

5. OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) Strategic Plan Template

As your company expands, you may encounter challenges aligning goals among different teams and departments, resulting in inefficiencies and resource wastage.

The OKRs strategic plan template offers a straightforward solution to address this issue by assisting you in effectively managing your company's goals and ensuring their successful attainment.

The strategic framework template simplifies the process by allowing you to define precise objectives and track the progress of three key results associated with each objective. Using this strategic plan template, you can streamline goal management and enhance productivity.

6. General Strategic Plan Template

The General Strategic Plan Template provides a solid foundation for businesses in the early stages of planning their growth. It covers essential components such as company vision, mission, goals, objectives, implementation strategies, and resource allocation.

Using this template ensures that your company stays focused on its mission and vision while promoting employee alignment. It serves as a simple yet effective tool to keep everyone moving in the same direction.

Customize the template by including your own text, images, brand elements and more. Editing the templates gets even easier with Visme's dynamic fields , which eliminate the need for manually entering certain information repeatedly.

Simply set your company name, address, contact information, and other details once, and the templates will automatically populate the relevant fields whenever you use them.

Watch the video below to learn more about this amazing feature.

7. Marketing Strategic Plan Template

Are you searching for a simple and clear marketing strategic plan template to guide your marketing efforts? Look no further! This template is specifically designed to assist you in strategizing and planning your marketing initiatives.

The marketing strategic plan template encompasses all the essential components required for a comprehensive marketing strategy, including a value proposition, promotional strategies, and SWOT analysis.

By providing in-depth details for each section, this template offers a deeper understanding of the crucial elements necessary to thrive in today's highly competitive marketplace.

Moreover, this template features a unique Flipbook effect , allowing you to navigate your strategic plan conveniently. Experience the flipbook-like view as each page turns seamlessly, providing a user-friendly interface for easy accessibility.

8. Communication Strategic Plan Template

Clear and effective communication is crucial for any successful business. It involves not only speaking but also actively listening and understanding your audience's needs.

With the communication strategic plan template, you can evaluate your company's current communication strategies and identify improvement areas.

Utilize a combination of complementary colors and legible fonts to emphasize the significance of communication to your employees.

Enhance your texts by utilizing Visme's text animation feature, which offers eight different styles to make them more engaging. You can also adjust the animation speed to suit your preferences.

Consider incorporating interactive elements like hotspots, clickable menus and hover effects into your visuals to engage your audience further. These additions will make your content more captivating and interactive.

9. Company Bundling Business Model Plan Template

Are you looking for a new strategy in your business promotion efforts? Follow the idea from this strategic plan template and bundle services together to offer packages that bring better value and more affordable prices.

In this business model strategy plan, you can highlight the packages themselves and why they’re important in terms of convenience, value and customization.

Other pages include an overview, ideal customer cohorts, and an explanation of why the approach is a good idea.

Use the AI Image Edit Tools inside the Visme editor to edit the images for your strategic plan by removing backgrounds or unwanted objects. If you have a blurry image, you can unblur it and if the image is too small, you can enlarge it.

10. Strategic Business Plan Template

This strategic business plan template spans 7 pages to get you set up with a solid foundation for your business’s strategic plan. The layout starts with an executive summary and continues with a company overview, product description, market analysis, and planned strategies.

Do you need a shortcut to create a strategic plan document like this one? The Visme AI document generator can help you with content and visuals at the same time. In the document templates gallery, choose the generator and input a prompt that explains what you need and let the AI work its magic.

11. Leadership-Based Employee Development Strategy Plan Template

Help your employees improve in their career trajectory by planning a development strategy for them that’s leadership-based and well planned out.

This template for a strategic plan includes sections such as development objectives, a candidate profile, a skills assessment, a training roadmap and an evaluation.

Work with your Learning and Development team to create the best strategy plan with this template using the workflow feature . Assign specific pages to different people, set due dates and keep track of what’s done or still needs doing. Collaborate with the team to create the best employee development strategy plan.

Though there are no universal standards for what a strategic plan should contain, there are several key elements that most plans share. Each element of a strategic plan plays a crucial role in achieving the organization's long-term goals.

Here are the five of them:

1. Vision and Mission

A strategic plan should begin with a concise statement of your organization's vision and mission. The vision statement describes what the company hopes to achieve in the long term, while the mission statement focuses on how it plans to accomplish that goal.

A clear and compelling vision and mission statement can motivate employees and stakeholders to collaborate more effectively toward achieving their objectives.

These are also the first sections you should write when creating a plan because they provide direction for the rest of the document.

2. Objectives

The next element of a strategic plan is a list of specific goals or objectives. These are the things that you're trying to achieve over a given period, such as increasing sales by 15 percent over the next year.

You should have an objective for each section of your strategic plan: marketing, finance, human resources and so on.

Set SMART goals, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Here is an example of a SMART goal:

Increase company revenue by 15% (Specific) through targeted marketing campaigns and expanding customer base in new geographic regions (Achievable, Realistic). Achieve this goal within the next fiscal year (Timely), allowing for clear measurement of progress (Measurable).

Visme's SMART goal-setting templates are the best tools to set and achieve your goals.

3. Strategy

Once your goals are set, it's time to develop a strategy to achieve them. A strategy is a plan that outlines how you will achieve your goals. It should include what actions you will take, who will be responsible for each action and when each action needs to be completed.

This is the part where you choose how to allocate resources, differentiate from competitors and position the organization in the market.

4. Approach

The approach specifies the methods and actions to put the strategy into action. It involves using available resources wisely and adjusting to changes in market conditions.

Include a description of how you will measure success, track progress toward your goals and what resources are required to achieve them. It can also include a timeline if your goals are set for the future.

Tactics are the specific steps you take to implement your strategy and achieve your goals. They can involve changing processes, reorganizing departments and even changing personnel.

Suppose you want to increase sales by 15%. In that case, a few possible tactics could be:

• Offer limited-time discounts or promotions
• Implement a referral program
• Enhance product displays and packaging
• Increase social media presence and engagement

The difference between approach and tactics is that the approach in your strategic plan serves as the foundation or framework for deciding tactics. And tactics are the actions you will take to execute your strategic plan.

Here’s a pyramid chart template that you can use to document your sales tactics.

Strategic plans come in various types, and each type has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. To help you find the right one for your business, we will now provide an overview of the eight most popular strategic plan types.

Go through them and choose the best one that best suits your business needs.

SWOT Analysis

The SWOT Analysis is a widely used strategic planning tool that evaluates an organization's internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats.

By conducting a SWOT analysis, businesses gain valuable insights into their current position, competitive landscape and areas for improvement. This analysis enables decision-makers to identify strategic priorities, capitalize on strengths, address weaknesses, exploit opportunities and mitigate potential risks.

With a clear understanding of internal and external factors, you can formulate effective strategies to achieve your goals.

Here’s a SWOT analysis template you can use to create your own. Customize these templates using Visme’s SWOT analysis generator to fit your business needs.

PEST stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological. The PEST analysis model helps you identify external factors that affect your business environment and can impact its success. It involves analyzing:

• Political Factors: What laws govern your industry? How do they impact your business operations?
• Economic Factors: What are the trends in your industry or economy? How will these trends affect your company's performance?
• Social Factors: Who are your customers, and what does their behavior tell you about them?
• Technological Factors: What new technologies can help your business? Are there any new technologies that will make it harder for you to compete?

To examine your business's internal and external factors, you can use this strategy alongside another one.

This whiteboard is an excellent starting point for brainstorming your company’s PESTEL analysis.

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)

This is a popular technique developed by Intel for setting goals.

An OKR is an objective, or a goal, broken down into key results (KRs), which are measurable actions taken to accomplish the objective. For example, if you want to increase sales by 10%, one KR might be “Increase website conversion rate from 2% to 3%.”

To implement this strategy, you have to set an objective and then break it down into a list of critical results.

Porter's Five Forces

If you are looking to increase your business's competitive advantage, Porter's five forces is the perfect strategic plan for you. It's a framework for analyzing your business's competitive environment and understanding where the opportunities and growth lie.

The five forces are

• Competition in the industry
• Competition from new entrants
• Bargaining power of suppliers
• Bargaining power of buyers
• Threat of substitutes

The tool offers a simple way to quantify the threat posed by each of these forces. In addition, it provides you with a clear picture of how your business stacks up against its competition and what's preventing you from gaining market share.

Here's Porter's Five Forces Model template from Visme to help you create your own.

VRIO Framework

Understanding the competitive landscape and how your business measures up against your peers is the first step to developing strategies for success. The VRIO Framework helps you do just that.

The framework uses four key variables that determine a company's competitive advantage:

• Value : Determines if the resource or capability provides value and contributes to the business's competitive advantage.
• Rarity : Evaluate the uniqueness of the resource or capability compared to competitors in the industry.
• Imitability : Examines the difficulty of replicating or imitating the resources or capabilities of others.
• Organization : Assesses the company's ability to effectively organize and exploit the resource or capability for sustained competitive advantage.

Gap Planning

Gap planning is a strategic approach that helps you bridge the gap between your business's current and desired future states. It involves identifying the gaps or discrepancies between where your company currently stands and where it aims to be and then formulating a plan to close those gaps.

You need to do a gap analysis to utilize the power of gap planning. Here's how it works:

1. Identify the gaps between where you are now and where you want to be. 2. Determine what prevents you from closing those gaps (for example, time, resources, or technology). 3. Develop strategies for bridging those gaps by providing solutions for each one.

Balanced Scorecard (BSC)

As the name suggests, a balanced scorecard measures organizational performance by focusing on four key areas: financial, customer, internal business processes and learning and growth.

The idea behind BSC is that organizations are more successful when they have a clear and balanced view of their overall performance.

For example, a company may excel at generating high returns but neglect customer satisfaction, leading to a decline in brand loyalty and market share.

By incorporating the customer perspective into the balanced scorecard, the organization can identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance customer experiences.

Blue Ocean Strategy

Imagine a market where your business faces no competition. That's a blue ocean—a market that either doesn't exist yet or where you can offer a fresh value proposition for customers.

But it's not a magic show where you wave a wand and suddenly, your business is completely unique. There's much more to the blue ocean strategy than just creating new market spaces.

The idea is to focus on what matters most to customers, develop innovative solutions and find a path where your business stands alone, free from competition.

The main purpose of a strategic plan is to set growth targets for your business and create effective strategies to achieve them, turning those strategies into actionable tasks.

The plan also helps businesses focus their efforts, prioritize objectives, and create a sense of urgency around key initiatives. It provides a framework that enables businesses to make better choices even when faced with difficult situations or obstacles.

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

While they may sound similar, a strategic plan and a work plan serve different purposes and are used at different times in business planning.

A strategic plan is a high-level document that outlines a business's long-term goals and objectives. It considers the company's mission, vision, values and overall strategy and provides a roadmap for success. A strategic plan is typically created at the beginning of a planning cycle and is reviewed and updated periodically.

On the other hand, a work plan is a more detailed document that outlines the specific tasks and activities that need to be completed to achieve the goals and objectives outlined in the strategic plan. It is a more tactical document that focuses on the business's day-to-day operations. Businesses create a work plan as part of the implementation phase of the strategic planning process.

For example, a software development team creates a work plan to outline coding tasks, testing and deadlines for a new mobile app project. Meanwhile, the company's strategic plan focuses on long-term growth by diversifying the product line, expanding into international markets and investing in emerging technologies.

If you have successfully created the strategic plan, you're just halfway there. And your execution plan is equally important.

So, follow these four best practices to get the most out of your strategic planning process.

1. Communicate Goals Clearly

Clearly define your strategic goals and ensure they are effectively communicated to everyone in your organization. This helps align all employees towards a common objective and ensures everyone understands their role in achieving it.

2. Take Actionable Steps

Break down your strategic goals into actionable steps or initiatives. Assign responsibility and create a system of accountability to ensure these steps are executed effectively and on time. Regularly review progress and make adjustments as needed.

3. Stay Flexible and Adaptable

Recognize that the business environment is dynamic, and plans may need to be adjusted. Remain open to feedback and monitor changes in the market or industry that may impact your strategic plan. Build flexibility into your plan to allow for timely adaptations, seize emerging opportunities, or address unexpected challenges.

4. Evaluate Regularly

Establish a system for ongoing evaluation and learning. Regularly assess the progress and outcomes of your strategic initiatives. Identify areas of success and areas for improvement. Encourage a culture of learning from both successes and failures and use these insights to refine your strategic approach over time.

By following these best practices, you can enhance the execution of your strategic plan and increase the likelihood of achieving your desired outcomes.

Manage and Create Strategies with Confidence Using Visme

Creating a strategic plan is an important part of any business. But it's not enough to just create the plan and forget about it. You need to manage and execute this plan to achieve its goals.

Whether customizing your favorite template, collaborating with your team, or securely storing and updating the plan, Visme makes the entire process a breeze. Choose a strategic plan template from the list and customize it to make it your own.

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[Updated 2023] How to Write a Five Year Business Plan [Best Templates Included]

Smriti Srivastava

Achieving a set of goals is challenging.

Maintaining the motivation and productivity to achieve business goals is even harder.

In the words of Yogi Berra, a big-league baseball player-turned-manager, “Without a plan, even the most brilliant business can get lost. You need to have goals, create milestones, and have a strategy in place to set yourself up for success.”

This is why everyone in the industry — from an interviewer looking to hire top talent to an entrepreneur who accomplishes goals systematically — splits their business plan into five years. A five-year business plan not only extends a generous period to attain the set targets but at the same time keeps everyone on their toes, removing procrastination.

But writing a five-year business plan can get tedious, messy, and, sometimes, take forever to hit the right spot.

Therefore, this blog will cover the essential steps to help you write a tremendous five-year business plan.

Chronology of writing a spectacular five-year business plan

It is quite simple. You cannot achieve something great when you don’t know your priorities, objectives, ways, and timeframe to achieve those targets. It is essential to build a five-year plan for your business as well as the outcomes and expectations related to it.

But where do you start?

Here are the five sections you must include in your plan:

#1 A clear company introduction

A brief yet effective overview of your business, its market, team structure, roles and responsibilities, company offerings, and value proposition builds the foundation for your future endeavors. You use a company overview to set the right tone at the beginning of your business plan, as it serves as the base and a direction for your audience.

Related read: How to Create an Attention-Grabbing Company Introduction Slide in 10 Minutes

#2 vision and mission statement.

You have to ensure your employees, stakeholders, investors, and potential clients understand what your company is all about and what you stand for. Your vision and mission statement helps you with it. It enlightens the audience about your future plans - where you see your company in five years and the results you will work to achieve.

Related read: Top 10 Mission and Vision Statement Templates to Guide Your Organizational Culture

#3 target market and branding.

State who your company is looking to serve and why. Provide clarity on your target market based on psychographics and demographics. And do not forget to mention the size of your target market. You have to create a framework for making your brand visible exponentially and simultaneously create a lead generation and conversion strategy.

Related read: Top 30 PowerPoint Templates to Analyze Dominant Market Drivers

#4 product overview.

Set clear priorities based on the distinction between your primary and secondary products. You need to connect your branding around the product or service core to your company. This categorization will help you establish the revenue your products generate and the impacts they create. Further, it will help modify your plans accordingly.

Related read: Top 10 One-Page Product Overview PowerPoint Templates to Drive Sales

#5 swot analysis.

Measuring your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the industry can help you successfully dominate the market. Therefore, your five-year business plan must include regular and timely analysis of all your business operations. There is no better way to meet targets than keeping a check on one’s activities. It will help you focus on the proprietary system of your company.

Related read: Top 50 SWOT Analysis PowerPoint Templates Used by Professionals Worldwide

Templates to nail your business plan.

Often we have countless ideas to plan our way to a successful business. But as the day-to-day grind starts, it is easy to get distracted from the end goal and stray from the path leading to our intent. We look for a north star to point us directly to our mission. So we decided to make your life a bit easier by providing our readymade and editable five-year business plan templates. You can access them below. Dive in!

Template 1: Five Year Business Plan Roadmap Template

Help your team stay on track with your future business ambitions by taking the assistance of our invigorating PowerPoint template. This content-ready template helps you visualize your work plan and present your vision impactfully. You just need to click the download link to start customizing it.

Download this template

Template 2: Key Poniters for Five Year Business Plan

Use this business plan template that includes vital pointers such as setting clear goals and objectives, conducting market research and competitor analysis, developing a comprehensive marketing strategy, creating financial projections, and establishing a system for measuring progress and adjusting your plan accordingly. By following a structured template and considering these essential elements, you can create a plan that sets your organization up for long-term success.

Template 3: Five Year Roadmap Timeline for Business Plan

Employ this professionally curated template to improve the success rate of your business. This template helps you track the progress of all your operational activities without any hassle. Also, our color-coded template makes it easy to comprehend and follow. So download this adaptable template to start adding your data effortlessly.

Template 4: Five-Year Business Plan Roadmap with Operations and Functions

You can utilize this template to articulate the workflow of your organization smoothly. This template allows you to write an attractive executive summary of your business operations and functions. Download the template and start assembling your key milestones immediately. Click the link below!

Template 5: Five Year Milestones Template

Outline the timeline for achieving future goals with the help of this template. Our experts have designed this PowerPoint template to help you summarize your vision, mission, targets, and timeframe in an easily accessible format. Grasp the attention of your employees and stakeholders right away by downloading this template.

Template 6: Five-Year Roadmap for Business Planning

A comprehensive plan of action displays confidence and foresightedness. Therefore, we have curated this content-specific template to help you create a strategic roadmap for your business goals. This template distributes the target phases based on yearly milestones, thereby making it easily understandable. Grab it now!

Template 7: Five Year Business Plan with Roadmap

Take your business to the next level with this five-year business roadmap with checkpoints. It includes sections for sales, product, operations,  and targets set for different team members. It also includes timelines and checkpoints for processes and activities. Download this editable PowerPoint Slide now to streamline your business alignment.

Template 8: Five Year Business Plan With Financial Projection

Make your future financial outcomes expectations loud and clear by using this PowerPoint template. Represent your business planning elements creatively by employing this template. You can even highlight your company’s ongoing functions and practices in a structured way with the assistance of our entirely adaptable PPT template.

Template 9: Five Year Business Plan Implementation Roadmap

The success rate of business plans hugely depends on the plan of action, and this editable five years roadmap of the organization rightly serves the purpose. Encapsulate all the information related to the project in a well-structured manner to obtain maximum efficiency by incorporating this stunning PowerPoint slide. State the critical deliverable, steps involved, time frame, workforce allocation, and lots more in an easy-to-understand manner by utilizing this pre-designed roadmap layout. Download now!

Template 10: Five Year Business Plan with Risk Status

Select this PowerPoint template to predict your future growth. Using this PPT template, you can assess potential risks that can stunt your business development in the coming years. Revamp your venture by utilizing this template as a guiding star. Download it and start with your strategic planning right away!

Having a strategic roadmap for handling your business operations and objectives is the only way to go. You cannot expect high profit and returns on investment without having a clear outline for the next five years of your business. With our stunning business plan ppt templates, you will definitely look confident, assertive, reliable, and foresighted.

FAQs on Five-Year Business Plan

How to write a five year business plan.

Here are some key steps to consider when writing your plan:

Define your mission and vision: Start by articulating your organization's purpose and long-term goals.

Conduct market research : Analyze your industry, identify trends, and understand your target audience.

Evaluate your competition: Analyze your competitors' strengths and weaknesses, and determine how you can differentiate yourself in the marketplace.

Develop a marketing and sales strategy: Outline how you will reach and engage with your target audience and define your pricing strategy.

Create financial projections: Develop a comprehensive financial model that includes revenue and expense projections, as well as cash flow analysis.

Establish a system for measuring progress: Determine key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you track progress towards your goals, and create a plan for reviewing and updating your plan on a regular basis.

What is a good 5-year business plan?

A good 5-year business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines an organization's strategy for achieving its long-term goals. Here are some key elements to include in a good 5-year business plan:

Executive summary: Provide an overview of your organization's mission, vision, and goals, as well as a summary of the key elements of your plan.

Market analysis: Conduct thorough research to understand your industry, target audience, and competition.

Marketing and sales strategy: Outline how you will reach and engage with your target audience, and define your pricing strategy.

Financial projections: Develop a comprehensive financial model that includes revenue and expense projections, as well as cash flow analysis.

Organizational structure: Outline the roles and responsibilities of key personnel, and describe how your organization will be structured to achieve its goals.

Risk management: Identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.

Performance metrics: Determine key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you track progress towards your goals, and create a plan for reviewing and updating your plan on a regular basis.

Related posts:

5 essential tips to develop a solid 5-year business plan.

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Free 5-year plan template to organize the planning process

As a business leader, you know the decisions you make today can shape the future of the company. If you want to control that trajectory, a 5-year plan template can be a useful tool. The right template helps you organize ideas, analyze data, and prioritize the goals you want to achieve — that way, you can create a framework that informs strategic decisions and guides your company toward its ultimate growth goals.

In this article, we’ll explore the parts of a 5-year plan template and discuss how to use it in your business. Then, we’ll dive into the ways you can integrate a 5-year plan into the monday.com Work OS to create a more efficient and powerful workflow.

Get the template

What is a 5-year plan template?

A 5-year plan template is a model document that helps you map out company goals and strategies for the next 5 years. Many templates contain a variety of common sections that you can edit to reflect the goals and needs of your business:

• Executive summary: Top-level overview of your objectives and strategies
• Business description:  Mission statement, description of your products and services, and an introduction to your management or leadership team
• Market analysis: Data about your industry and target audience, trends, opportunities, and competitors
• Financial information: Historical revenue, expense data, and financial projections
• Plans and objectives: Goes into detail about your short and long-term goals and sets company priorities, discusses the goals you want to achieve, and explains the strategies and methods you’ll use

The right structure for your 5-year plan template depends on your company’s specific goals. If you’re going after investors, for example, a traditional structure can help you meet expectations. If the plan is mostly for internal use, you can be more flexible and still reap the benefits of the template.

Why use a 5-year plan template?

A 5-year business plan provides a structure to help you think strategically about your company’s plans for the next few years. Use the preexisting headers to guide your discussions and spark new ideas; you can also add new sections to tailor the content to your business. When it’s time to write, the template helps you organize ideas and format them into a usable document that can provide a slew of benefits for your business.

Guide business decisions

A 5-year plan clarifies your company’s priorities, creating a set of strategic objectives that serves as a reference point when it’s time to make decisions or evaluate opportunities. If your priority is to build brand awareness among Gen Z customers, for example, you might jump at the chance to establish a presence on the hottest new social media platform. If you’re laser-focused on building the best management team in the industry, however, it would be easy to see that your resources are better spent elsewhere.

In addition to serving as a guidepost for major strategic initiatives, your 5-year plan can inform business decisions of all sizes. Look to it when you’re:

• Making a budget
• Assessing the organizational structure
• Designing a marketing plan
• Adding or removing products and services
• Writing business policies
• Setting up a technology infrastructure

Enable strategic hiring and training

A solid 5-year plan makes it easier to anticipate upcoming personnel needs, so you can make strategic hiring decisions. If you have limited resources, the plan can also help you figure out which tasks require a full-time employee and which ones you can outsource.

Are you thinking about training your existing employees? To determine the courses and topics with the highest ROI, compare the skills and abilities of your workforce against the practical needs outlined in the 5-year plan. This process highlights skill gaps and exposes the most urgent training opportunities.

Stay focused on goals

A lot can happen in 5 years — managers come and go, market conditions shift, and unexpected events can arise out of nowhere. In the midst of all that change, a well-written 5-year plan is a constant. It keeps your team focused on the same long-term goals, regardless of turnover. This unified approach can ensure that you’re always making progress in the right direction.

Prepare for challenges

Writing a 5-year plan requires you to analyze the business and the industry. As you dig into available data, you gain a deeper understanding of your customers, operations, competitors, and the market itself. With that knowledge, you’re better positioned to anticipate potential challenges and roadblocks. Awareness is everything; it helps you spot early warning signs, so you can start preparing the company to adjust short-term goals and adapt quickly.

Build confidence among investors

If you’re thinking about seeking investments to fund business expansion, a 5-year plan is essential. A thorough, well-written document reassures investors that you’ve done your due diligence and demonstrates that your company is positioned to make a profit. A template can help you examine and analyze each part of the business systematically to ensure the plan addresses investors’ top concerns.

When you’re ready to grow, a professional 5-year plan template can help you woo investors.

What are some examples of 5-year plan templates?

No two companies have identical 5-year plans; the template that works best for your organization depends on the age of the business, the nature of your goal, and how you’re planning to utilize the plan.

Startup plan

A 5-year plan creates a roadmap to follow as you establish a startup, build an audience, and stake out a place in the industry. This type of template often contains lengthy sections about marketing, sales, and product or service development; it also tends to be heavy on research and analysis.

Growth and expansion plan

When your company has been in business for a few years, you might start to think about expanding. A 5-year plan helps you approach growth strategically; it’s a good way to identify the best opportunities and find ways to minimize risk. These plans often analyze competitors and discuss the costs and benefits of different growth options.

One-page plan

Whether you’re growing a startup or expanding an established business, a traditional 5-year plan contains a high level of detail. The one-page business plan  version provides a quick overview — it highlights the most important points of each section. Instead of explaining your market research and explaining how they inform each goal, for example, you could note the key findings and include a prioritized list of goals.

5-year plan template on monday.com

Whether you’re creating a plan for an arts nonprofit or an engineering firm, the 5-Year Plan Template on monday.com can help you navigate the process. A color-coded header system enables you to organize and identify top-level sections. Within each one, you can add descriptions and build out a list of objectives, goals, manager profiles, financial projections, and other details.

The monday.com template adds an extra level of detail and functionality to your 5-year plan. For each item in a section, you can add a variety of columns that track the status of a project, identify relevant team members, designate a timeline, or set a budget. You can even add a column that links critical files to ensure easy access for all of your stakeholders. When you start working toward the goals in your plan, monday.com offers different Board Views , project management tools, and automations to streamline your workflow. Your template also integrates seamlessly with Work OS, an open platform that enables you to create and customize the tools you need to monitor and run your business.

A 5-year plan is just one of the documents you need to map out and execute a long-term business strategy. The template library at monday.com includes a variety of options to help manage your company’s growth and development.

Related templates on monday.com

We got a ton of really great task management templates, here are some of the best ones.

Marketing plan

If marketing plays a role in your 5-year plan, consider integrating the Marketing Plan Template  into your strategic planning sessions. With sections for different projects and columns that enable you to assign tasks and monitor progress, it can also serve as a project management tool.

Recruitment process

Manage the hiring goals in your 5-year plan with the help of the Recruitment Process Template . It tracks each applicant through the different stages of the process and enables you to track referral sources to inform your job-posting strategy. Status reports for interviews and hiring decisions ensure efficient communication between departments.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 5-year plan.

A 5-year plan is a document that outlines your company’s goals and strategies for the upcoming years. It also provides information to support the plan, such as a market analysis and financial projections.

What should I include in a 5-year plan?

When you’re writing a 5-year plan, include an executive summary, a description of the business, and an analysis of the market, company finances , competitors, and customers. Follow that up with a section that lays out the goals, objectives, and strategies your company will pursue over the next 5 years.

What are 5-year goals examples?

Examples of 5-year goals might include developing new products, expanding to a new location, or reaching new audience segments. You might also set internal goals, such as improving the company culture or building the most talented workforce in the industry.

Using the 5-year plan template for sustainable growth

As you navigate the strategic-planning process, a 5-year plan template can help organize your ideas and set thoughtful, research-backed goals. You’ll emerge with a document that guides business decisions and unites employees around a common purpose. With monday.com, you can incorporate the 5-year plan template into your Work OS to manage projects, set smaller goals, and track progress toward your high-level objectives.

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WTO / Business / Planners / How to Create a Realistic 5-Year Plan (Free Templates)

How to Create a Realistic 5-Year Plan (Free Templates)

A 5-year plan is an overview of what goals, either in your personal or professional life, you want to achieve over the course of five years, with a detailed description of each goal.

It often includes a timeline of how you will reach these goals and what tools, people, or systems you will use.

Most professionals find it useful to create this plan as it helps them stay realistic about their aims and objectives. It is a way of planning for the future while facing reality. However, 5-year plans are not limited to only professionals; anyone who is aiming to achieve specific goals in the next five years might want to make this plan.

Whether they are looking at starting their own business, going back to school, or just making sure that they keep their focus on what’s important, writing down a five-year plan can greatly help them stay focused on what they need to get done over a given period.

This article will discuss why you may need this plan, describe the process of making one, and provide free templates that you can customise according to your requirements and print.

5-Year Plan Examples

Why Do You Need a 5-Year Plan?

While planning for the future can seem like a daunting task, it is necessary for you to do so. Despite how long five years may seem, they pass very quickly, and it can be easy to get distracted along the way, which could lead to you losing sight of your final goal. A 5-year plan is an excellent way of making sure that you don’t lose sight of your goal over the course of five years.

One of the biggest advantages of creating a plan is that you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. You can see both the big picture and the smaller, more detailed things that you need to do along the way. The plan helps you stay motivated and focused on your goals by providing clear milestones to measure your progress .

Another benefit of creating this plan is that it gives you time to think about what you want for yourself and the steps you need to take to get there.

How It Works?

Creating a 5-year plan involves making a few simple processes and procedures that work for your specific needs. The first thing that you have to do before creating your plan is to reflect on your past year and think back on what you accomplished and what you failed to accomplish. This process helps you figure out what needs to be changed for you to accomplish your goals in the upcoming years.

Below are 8 steps that you should consider when creating plan that is tailored to your needs:

Step 1: Evaluate what you want for your life

Evaluation of your plan is an important first step in the process. This step is crucial since it helps you make continuous progress toward your goals and make sure that you take a long-term view of what you want to accomplish. The goal is to figure out what you want in life, not only as far as a career but also in terms of personal priorities like family, spiritual fulfillment, health and well-being, personal relationships, and professional success.

To properly evaluate your plan, you need to know what you want. This may seem like a hard task if you have never taken the time to think about what it is that you want in life; however, take the time to do so. Think about whether or not your current job is a good fit for you or if there are other things that you might want to do with your career.

Visualise yourself in the next 5 years. You can also consult your seniors, match your skills with the jobs at hand or create a job or business for yourself that best suits your interests. After you have made a list of all the things you want in your life, you can narrow it down in the next step.

Step 2: Identify your potential goals

Once you have done your evaluation and identified what it is that you want for your life over the next 5-years, the next step is to identify your potential goals. This is a process that you can use to help you think about what your goals should be and how you want to reach them. You may consider looking at your goals from the perspective of life experiences, career and professional growth, financial security , and personal goals.

Consider looking at people with similar goals and see what strategies they used to achieve them. You may even consider emailing them and asking them for advice on how to get where they are.

If you want to start your own business, you can contact the business owner who started and runs their own business.

Step 3: Research your goals

In order to be able to make a plan that really works for you, you need to identify the resources and information that you will need along the way. Researching your goals is an important part of the process since this will help ensure that you are on track and able to follow through with what it is that you want. The goal here is not just to get information but also to learn from others who have already achieved their goals.

You may want to look at career-related social media sites like LinkedIn, Google, and other career builder websites to help you establish the right goals for your 5-year plan.

Step 4: Break down your goals

Once you have done your research, it is important that you reach out to find where the relevant resources are. You should focus on resources that will help you in the long run. For instance, if you want to start your own business, reaching out to entrepreneurs who have already done that may be worthwhile for you.

To help you with the process, you will want to break your goals down into smaller steps. This allows you to focus on small subsets of essential areas for achieving your goals. You should think about how important each goal is, how specific it needs to be, and how much time needs to be invested in it.

For example, if your annual goal is starting an IT business in Chicago, your breakdown could look like this:

• January: Research what Chicago has to offer for IT services
• February: Create an outline for the business plan and research the business environment
• March: Start the business (register for the required licences and certifications)
• April: Hire a senior developer to head up your team, interview possible employees, and select candidates
• May: Promote work, meet new clients, and find funding sources
• June: Open-up shop (expand your team as well as grow your business)
• July: Continue growing the workforce, advertise online job boards and social pages, etc.

Make sure that your goal is ambitious but attainable at the same time. If it is not, then it might be a good idea to look at whether or not this goal could have been accomplished differently in another way.

Step 5: Refine your goals

Once you have broken down your goals, it is time to refine them further. First, you should think about whether or not it is possible to accomplish what you want to do within the 5-year time frame. Next, consider using the SMART method to ensure that your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Using this method helps you to ensure that you are realistic about what you want to achieve, and it will also provide the opportunity to adjust your strategy as necessary.

Step 6: Research how to reach your goals

The next step is to research how to reach your goals. Just like any other goal, you need to be aware of what it takes to reach your goals and how you can achieve them.

For example, if your 5-year goal is to start a new business , you need to research the steps to start the business, the legal requirements, and where you will get the money since this is important for any business.

Likewise, if you want to shift to a new career , you will want to look at how much money you will need to make and how long it will take for your career to grow.

Step 7: Write the plan or use a template

Once you have done your research, it is time to write out your 5-year plan. It might consist of just a few paragraphs or more when it comes to something extensive, like starting a new business. You may choose to use a premade template or write everything out on your own from scratch. Premade templates can help you in the long run since they ensure that you follow the right steps and avoid errors.

When it comes to writing your own plan, use templates that are related to what your goals are in the first place. This will clarify your plan, so you know exactly what it is and how it will work once completed. Regardless of the method you use, it is important to ensure that all the necessary details are incorporated into your plan.

Here are a few more templates for the aid:

Step 8: Adjust and revisit as needed

Once you have your plan written out, you must regularly revisit it. This ensures that you’re able to keep up with the changes in your life and ensure that your plan stays relevant in your life. As new opportunities come to light, you must ensure they are incorporated into the plan.

You will also want to look at how much money and time are required to accomplish each task. The more resources you have for completing each task, the more likely it is that you will be able to accomplish your goals.

Checklist for Your Plan

Crafting the 5-year plan is essential for achieving your goals. Therefore, it is essential to take this step as soon as you determine what you want to achieve in the next five years. However, drafting this plan from scratch might be hard, especially if you are new to the whole process. That is why it is good to have a template to follow. While there are many templates that you can choose from, you must select one that best suits your requirements.

Here are some of the key components that should be included in any 5-year plan template that you use:

This is one of the most important aspects you want to consider for your plan. You will want to make sure that you maintain good health to accomplish the goals you want in life. While this part of your plan may sound very simple, you will make all sorts of changes in the future, especially if there is a major health crisis or something similar. It is also good to include an exercise and nutrition plan for yourself.

Relationships

In any template, you will want to include how your relationships will change over the next 5 years. Consider which relationships you want to keep and which ones you want to abandon or replace. This will ensure that there will not be any issues in your relationships throughout the entire planning period.

Money is important when it comes to achieving any of your set objectives. It might be hard to make this plan without considering how much money you will make or use. You will want to estimate how much you will make over the course of the next five years or at least some of your income sources that will be utilized. You might also want to consider setting up a budget to stay within your means and still have a life. You can roughly estimate the amount you want to spend on everyday expenses, utility bills, and groceries, and how much you want to invest and save. 

Career/business

You must decide which career or business you will pursue during the next 5 years. Writing down each of your goals is essential in this step. Then you need to list what type of profession or business you want to pursue in the future. This will allow you to be better prepared when deciding which career to pursue.

Personal/spiritual/religious development

You will need to consider how you want to develop as a person in the business and personal sense. This will ensure that you consider your personal development when planning for each step. In addition, you may want to consider not just the business side of things but also the spiritual and religious side of things. This is because this part of your life is important for your overall growth.

Environment/organization/space/home

The next item that should be captured in your plan template is a plan regarding the environment, organization, and space that you live in. You should include how you want it to look in the future and how you want to maintain it. This will help ensure that your immediate environment is what you want it to be throughout the next five years.

Recreation/fun

When preparing your plan template, you will want to consider what your hobbies or entertainment options will be in the future. This is because life would be pretty boring if you completely ignore all the recreational and fun activities. In addition, you should include how much time you want to dedicate to each recreational and fun activity you enjoy in your life.

Service/contribution

This is a very important part of the template. You will want to include how you will contribute to the world around you in terms of your service and contribution. This is particularly vital if you are a part of a group or organization. You will also want to mention what type of groups or organizations you want to be a part of in the future. This can help ensure that your contributions are meaningful and effective and increase your focus on your service and contribution.

List of all skills and experiences

Next, you will want to include in your template how you will use your skills and experiences to achieve your goals. This is important because it gives you a better idea of what experience and skills you will need to succeed in the future. It also ensures that there are no skills or experiences you do not have that could be useful for achieving your goals.

Transferable skills

If you plan to make a career change, this is an important part of your plan template. You will want to include the transferable skills you have that are useful in the new career you plan to pursue. This is because the transferable skills you have can make learning new skills and techniques easier. You will also be able to utilize them effectively when doing something else.

Examples of Achievable Plans

To help you better understand how to create an effective 5-year plan, below are examples that you can use for inspiration:

Best Practices to Follow

There are several key things that you need to include in your template to be as effective as possible. These key points are important because they can make the difference between achieving your objectives and missing them altogether.

We have provided you with a list of these key points below so that you can make the most out of your plan:

Keep the plan updated

Make sure to go through each category in your 5-year plan and update it every so often. This will ensure that the plan is effective and you stay on track with your goals.

Be as specific as possible

In a plan, it is important to be as specific as possible regarding the details of your projects and goals. This can help you focus on the right things and make sure that you achieve them.

Identify the most important item(s) on the list

In order to make sure that your plan is effective, you need to identify the most important items on the list. In addition, you need to be sure that they are listed in order of importance; this will make it easier for you to rank your goals and tasks.

Narrow your focus

When you write your plan, it is important to narrow your focus because this will help you to be able to identify the most suitable projects and goals that are going to improve your situation the most.

Use realistic timelines

It would be best to use realistic timelines when you write your plan. This way, you will be able to take into account the variables and situations that can cause your timeline to change so that you can be ready for them when they happen.

Cross things out as soon as you accomplish them

When you write your plan, it is essential to cross things out as soon as you accomplish them. This is because this can help remind you of the goals you have accomplished and boost your future motivation.

Memorize the highlights for job interviews

When you write your plan, it is crucial to memorize the highlights for job interviews . This way, you will be able to cite your accomplishments and level of experience with these projects.

Consult examples or use templates

The best and the most effective way to draft a great plan is to consult examples or use templates. Examples and templates can help you create a plan perfectly tailored to your needs and goals.

Final Thoughts

A 5-year plan template is a good way to outline your goals and plans, especially when planning to get a new job or start a new career. The templates that can be found on this site can help you create an effective plan. As mentioned earlier, there are several things that you need to consider and use when drafting your plan. These suggestions should help you achieve your objectives in the long run and ensure that the plan benefits you.

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Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word

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Crafting a strategic plan is the compass that guides businesses toward their goals and success. With ClickUp's Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word and more, you can now seamlessly create a roadmap that aligns your team and resources towards a common vision. This template empowers you to:

• Define clear objectives, targets, and strategies for your organization
• Streamline decision-making processes and resource allocation effectively
• Drive long-term growth and success with a well-thought-out plan

Ready to take your business to new heights? Start creating your strategic plan with ClickUp's comprehensive template today!

Strategic Plan Template Benefits

Crafting a strategic plan template in ClickUp is a game-changer for organizations aiming for long-term success. With this template, you can:

• Align your team towards common goals and targets
• Clearly define strategies and action plans for seamless execution
• Ensure effective decision-making and resource allocation
• Drive growth and success with a comprehensive roadmap to follow

Main Elements of Microsoft Word Strategic Plan Template

To effectively outline your organization's strategic roadmap, ClickUp’s Strategic Plan Template includes:

• Custom Statuses: Track progress with statuses like Approval, Design Layout, and Published to monitor different stages of your strategic plan
• Custom Fields: Utilize custom fields such as Channel, Allocated Budget, and Audience to input specific details like budget allocation, target audience, and communication channels
• Custom Views: Access different perspectives with views like Event List, Event Calendar, and Getting Started Guide to visualize your strategic plan in various formats
• Collaboration Tools: Improve team efficiency with features like Files, allowing easy access to relevant documents, and Event Approval to streamline the event planning process.

How To Use This Strategic Plan Template In ClickUp

Crafting a strategic plan is crucial for setting your organization's direction and priorities. by utilizing clickup's strategic plan template, you can streamline the process and create a roadmap for success. follow these steps to make the most out of this template:, 1. define your mission and vision.

Start by clearly outlining your organization's mission statement and vision. Your mission should encapsulate the purpose of your existence, while the vision should articulate where you aspire to be in the future. These foundational elements will guide every decision and action in your strategic plan.

Utilize the Docs feature in ClickUp to collaboratively draft and refine your mission and vision statements.

2. Perform a SWOT analysis

Conduct a comprehensive SWOT analysis to identify your organization's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This analysis will help you understand your current position in the market, anticipate challenges, and capitalize on potential opportunities.

Leverage the Table view in ClickUp to create a structured grid for your SWOT analysis, allowing for easy visualization and organization of key insights.

3. Set strategic goals and objectives

Based on the findings from your SWOT analysis, establish clear and actionable strategic goals and objectives. These should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Align these goals with your mission and vision to ensure coherence throughout your strategic plan.

Create tasks in ClickUp to break down each goal into manageable action items, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines for accountability.

4. Develop an action plan

Translate your strategic goals into a detailed action plan. Define the steps, resources, and timelines required to achieve each goal. Assign tasks to team members, set milestones to track progress, and establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success.

Utilize ClickUp's Gantt chart to visualize the timeline of tasks and dependencies within your action plan, ensuring efficient project management.

5. Monitor, evaluate, and adapt

Regularly monitor the progress of your strategic plan, evaluate the outcomes against your KPIs, and adapt as needed. Stay agile and responsive to changes in the internal and external environment, making adjustments to your plan to stay on course toward your strategic objectives.

Set up Automations in ClickUp to receive notifications for task updates, track task completion status, and automate repetitive processes, enhancing efficiency in plan execution.

This template is originally designed for use in the ClickUp platform, but you can easily export this doc for use in Microsoft Word, or even just copy-paste the contents into your platform of choice.

Get Started with This Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word, ClickUp, & More

Business executives and managers can leverage the ClickUp Strategic Plan Template to create a comprehensive roadmap in Microsoft Word, ClickUp, & More, outlining organizational goals and strategies for long-term success.

To get started:

Add the template to your Workspace and designate the appropriate location.

Invite relevant team members to collaborate on the strategic plan.

Utilize the template's features to streamline the strategic planning process:

• Define each strategic goal with custom fields like Channel, Allocated Budget, and Content Type.
• Track progress through six statuses: Approval, Design Layout, Draft Copy, Ideation, Published, Schedule.
• Use different views such as Event List, Event Calendar, and Event Status to monitor and manage the plan effectively.
• Leverage custom fields like Month, Hashtags, and Audience to refine and target strategies.
• Ensure alignment with ten custom fields including Voice, Event Approval, and Purpose for a cohesive plan.

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5 Year Plan Templates

40 useful 5 year plan templates (personal, career, business).

Planning is always a good thing as it can be a basis on what you want to accomplish not just on small projects but for long-term goals too. Making a 5-year plan template can help you know yourself better – what you want and what you aspire for. It’s a strategy that revolves around the goals you want to achieve in the future so you know where you want to be in five years and how you will get there.

Table of Contents

• 1 5 Year Plan Templates
• 2 What is the purpose of a 5 year plan?
• 3 Personal 5 Year Plan Templates
• 4 Why 5 years?
• 5 5 Year Business Plan Templates
• 6 The benefits of creating your own 5-year plan template
• 7 5 Year Career Plan Templates
• 8 How do you write a 5-year career plan?

What is the purpose of a 5 year plan?

We’ve often heard the question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” If someone asks you this question on the spot, you might find yourself in a situation where you try to find an appropriate answer. Will you get promoted to a higher position? Will you still rent an apartment or will you already have your own home ? Do you know any specific answer to this important question?

Even if you do have answers, these probably aren’t clear. This makes all the difference if you make a 5-year plan template. Creating your own personal 5-year plan template, 5-year business plan template, 5-year career plan template, 5-year plan template for life or 5-year strategic plan template gives you an edge over those who don’t think about their future goals or plans.

• It allows you to make improvements in your life The idea of the plan is that you can improve the good things you have to make them better. A 5-year plan template for life removes distractions as it gives you an opportunity to dig deeper and identify what is important to you. Then you can scrap everything else that is not. The plan also gives you the chance take accountability for your own goals.
• It effectively improves your focus These characteristics of a 5-year strategic plan template makes it very effective. It is a game plan to help keep your “eyes-on-the-prize.” It gives you an overview of the next five years so it doesn’t look like a mystery or worse, exactly like the routine you have been a slave to for the past five years.
• It helps you grow A personal 5-year plan template is more than just a to-do list or a calendar events as these only focus on short-term goals. Five years is an adequate timespan that can reflect realistic and effective changes within yourself. It can also allow significant growth in your personal and professional life.

Personal 5 Year Plan Templates

Why 5 years?

A 5-year plan template gives you enough time to “lay down the tracks” that will help you reach the more important achievements and milestones you wish to accomplish without having to resort to procrastination. As you may surmise, it’s a lot easier to get distracted by short-term goals that may seem more urgent or offer a faster payoff.

If you want to take the more challenging road, then take one with a longer view. In choosing this, you need to use your creativity and have enough boldness to dedicate and envision yourself to the life that you aspire for. You need a comprehensive plan to make this life your reality.

As you mature and evolve, so will your plan as it helps you maintain focus on your long-term goals. The end game in using the plan is growth and progress. It should enable you to create the life that you want with laser-focus and aim, yet having enough flexibility to adjust to who you’re growing into as time progresses.

5 Year Business Plan Templates

The benefits of creating your own 5-year plan template

You can either create your own 5-year plan template or use one that’s readily available online. You can use this tool to provide insights into your own personality, values, ambition, and more. It can also help potential employers to determine whether or not a prospect employee fits well in a certain corporate culture or job environment.

More importantly, a 5 year career plan template or one aimed at your personal goals can help you assess your visions for the future. Here are the standard benefits to look forward to when you have this plan:

• It helps you learn more about yourself A 5-year plan isn’t supposed to be a strict activity schedule that you should adhere to for the next five years. It’s mostly about knowing more about yourself and having the ability to pinpoint who you are and who you want to be. Consider these questions: Who do you want to be in the future? What do you want to do? What should have you achieved? What do you want to see as you look into the future? The answers to these questions will be the basis of your plan. When making it, you will discover your ambitions, vision, and values of the future. The plan is where it all starts and where you discover who you really are.
• It helps you develop long-term goals After you have discovered the visions you have for the future and the ambitions that go with it, you can know determine the long-term goals you will need to bring you there. These goals help shape your vision of the future. Long-term goals form the basis in reaching the vision of the future that you have established in your process of self-discovery. These are the charts that serve as guides to your end goal one step at a time.

Make sure that the long-term goals you set are all realistic, attainable, and specific. You should also have the ability to measure them so you can use them as markers as to how you move forward. This plan figures out what you want exactly.

5 Year Career Plan Templates

How do you write a 5-year career plan?

Do you have a career goal in mind? Maybe you’re too apprehensive as making one is a daunting task. On the contrary, it isn’t that hard. Here are a few easy steps for making your 5 year career plan template:

• Think about your career goals and list them down The first thing you need to do is to make an assessment of your professional life and determine the things that you want to achieve. Consider where you want to be in the five year’s time. Write all the things that you know you’re good at and the things you enjoy doing. What part of your work gives you the most enjoyment? What parts do you have the greatest interest in? You can easily move forward in your career if you find a role that seems interesting or one that you find enjoyable.
• Make a list of your skills that can help you achieve your career goals You know the skills, experiences, and abilities that you currently possess. Make an assessment of these traits and whether or not they can help you achieve the career goals you’ve set. For instance, you have a great interest in becoming a graphic designer but there are some types of software you cannot use. This means you need training if you want to reach your goals. Be very honest with yourself regarding your current skills and the skills that you should learn in order to advance. You should have a plan on how to gain knowledge that will help you achieve your goals . When writing the plan, incorporate the training and education needed to develop the necessary skills for your advancement.
• Break your goals down into smaller, more achievable goals After gathering all the data for your 5-year plan template, you can now start writing down your plan. When looking at a 5-year plan in its entirety, it may seem to be out of reach. What you can do is break things down into simpler steps that are more achievable. This helps you see more clearly how much progress you’ve made and, in turn, keeps you motivated.
• Actively seek out opportunities Now that you’ve finished your plan, you can start searching for opportunities where you can gain experience. Generally, there are two ways you can do this: Look for opportunities within your company Don’t be afraid to talk to your employer about any skills that you want to learn or improve and find ways where you can gain relevant and specific experiences. Look for opportunities in other companies If you feel you are not receiving the support you require or the opportunities aren’t available to you, maybe it is time to search for other opportunities in different organizations.
• Keep going back to your 5-year plan If you want to succeed in achieving your goals, regularly review your progress. Sit down and review your plan to make sure that you’re on track in achieving both your minor goals and your 5-year goal. It can also be a time to make adjustments, especially if your career has taken you to unexpected places. If you feel you’re not making any progress on your intended goals, try finding out why. Do not hesitate to ask your colleagues and friends for feedback or arrange a meeting with your employer to find out what else you can do to work towards your long-term goals.

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5 Year Business Plan

Where do you see your business five years from now? This is often the question that is asked when you want to assess how good your business is now and how well it will be in the next five years. It is a common question among companies and business owners, to see to it that their business or company will be a success within the allotted time. Looking from the outside in, it will look impossible without a plan. This is where a 5-year business plan comes to play. Check out the example templates of a 5-year business plan now.

10+ 5 Year Business Plan Examples

1. 5 year business plan template.

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2. 5 Year Business Plan and Budget

3. 5 Year Business Plan in PDF

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4. Vision for 5 Year Business Plan

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5. 5 Year Business Strategic Plan

Size: 449 KB

6. 5 Year Business Plan Overview and Progress

Size: 432 KB

7. Printable 5 Year Business Plan

Size: 405 KB

8. Draft 5 Year Business Plan

9. Standard 5 Year Business Plan

Size: 102 KB

10. General 5 Year Business Plan

11. 5 Year Strategic Business Plan

Size: 696 KB

What Is a 5-Year Business Plan?

A five-year business plan is a plan that focuses on the future of your business. This strategic action plan is catered to how you want your business to succeed more positively. In addition, a five-year business plan shows companies or businesses the better path or road to take to avoid any roadblocks or risks that could harm the growth of the company. In addition, the factors that make a five-year business plan a success is also how and what you add to it. Strategies that you will use for your business plan should suffice a five-year route.

How to Write a Five-Year Business Plan

To make an effective five-year business plan, it needs to have a complete set of strategies and important details that helps your business plan. A goal and an executive summary are the most common things in a business plan . Here are four simple steps to follow to make an effective five-year business plan.

Step 1: Create Your Executive Summary

A brief executive summary should be about the basics of your business. It includes the current status of your business. What to expect within the five-year time. In addition, the basic strategies you plan to make to reach the mark or your goal for the business plan.

Step 2: Add a SWOT Analysis

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Add  a SWOT analysis  to your business plan.  The SWOT analysis  gives you a better view of the strengths and opportunities you can grasp to make your business grow and the weaknesses and threats you can address.

Step 3: Include Strategies That Benefit Your Business Plan

Strategies must benefit your business plan and help make your business or the company grow. It is best to seek out solutions that will solve all roadblocks and help avoid any risks. In addition, avoid writing a single strategy , rather, have as much as three to five. As every strategy works differently in areas of your business.

Step 4: Get To Know Your Target Clients

To get the best out of your business plan, get to know your target clients for your company or your business. How you run your business or your company will also matter as to who your target clients are. This is the kind of marketing strategy you need to add and think about.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a strategic action plan that caters to and focuses on the strategies made for a business. Business plans vary from the type of business or company you plan to set up, to the strategies you need to avoid risks and roadblocks. Companies and businesses use business plans to help them grow their business and to gain a fruitful outcome from it.

What are the types of business plans?

There are a lot of types of business plans. The ones listed below are just the common types of business plans that you should be interested in knowing.

• Vending machine business plan
• Event planning business plan
• Solid business plan
• Start-up business plan
• Clothing business plan

What are the elements of a business plan?

The elements of a business plan can range on the kind of business plan you will make. But the most common elements of a business plan are as follows:

• Executive summary
• Goals and objectives
• Vision and Mission statements

Where do you see your business within five years from now? Do you see a successful company that competes with the biggest brands in business or do you see yourself struggling to make it to the top? The answer to this question will depend on one thing. A business plan. To make sure that you end on a successful note, don’t forget to make a five-year business plan. Download any of the example templates you found above and follow the simple steps to creating your business plan.

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5 Year Strategic Plan Template

Download this 5 Year Strategic Plan Template Design in Word, Google Docs, PDF, Apple Pages Format. Easily Editable, Printable, Downloadable.

Track your progress without difficulty with the help of Template.net's 5 Year Strategic Plan Template. Our Template is Designed in Collaboration with Industry Experts to ensure your strategy plan aligns with your organizational goals. Edit the Document's Elements and Add your Team's Images in our Online Editor. Download the Document in the Format of your Choice and Print it out or Share it via Email with your Managers, Stakeholders, and Business Partners.

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