CREATING AN OUTLINE DOCUMENT 35
Definitions
You must work from the realistic pretext that not everyone knows your business as well as
you do. Acronyms, jargon and unfamiliar terms should be defined in a glossary. It is not a
bad idea to put it here, right at the beginning of the main body of the document. Readers
might skip over it but they will discover it early – assuming that they read the report from
front to back – and can refer to it as necessary. Add to this section each time that you use
a term that needs defining.
Look at the readership from all angles. Certainly, it should be considered that bankers
will not understand manufacturing terminology and production managers will not be
familiar with financial buzz words. Or is it the other way around? Treat your readers as sen-
sible and competent – blissfully ignorant of anything outside of their tight specialisation
but eager to learn. If in any doubt, include rather than exclude a definition. Remember
that there are financiers who do not understand derivatives, information technologists
who do not know about TCP/IP (see below) and scientists who do not know how to tie
their own shoelaces.
Do not rely solely on the definitions section. When you are writing the main document
(and especially the executive summary) define an acronym or specialist term when it is
first encountered and anywhere else where it might be read in isolation. Save your read-
ers effort, help them understand your message and you will be well rewarded.
While thinking about definitions it is convenient to mention the need for consistency.
Try to use terminology consistently throughout the document. If you refer to the sales
department, do not call it the sales division elsewhere. If you refer to measurements stick
with metric, imperial, or whatever is appropriate for your readership. If necessary, include
conversions. A report written in Europe specifying distances in kilometres would sensibly
include equivalents in miles if it might also be read in America.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
TCP/IP is transmission control protocol/internet protocol – the technical rules
governing the way that information is exchanged over the Internet. I knew that you
would ask, and it was obvious that you would not really want to know. Apart from
anything else, the term demonstrates that computer geeks are every bit as poor at
naming things as accountants and statisticians (see Chapters 7 and 11).
It is interesting, actually. With TCP/IP, messages such as e-mail are broken into
small packets and sent by differing routes. If just one arrives at the destination,
communication has been established and the whole message will eventually be put
together for the recipient. Breaking activities into smaller parts, minimising risks and
providing a failsafe mechanism are useful techniques to copy in business planning.
t
36 CHAPTER 2 A WINNING PRESENTATION
MegaProjects Inc Doc no BP2011.01 30 Oct 2011 ........................................Business Plan
Contents
Contact information ......................................................................... 3
Document control ............................................................................ 3
Professional advisers ...................................................................... 3
Definitions ........................................................................................ 4
Executive Summary ......................................................................... 5
MegaProjects Inc Doc no BP2011.01 30 Oct 2011 Business Plan
Contacts
For further information please contact
Sally McPhearson
Group CEO, MegaProjects Inc
Mega House, 2010 London Road,
Manchester MW12 2DP
Tel: 0161 224 3270
Fax: 0161 224 3275
Document Control
Prepared by: Sally McPhearson
Approved by: Board of Directors
Circulation
Copy 01 Sally McPhearson 1 November 2011
MegaProjects Inc Doc no BP2011.01 30 Oct 2011 Business Plan
Definitions
ABO system A system of four types (A, AB, B, and O) by which
human blood may be classified, based on the
presence or absence of certain inherited antigens.
MegaProjects Inc Doc no BP2011.01 30 Oct 2011 Business Plan
Section 1
Executive Summary
Figure 2.4 Preliminary pages
CREATING AN OUTLINE DOCUMENT 37
BODY OF THE PLAN
The layout for the body of the report was specified when you set up the master page.
The only additional point to consider here is whether you want section dividers – blank
pages before each section that say something like ‘Section Nine. Analysis of Risks’. If you
are aiming for a super-concise report of say 20 pages, omit section dividers and put the
section heading information on the first page of text in each section.
If your report creeps much above 20 pages, use section dividers to break it up and
make it easier to read. You might want to format them so that you can print them on card
or tabbed dividers to help readers jump around the document.
A good way to handle this if you are going to present the business plan in a ring binder is
to print the section heading information vertically on the right-hand edge of the page. You
can then slide these pages into clear plastic file pockets so that they project from the normal
page width and give a clear visual and physical indication of where the sections break.
FINANCIAL TABLES
If you are building a plan with contributions from several departments or business units,
you will want to set up some standard spreadsheets at the outset. This will ensure that
you receive consistent input that can be consolidated with the minimum effort. The con-
tent of these spreadsheets is considered in detail in Chapter 7.
Probably, the financial tables in the main body of the plan will be summaries, with full
details going into the annexes.
ANNEXES
Annex dividers can be formatted in the same way as section dividers discussed in the pre-
vious paragraphs.
You will need to arrive at a format for the financial data that has to go into your business
plan. If you have more than one department head providing you with input, make sure that
you establish a standard spreadsheet for them to complete right at the start of the planning
process. This will ease the consolidation process later. This is considered in Chapter 7.
38 CHAPTER 2 A WINNING PRESENTATION
CONCLUSION
Having worked through this chapter, you should have a standard framework for docu-
menting your first plan. It might not be perfect yet. You will refine it as you go along. But
this preliminary document planning will make subsequent tasks much easier. And, later,
you can delete the body text, change the cover, header and document control page, and
use the result as a master document for all your reports.
‘A man’s success in business today turns upon his power of getting people to believe he
has something that they want.’
GERALD STANLEY LEECROWDS
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