Ibis offer a combination of distance learning and in-company seminars for specific aspects of business plan training.
They are designed to be tailored to particular company requirements, though each has a series of common components.
Because they are delivered in-house, they provide a cost effective introduction for key staff to all the vital elements of the development and management of the business plan.
Training within established companies speeds growth and improves profitability.
This one day seminar provides a grounding in the techniques of bottom up planning by describing the methodology involved in the creation and maintenance of departmental monitoring modules. Effective modular planning builds profitability and departmental responsibility for the future development of the business.
The standard seminar outlines the role of combining current achievement levels, benchmarking and target setting in key company areas. These include:
Financial monitoring and ratio analysis
Personnel management
IT management
Product and competitive management
Sales and marketing management
Production/ logistics and service supply
New product development
The course documents include a sample “best practice” plan.
Typical course content:
This is based on the existing business plan standard operating procedure, which is the working document used to create the plan throughout the day. This is sent to participants in advance for preparation.
A fundamental distinction needs to be made between business planning for the established business and business start up planning. The first is focused on operational development – the other on structural. For the established business there are three basic questions:
Where are we?;
Where do we want to go (and when)?;
How do we get there?
Where are we?
Where are we demands and analysis of the environment, both internal and external, with a structure that can identify strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and manage the implications. This means that the first stage in the development of the plan must be to create a organisational framework. A step by step guide is somewhat misleading, as many parts of the analysis will be continuous. However, one can separate out the main elements.
Defining the strategic business unit or part of the organisation for review;
Establish planning horizon and short, medium, long term timescales;
Create planning and business monitoring team;
Project plan and resources required;
Review MIS and information requirements for planning and monitoring;
Identify key performance indicators in each division and set against benchmarking;
Review market drivers within PEST categories to identify appropriate strategic options;
Review competitive environment to identify appropriate strategic options;
Review internal environment – personnel (Seven S is useful), production, finance, product through portfolio analysis
Where do we want to go?
Comparing existing balanced scorecard with requirements at the end of the planning horizon;
Identifying the gap between current and future requirements using qualitative and quantitative forecasting techniques;
Parallel planning for marketing, funding, production/logistics, administration, and manpower;
Identifying the assumptions and risk management and investing in market research where relevant;
Filling the gap with the relevant strategies, focusing on golden circle solutions,
How do we get there?
Setting new objectives including a vision statement if relevant;
Marketing plan;
Production and logistics plan;
Administration plan;
Manpower planning;
Contingency planning;
Finance plan including budgeting;
Cash flow planning;
Funding options;
Source and applications of funds;
Action planning and implementation through project management and management by objectives;
Business monitoring.
What is created at the end of the training session?
The participants will be able to take the standard operating procedure and apply it to their company requirements. Ibis can also assist in the implementation of the new control and review system.
Why Ibis?
The Ibis approach has many advantages over typical business planning. It makes the plan a working document; it builds competences throughout the organisation as it builds up through operational teams.
Created from the linkage of key performance indicators in existing companies, the business plan game has developed as a useful training tool for larger groups within companies and organisations and at a generally lower level of management responsibility.
Start up companies that adopt a systematic approach to planning are much more likely to reduce the time and investment necessary to achieve success.
Ibis start up training is based around the use of Business Plan Pro software, produced by Palo Alto. This is, in our opinion the best method for start up businesses to produce a comprehensive effective plan. We do not take commission on sales of this software. Ibis have created a detailed template that is available to run on Business Plan Pro, which provides the content of a comprehensive business plan.
The advantage of this approach for the start up company is that management write the plan with the self help template and can use Ibis for on-line review and mentoring whenever they require. This both lowers costs while improving plan quality (all research showing that start ups must write their own plans to both understand and promote the content to potential investors and staff).
The training is flexible; it provides support to the start up company when and how they want it.
The introduction to the training can be either on-site to improve overall performance, or at lower cost via the Web.
Typical course content:
Why are you building the plan?
What are vital elements in a start up plan – understanding the importance of structural elements in the start up plan
Investment case summary – understanding what investors are requiring
Understanding project planning
Introducing Business Plan Pro – its advantages for a start up operation
Market estimation and risk
Pricing
Personnel
Production/ logistics or service delivery
Financial management
Monitoring modules
Action plan
What is created at the end of the training session?
The start up company will have the material to complete, for themselves, a detailed plan which meets best practice. The plan will be a working document as it will contain the monitoring components vital for any business plan. Ibis can also mentor plan creation and implementation.
Why Ibis?
Ibis have pioneered the quantitative analysis of start up business plans and developing new approaches to business plan creation;
The Ibis template example provided for use with Business Plan Pro meets current best practice and enables the enterprise to move forward in a structured, cost effective and comprehensive way.
Training in the identification and use of key performance indicators (KPI);
Training in the creation of standard operating procedures (SOP);
Training in the development of a contingency
plan;
Residential courses in France for both established and start up businesses based around the high technology centre at Futurescope.
