FREE Business Development Plan Template
Master business development plan timelines with our intuitive business development plan Gantt chart template.
Start with template
Why use our Business Development Plan Template instead of Excel or Google Sheets?
Get started with our Business Development Plan Template in seconds while skipping the hassle involved with Excel or Google Sheets.
Build Gantt charts in minutes, not hours.
No project management experience? No problem. Tom's Planner offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface that's intuitive and easy to learn. Creating Gantt charts is a breeze, saving you time and effort. Compare that to the time-consuming, frustrating, manual formatting-intensive process of building a Gantt chart in Excel or Google Sheets.
Move at the pace of modern business with no learning curve or Googling formulas.
Good luck figuring out how to make a Gantt chart work in Excel or Google Sheets. Excel’s user manual weighs in at a hefty 500+ pages. It takes just five minutes with Tom’s Planner to start planning your first real project plan.
Headache-free collaboration and sharing.
Tom's Planner offers powerful options for sharing and collaborating on Gantt charts, including public links, PDF exports, and team access with customizable permission levels. It’s never been easier to communicate or ensure everyone’s on the same page. Compare that to Excel, where sharing and collaboration mean jumping through hoop after hoop and dealing with confusion and chaos.
How to use Tom’s Planner’s business development plan template to build and share your business development plan.
Getting your project off the ground is as easy as 1-2-3.
Step #1
Click the 'start with template’ button to open the Business Development Plan Template.
Step #2
Register for a free account and watch a short video on using Tom’s Planner. The account is free forever, with no strings attached.
Step #3
You’re all set to use the Gantt chart template. Need additional help? Our AI assistant can create a custom Gantt chart Business Development Plan Template based on your project description.
What Is a Business Development Plan?
A business development planning template is a skeleton or framework as much as it’s a statement of what you’re hoping
to build. Don’t confuse this with a business plan. That’s a different document and it’s just as important.
Your business development template helps you identify things like opportunities, as well as set goals and
create strategies that will help you expand your business. It’s a key to achieving smart growth, rather than growth
for growth’s sake.
Whether you’re working on a business development strategy template or refining a
business development action plan, this document will help you connect the dots between where you are and where you
want to be. If you’ve never created a business development plan, don’t worry. This guide will explain what it is, who
should use it, and more.
Gantt Charts Improve Your Strategy
Your business development strategic plan can include Word documents, Excel sheets, Google Sheets and Docs, and more. A good template business development plan should also include a Gantt chart. Tom’s Planner’s offering lets you:
- Assign tasks and then follow along with completion
- Allocate and manage resources
- Create a visual timeline
A Gantt chart is an important part of your overall development plan and will play a central role in helping you achieve your goals.
When to Use This Free Editable Business Development Plan Template
Knowing when to use a business development plan template can make all the difference in the results you see. Here are three scenarios where this template can help:
Launching a New Product or Service
If you have an established business but are launching a new product or service, it’s easy for things to get out of hand. You can control the process better when you have a strategy beforehand. Business development plan examples help you map out your target market, strategy, and resources.
Expanding into New Markets
Thinking about taking your business into a new area? Whether that’s another region, another country, or a brand-new industry, it presents some pretty serious challenges. A business development plan outline helps you plan how to break into that new market, how you’ll compete, and how you’ll reach new customers.
Scaling Your Business
While your business will grow organically, strategic growth is always better. It’s the only way to make sure that your growth is sustainable and not flash-in-the-pan success. To scale your company, use a business development plan template to outline the steps you’ll need to grow without compromising quality.
With this template, you can confidently tackle these challenges while staying organized and on track.
Who Should Use Tom’s Planner’s Business Development Plan Template?
This template isn’t just for CEOs. It’s for anyone involved in driving business growth. Here’s who can benefit:
Entrepreneurs
Starting a new business from the ground up? Use business development plan templates to help you craft a clear, actionable strategy for your startup.
Sales and Marketing Teams
Using a business development strategy template free can help those who aren’t in the driver’s seat. Marketing and sales professionals can outline their strategies using a template so that their efforts connect with broader business goals.
Consultants and Advisors
Helping business owners, founders, CEOs, and decision-makers achieve success can be challenging. You can use a business development plan template to give your clients a professional, structured plan.
No matter your role, this template helps make sure your efforts are focused and effective.
Start with templateTop Three Pitfalls to Avoid When Creating a Business Development Plan
Even with the best of intentions and the clearest vision of what you want to achieve, it’s easy to get off track. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Setting Vague Goals
Without clear goals, your business is going nowhere. Vague goals make it impossible to track progress and lead to many other problems.
Solution: Avoid setting goals that are too broad or undefined.
- Overcomplicating the Process
It’s pretty easy to get caught up in the planning process. Before you know it, you’re hip-deep in a plan that would do Agatha Christie proud.
Solution: Keep your plan simple and focused.
- Ignoring Metrics
How do you know if you’re making progress? What does success actually look like? If you don’t use metrics to guide your process, you’ll never know.
Solution: Without measurable outcomes, it’s hard to track progress.
By avoiding these pitfalls, you’ll create a plan that’s both actionable and achievable.
What Does This Free Business Development Plan Template Include?
Our business development plan template is designed to cover all the bases. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Executive Summary
Your plan for business development should include a high-level overview of your plan that provides important details at a glance.
- Goals and Objectives
The best business development plan examples all have clear, measurable outcomes that you can use to gauge progress and measure success.
- Market Analysis
A strategic business development plan sample should include insights into opportunities and challenges that will affect your process so that you can avoid them.
- Action Plan
Your business development plans template should feature step-by-step tasks to achieve your goals that help you get from where you are to where you want to be.
- Timeline
A Gantt chart gives you a direct look at your project’s progress, ranging from task completion to resource use, and should be a big part of any sample business development plans you’re using.
- Key Metrics
Use important metrics to inform your sample business development plan PDF and then move your plan forward.
Each section is designed to guide you through the process, making planning straightforward and stress-free.
Four tips on how to make sure you reach your deadlines
It’s important to make sure you’re prepared before you start writing your business development plan. Part of that is strategy development, but there’s a lot more to it. Use the four tips below to help you create the most effective plan:
Start with Research
Understand your market, competitors, and audience before diving in. Don’t rush this process, either. It’s easy to get a glimpse of the landscape and assume that you’ve got all the information you need, but that’s often not the case. Due diligence here will pay off down the road.
Set SMART Goals
Goal setting is an important part of writing a business development plan. The problem is that not all goals are created equal. SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) are strategic, specific, and tied directly to both your business growth and capabilities.
Focus on Flexibility
When was the last time something went perfectly to plan? The unexpected happens, and if you’re not prepared, it can throw a wrench in the works. Be ready to adjust your plan as circumstances change.
Involve Your Team
You’re not alone in this process. You have people with specific strengths and capabilities who can help, but that only works if you actively seek their assistance. Get their input wherever possible, whether that’s the feasibility of a new product or service, or whether the business should expand. Collaboration leads to stronger, more effective strategies.
FAQ
How to customize this template for a business development plan?
To customize business development plan templates, tailor them to your industry, target audience, and goals. Replace generic examples with specific ones, adjust sections to fit your business model, and ensure alignment with your growth strategy. Personalization makes the plan actionable and relevant.
What is the best format for a business development template?
Wondering how to write a business development plan? The best format for a business development template is clear, structured, and easy to follow. Use sections for goals, strategies, timelines, resources, and metrics. Include visuals like charts or tables for clarity and emphasize actionable steps to ensure practicality.
What are focus areas for a business development plan?
Key focus areas for a business development plan include identifying target markets, building strategic partnerships, creating revenue streams, and optimizing operations.
What are the 7 sections of a business plan?
The 7 sections of a business plan are: executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization and management, service or product line, marketing and sales strategy, and financial projections.
Gantt charts in Tom's Planner vs in Excel
| Excel | Tom's Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | License required | Free version available |
| Learning curve | Hours | Minutes |
| Create your first Gantt chart | Hours | Minutes |
| Making an update in your chart | Several minutes | Seconds (drag & drop) |
| Sharing charts with others | At some point you will save and email a file titled: version_4_def_usethisversion_reallyfinal.xlsx | Online, one source of truth, always up to date, with no confusion |
| Look & Feel | Messy | Clean, polished and professional |
| Dependencies | 
|
|
| Filtering | 
|
|
| Zoom in/out |
|
|
| Automatic Legend |
|
|
| AI-assist |
|
Let our AI assist do the work for you |
| Export to image or pdf | Requires workarounds to export | One mouse click |
Related Gantt chart templates
Startups
Product Development Template
Master product development project plan timelines with our intuitive product development Gantt chart template.
Business Development
Product Roadmap Template
Master product roadmap timelines with our intuitive product roadmap Gantt chart template.
Business Development
Business Roadmap Template
Master business roadmap timelines with our intuitive business roadmap Gantt chart template.
Join 127,385 customers and have your first Gantt chart live today!
The free Personal account allows for only one chart. Professional and
Unlimited accounts, allow for multiple charts and allow you to print, export and share your charts
online. For more details click here.