The planning process needs to be managed well and involve the people who hold important roles in the business - or who provide important business advice to the business. For some very small businesses, the owner/operator may be the sole person to develop the e-business plan. But whether it is developed by one person or a team, the goal is to produce an e-business plan document and to implement a practical schedule for reviewing and updating it.

Managing the planning process is not difficult, but it does require a disciplined approach.

What to do

The person responsible for delivering the plan should establish:

• who should be involved in the process - eg micro-businesses might have the owner and the accountant, larger organisations may have people from management, accounts, marketing, sales, technical, operations and possibly external advisors
• the responsibilities of the planning team
• what the plan is to include
• what background research is required in order to produce the plan
• the time-frame for delivering the plan
• an internal communications plan to keep everyone informed about the plan
• when and how the plan will be reviewed and updated

The other sections in Planning will help you identify what you need to know and provide important information and resources on which to base your e-business plan.

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