1-Year Plan Template

A one-year plan should be a valuable tool in the back pocket of any project manager, as it has the advantage of covering a clearly delimited, foreseeable period of time. Therefore, one of the preferred formats for the 1-year plan is as a timeline. To save precious time, many project managers create a 1-year timeline template and only update it with new data as it comes along.

What are the benefits of a yearly plan ?

The 1-year timeline can also adapt to cover specific unique opportunities, like purchasing commodities from a competitor who is going out of business at a bargain. In this type of scenario, time is of the essence and you need to secure funding quickly and be able to hire the extra manpower required. The versatility of the annual work plan template allows entrepreneurs to make quick calls without having to change the long-term strategic plans.

Long term planning versus short term planning

One of the key differences between 1 year, 3 year and 5-year plans – or plainly between short- and long-term plans – comes from the way goals and objectives are set. Long range objectives are usually determined according to estimates and projections, which in turn are the results of market research. Conversely, an annual goals template will rely more on actual revenue figures and KPIs, and the 1-year plan will update with your venture’s progress.

Another way to frame this would be to say that a 1-year plan is an assessment for the accuracy of your 3- or 5-year-old plans. More exactly, the annual work plan template can help you determine how accurate the original assumptions of the long-term business plan when matched against real world data. When you plan your year , you should also remember that life – with its unforeseen events – tends to get in the way.

How do you write a yearly plan?

Every business venture has its own profile and their 1-year plan template should reflect that by emphasizing on the important aspects while only skimming over non-essential details. With that in mind, standard sections generally consist of the following:

• Executive summary
• Sales and marketing data
• List and description of services and/or products
• Economic projection
• Funding necessities

Note: Depending on the complexity of the plan or when the 1-year timeline is high level, you may need to add an appendix where your stakeholders can find additional documentation.

Long term planning versus short term planning

One of the key differences between 1-year, 3-year and 5-year plans – or plainly between short- and long-term plans – comes from the way goals and objectives are set. Long range objectives are usually determined according to estimates and projections, which in turn are the results of market research. Conversely, an annual goals template will rely more on actual revenue figures and KPIs, and the 1-year plan will update with your venture’s progress.

Another way to frame this would be to say that a 1-year plan is an assessment for the accuracy of your 3- or 5-year-old plans. More exactly, the annual work plan template can help you determine how accurate the original assumptions of the long-term business plan when matched against real world data. When you plan your year , you should also remember that life – with its unforeseen events – tends to get in the way.

Applications of the 1-year timeline template

The yearly plan is a timeline template that can be utilized for the operations of the entire company or you could have department specific versions, like an annual marketing plan template , an annual development plan template , etc. It all boils down to the particular requirements of the business venture itself.

The format itself is also important. For instance, Office Timeline allows you to create a PowerPoint schedule template with an added benefit: you can also present your plan to stakeholders in a clear and concise manner thanks to the intuitive format of the timeline project visual.

Our 1-year plan example was created with Office Timeline, a powerful yet intuitive timeline maker add-in for PowerPoint. You can download it free of charge and update it in PowerPoint with your company’s specific details. However, a faster and easier way would be to do this automatically with the help of Office Timeline. Give the free version a try or check out the Pro Edition that caters to more complex planning requirements.