Business plan assessment criteria

No.
1.

Criterion
Overall readability
Language is concise
Each section stands on its own and clearly defines and satisfies its
objective
Facts are supported with sufficient documentation
Conclusions drawn from facts are reasonable
Contents are supported with sufficient charts and graphs

2.

5.

1p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
4p.
1p.
1p.

Executive summary

7p.
2p.
2p.
1p.
2p.
18p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
5p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
1p.
7p.
2p.
2p.

Products/services

Management and organization

It explains the legal form of business
It lists key management positions, including primary job responsibilities
It documents the process of recruiting and selecting employees
It clarifies the compensation and employee reward systems
It establishes credibility of the management team

8.

7p.

Cover page contains name of business

Cover page contains companys and entrepreneurs name, address,
phone no., email and web address
Cover page contains company logo
Page numbers in table of contents correspond correctly

It describes product/service in plain English, not too technical

It describes product/service in specific terms, not too broad
It proves evidence that the product/service is technologically feasible
It identifies unique features
It identifies special benefits
It wholly explains product/service limitations and potential solutions
It identifies production process and facility plans
It provides backup suppliers and subcontractors
It anticipates future related products/services and spin-offs
It describes the way intellectual property will be created and protected
It lists requirements from regulatory agencies

7.

1p.
1p.
1p.

Cover page / Table of contents

It does not exceed 3 pages and wholly describes the new business
It describes the unique features and benefits of the new business
It identifies management team and supporting infrastructure
It explains the opportunities found within the industry

6.

3p.

Overall formatting
Font choice is readable
Spacing between lines is sufficient
Plan contains heading and subheadings
Formatting on headings and subheadings is consistent
Plan includes page numbers
Formatting on page numbers is consistent
Plain contains enough white space for readability

4.

2p.
1p.
2p.

Overall spelling/grammar/Math
Spelling is correct
Grammar is clean
Math is error-free

3.

Total
points
7p.
1p.
1p.

Marketing plan - industry profile

It focuses on current size and growth potential of the industry
It discusses industry trends and opportunities associated with each

1p.
1p.

Business plan points

Evaluator 1

Evaluator 2

9.

It addresses geographic locations, seasonality and industry profit

characteristics
It identifies existing distribution networks

2p.

Marketing plan competitive analysis

6p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
12p.
2p.
2p.
1p.
2p.

It identifies direct, indirect and future competition

It contains matrix to illustrate competitive position in marketplace
It describes competitive advantage

10.

Marketing plan marketing analysis and penetration

It contains customer profile
It contains target markets
It fully illustrates the image of the company
It describes plan to reach the market, including customer service,
location, sales force, licensing and distributing
It addresses plans for advertising and promotion
It includes plans for marketing through technology, including the Internet
It discusses other penetration strategies, including publicity,
telemarketing/direct mail and trade shows
It describes plans for evaluating market penetration effectiveness

11.

12.

1p.
1p.
2p.
1p.

Marketing plan - pricing

5p.

It addresses pricing strategy

It contains pricing information
It includes volume and special pricing information
Salaries and other benefits are in line with industry standards or
entrepreneurs goal

2p.
1p.
1p.
1p.

Financial plan

14p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
2p.
5p.
5p.

Start-up costs appear to be reasonable

Sales and income projections appear to be reasonable
It includes break-even analysis
Cash requirements are clearly identified
Sources of debt or equity financing are appropriately identified
Exit strategy is clearly defined
Financial statements have been included.

13.

1p.

Appendix
It contains documents such as CVs of management team, legal
agreements between partners and distributors, marketing materials,
industry studies, detailed descriptions of high-tech products etc.

TOTAL

100p.