What is the ideal page length of a business plan? Well, what is the length of a piece of string? The answer really depends on the purpose and scope of the plan - are we talking about a basic or comprehensive plan.

Analysis of findings from an ongoing survey about business plans by PlanWare indicates that the main parts (i.e. the body of plan excluding appendices etc.) of many basic plans are under ten pages long whereas comprehensive plans are often 10-25 pages long. More specifically, the analysis found that almost half of all comprehensive plans were at least 26 pages long as compared with just one-tenth of basic plans (see Fig 3 below).

When budgeting your plan's length, go for the shortest possible plan consistent with your business's scale, objective of the plan etc. - aim for quality rather than quantity! Bear in mind that the overall length of the plan is likely to increase as writing progresses. If your plan gets too long, do some ruthless editing and redrafting. If it is any consolation, it should be much easier to shorten a long plan than to lengthen a short one!

Based on the suggested section lengths in our Business Plan Guide, the length of a comprehensive plan could range between 27 to 47 pages (excluding cover, contents list and appendices). This works out at a minimum of about two pages for each main section within the plan. Obviously, this length should be scaled back to about ten pages or so for a new or established business (of almost any size) preparing a basic plan by excluding sections and scaling back the length of remaining sections.

Twelve things to do when writing your business plan:

1. Create a framework for the plan e.g. table of contents.
2. Identify possible appendices, attachments etc.
3. Estimate page lengths for each key section.
4. List main issues and topics to be covered within key sections.
5. Assign work programs based on the framework and lists.
6. Draft all key sections in a logical sequence.
7. Check the preliminary draft for completeness and plug gaps.
8. Stand back and take a detached overview of the draft.
9. Let an outsider or adviser critique the latest draft.
10. Redraft, fine tune and spell check.
11. Write the executive summary and plan's conclusion.
12. Get an independent assessment of the final draft.

Before any detailed work commences on writing a comprehensive business plan, you should:

• Clearly define the target audience
• Determine its requirements in relation to the contents and levels of detail
• Map out the plan's structure (contents page)
• Decide on the likely length of the plan
• Identify all the main issues to be addressed.

Shortcomings in the concept and gaps in supporting evidence and proposals need to be clearly identified. This will facilitate an assessment of research to be undertaken before any drafting commences.

Bear in mind that a business plan should be the end result of a careful and extensive research and development project which must be completed before any serious writing of a plan should be started. Under no circumstances should you start writing a plan before all the key issues have been crystallized and addressed.

For more tips and suggestions, check the white paper on Writing a Business Plan and Free-Plan our free 150-page Business Plan Guide and Template (Word format). Also, refer to the 30-point Checklist for Preparing a Business Plan.