Why every business needs a master plan

Four out of five executives make decisions based on gut feelings. I was taken aback when I recently read the results of a new study. In our personal lives, we sometimes rely on intuition too—but fortunately not for major endeavors like thoroughly renovating a house. Nobody undertakes such a project without a skilled architect and a solid plan. The same principle applies in business: decisions should be well-informed and align with a thoughtful strategy. That’s where a specialist comes in to draft a plan.

This is particularly true for IT decisions, where technological choices are hard to undo once made. A master plan, which outlines a future technological landscape combined with optimized processes, is essential for every business. Just like building a house, it requires a holistic approach—preserving what’s still useful and implementing a structured methodology to achieve specific goals.

What is a master plan?

A master plan is a blueprint for selecting and integrating processes and systems—both internal and external, as businesses are interconnected with suppliers and customers—now and in the future. It’s similar to the plan your architect creates for a renovation: they translate your vision into a concrete, feasible plan that will benefit you for years to come. Without a solid vision and plan, you risk ending up with a disorganized patchwork.

For example, replacing an outdated ERP system is like renovating a house. If you simply migrate based on intuition, you miss out on optimization opportunities and risk locking yourself into poor decisions. Conversely, thorough research into which ERP system aligns with your optimized processes results in a more future-proof implementation.

Does your organization need a master plan?

Consider answering the following questions for your organization:

Do you have a clear overview of all IT systems and processes?
How well are your current IT systems prepared for future growth?
Are there areas where IT and business processes feel misaligned?
- What bottlenecks are slowing your organization down?
- Do you have a clear understanding of the most significant opportunities for improvement in processes and IT?
How do you prioritize IT initiatives?
- How do you determine which investments or optimizations yield the most value?
How often do projects run over schedule or fail to meet expectations?
- How do you ensure these projects have the right scope and are executed effectively?
How do you prevent quick fixes from leading to higher costs and complexity in the long run?

If answering these questions makes you uneasy, it might be time for a master plan.

Bridging strategy and implementation

A master plan bridges your strategic goals with the technical and organizational implementations needed to achieve them. Every business has ongoing IT projects alongside others on the to-do list. A master plan ensures consistency among projects, prevents conflicts, and sets the right priorities.

Benefits of a master plan

A master plan outlines both the future technological landscape and optimized business processes, ensuring integration between business and IT to advance organizational goals. Long-term planning with clear priorities allows businesses to make proactive decisions, streamline processes, and reduce IT solution complexity.

While creating a master plan requires upfront investment in time, it pays off by delivering a comprehensive, long-term strategy. It accounts for growth, scalability, and changing conditions—advantages that quick fixes can’t provide.

A master plan also saves costs. By aligning all projects and preemptively identifying the best solutions for your needs, you avoid redundancy and reduce integration costs. Think of a renovation: without a good plan, you might need to redo parts of the project later because it doesn’t meet your needs.

Additionally, a master plan minimizes risks. By carefully planning and documenting in advance, you make fewer mistakes.

What does a master plan include?

A master plan covers various elements, including:

Business architecture: organizational objectives, structure, and processes.
Technology plan: required software applications and their integrations.

When ACOMPANY assists in creating a master plan, we review existing software to maximize reuse. Our approach follows the “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” principle. For example, we recently saved a company significant costs by advising against a new ERP system, as they already had excellent planning software. Instead, we recommended adding a CRM system to maximize value based on a ‘best of breed’ strategy.

A roadmap is a core component of a master plan. It’s a detailed timeline with milestones for realizing the vision, combining technological implementations, process improvements, and organizational optimizations with clear priorities. From day one, the roadmap ensures transparency and helps allocate budgets appropriately.

How to create a master plan?

Some companies attempt to create a master plan independently. However, it’s a specialized skill best guided by experts. Agencies like ACOMPANY bring extensive experience across industries and deep knowledge of the technology market, allowing for focused, cost-effective solutions.

We begin with workshops to understand your situation, define ambitions, and identify processes and pain points across departments. Based on this input, we develop scenarios with technical solutions and potential budgets, leveraging our expertise to make accurate projections.

Depending on complexity, a master plan can be ready in one to two months, requiring minimal time from the client.

By collaborating with a specialized partner like ACOMPANY, businesses gain access to valuable expertise and insights. A master plan is not a luxury—it’s a strategic tool for operating faster, smarter, and stronger.