An annual plan is an itinerary for business activities for the next calendar year. It conveys the goals of the organization and outlines actions that employees can take to reach those goals. The purpose of an annual plan is to ensure professionals share an understanding of their employer's expectations.

What Is a Yearly Plan? Whether it's a list of activities for the benefit of an institution such as that in school, preschool, kindergarten, or nursery, an annual plan is generally meant to be updated and conform to the standard operations. A yearly plan, in its broader sense, primarily aims to direct the organization to its growth.

An annual business plan is a work plan that outlines the goals, resources and operations a company will execute in a 1-year period. It usually includes an annual budget, project deadlines, roles and responsibilities. In other words, the annual plan acts as a roadmap for the organization and aligns internal teams to the yearly business goals.

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.

Annual planning is the act of developing a strategy for the upcoming year based on the learnings from the current year’s performance. This provides an opportunity for your team to iterate on the strategy from the past year and incorporate those learnings into your upcoming plans. In essence, your annual plan should contain: