Business plan
Overview
The final project for this course is a business plan for an interscholastic athletic department (high school or college) that includes a major change in the current organization. For example, a business plan might propose moving an institution from NCAA Division II to Division I.
Based on the knowledge obtained in this course and previous coursework, you will examine how the areas of management, planning, organization, administration, human resources, finance, and governance would be affected by the organization's proposed major change.
This business plan should become part of your professional portfolio. You may use it in future interviews to demonstrate the quality of work of which you are capable.
Main Elements
Your business plan will have the following elements:
Introduction
o School's mission statement, philosophy, and goals
o History of the school, including past successes and failures with relation to athletics and/or athletic department
o Proposed major change
o Reasoning for proposed change and goals it would achieve for the school
Analysis of Current State of Athletic Department
o Details of current management, operations, and administration (organization chart)
o Details of current financial situation
Projections for Athletic Department
o Plan for success in going forward with proposed major change, including plans for management, operations, administration, human resources, and finance
o Potential issues or hazards to prepare for
o Impact of school's governing body on proposed change
Format
Milestone One: Business Plan Outline
In 6-3 Final Project: Milestone One, you will submit a detailed business plan outline for your selected interscholastic athletic department. You do not have to fully address all of main elements when you submit Milestone One. Your outline should be a minimum of three pages. This submission is for instructor feedback and is not graded separately. It will affect your project grade under the Milestone Submission critical element. If you have questions or need guidance from your instructor on some of these points, make sure to include targeted questions within your Milestone One submission.
Milestone Two: Business Plan
In 10-2 Final Project: Submit Business Plan, you will submit the final version of your business plan, containing all of the main elements. The plan should be 10-15 pages, not including title page or references. This milestone will be graded using the Rubric on the following page.