The Plan 2027 kit
Plan next year's portfolio in one place
A free project template with eight sample initiatives and quarterly reviews, a capacity sheet by role and quarter, and a one-page scoring guide. Start from it in Onplana, or download the sheets.
Free to sign up. Then pick Start from a template, show all, and choose Plan 2027. Already on Onplana? Projects, New Project, Template: Plan 2027.
What is in the kit
One project that holds the whole year, so the plan, the scores and the capacity sit side by side instead of in three files.
A plan of eight initiatives
Customer portal, finance upgrade, data platform, security, a new market, automation, an office move and skills, each with its business case, delivery and benefits review.
Quarterly reviews
Portfolio plan approved, then the Q1, Q2, Q3 and year-end reviews, already on the plan as milestones.
Capacity by role and quarter
Five roles across four quarters, capacity against planned demand, with the over-committed quarters marked.
A one-page scoring guide
Five criteria, one formula, and the eight sample initiatives scored, so funding decisions start from the same numbers.
The one-page scoring guide
Score each initiative from 1 to 5 on five criteria, then fund from the top score down until the capacity sheet runs out.
Strategic fit
How directly it serves next year's goals.
Value
The benefit if it lands: revenue, cost or risk avoided.
Urgency
What it costs to wait a year.
Confidence
How well the scope, cost and team are known.
Effort
The size of the work, 5 being the largest.
Score = 2 x Strategic fit + 2 x Value + Urgency + Confidence - Effort, from 1 to 29
Worked example from the sheet: the customer portal refresh scores 2 x 4 + 2 x 5 + 3 + 4 - 3 = 22. When a decision departs from the score, the sheet has a column to say why.
Build it in 10 minutes
The first five steps work on every plan. The last one runs the year as a portfolio.
- 11 min
Create the plan from the template
Projects, New Project, Template: Plan 2027, give it a name, Create. It opens on the new project with all eight initiatives, the quarterly reviews and both lists.
- 22 min
Put your initiatives in
Each initiative is a phase with three steps: the business case, the delivery and the benefits review. Rename the phases to your initiatives, drop the ones you do not have, and move the dates.
- 32 min
Score them
Open the Initiative scoring guide list. Score each initiative from 1 to 5 on the five criteria, work out the score, and set Fund, Fund later, Hold or Stop.
- 42 min
Check the capacity sheet
In Capacity by role and quarter, enter your people and the days each funded initiative needs per role. Where demand is above capacity, move a start or cut scope before the plan is approved.
- 51 min
Agree it with your sponsors
Invite the people who approve the plan and review it at the first milestone, Portfolio plan approved. The Q1, Q2, Q3 and year-end reviews are already on the plan.
- 6Business and above · 2 min
Run the year as a portfolio
On Business, give each funded initiative its own project and group them in a portfolio, which rolls up health (RAG) and budget across them.
Download the sheets
The same rows the template creates, as CSV for any spreadsheet. Each imports back into a List in Onplana.
Questions
Frequently asked
Which plans can use the Plan 2027 template?
Every plan, Free included. It is a built-in template, so it is in the New Project dialog the moment you sign in.
Does it create a portfolio?
No. It creates one project that holds all eight initiatives, with its two lists. Portfolios are on Business and above; there, you can give each funded initiative its own project and group them in one.
Can I use the scoring guide and the capacity sheet without Onplana?
Yes. Download either one as a CSV and open it in any spreadsheet. Each also imports back into a List in Onplana on any plan.
What about planning by person rather than by role?
The capacity sheet plans by role. Per-person weekly capacity against what each person is allocated is resource capacity planning, on Professional and above.
Can I compare two versions of the portfolio?
What-if scenarios across a portfolio, adding or removing projects and comparing budget and timeline, are scenario planning, on Enterprise.
When does the plan start?
On the day you create it. The first steps fall in the weeks before the year starts, so the plan can be approved in time, and every date moves when you edit it.
Start next year's plan today
Free to sign up, and the template is on every plan.