In the world of software development, managing change is a solved problem. We have Git. It provides a single source of truth, a complete history of every modification, and a collaborative workflow for proposing and approving changes. We wouldn't dream of building mission-critical software by passing around feature_v2_final_final_3.zip via email.
So why do we still manage our most mission-critical document—our company's strategic plan—that way?
Traditional strategic planning often lives in static spreadsheets, slide decks, and documents. These artifacts are disconnected from the daily work, quickly become outdated, and lack a clear history of why a particular goal was changed or a target was adjusted.
What if we could apply the same rigor, transparency, and automation of software development to our business strategy? What if your entire company plan could be defined, reviewed, and deployed with a git push?
This is the core idea behind Business Planning as Code, a revolutionary approach that transforms your strategy from a static document into a dynamic, executable asset.
Before diving into the solution, let's acknowledge the familiar friction points of traditional planning:
Imagine managing your strategic plan inside a Git repository. This isn't just about storing a file; it's about adopting a superior workflow.
When a team leader wants to propose a new objective for the next quarter, they don't send an email. Instead, they:
Now, leadership and other stakeholders can review the proposed change, comment directly on the lines that define the objective and its key results, and discuss its implications before it's merged into the main branch and becomes official.
With git log, you have an immutable, chronological record of your strategy's evolution. You can see exactly when a target was raised, who committed the change, and the reasoning behind it. The "why" is no longer lost.
Want to model two possible paths for the next year? No problem. Create branches like strategy/aggressive-growth and strategy/focus-on-profitability. You can develop both scenarios in parallel and compare the diffs before making a final decision and merging the chosen path.
This all sounds great in theory, but Git is for managing text files. How do you make a text file do something? How do you connect it to the real world?
This is where an API-first platform like Plans.do becomes the engine for your strategy. You use Git to manage the definition of your plan, and the Plans.do API to make it executable.
Here's how a plan definition might look in your repository:
import { plans } from '@do/sdk';
const newPlan = await plans.create({
name: "Q4 2025 Expansion Plan",
description: "Expand into the European market and increase user base by 20%.",
type: "OKR",
goals: [
{
objective: "Achieve 50,000 new users in EU",
keyResults: [
{ metric: "New User Signups", startValue: 0, targetValue: 50000 },
{ metric: "Website Traffic (EU)", startValue: 0, targetValue: 200000 }
]
},
{
objective: "Establish Local Partnerships",
keyResults: [
{ metric: "Signed Partner Agreements", startValue: 0, targetValue: 5 }
]
}
]
});
console.log(newPlan.id);
// pln_1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h
Here's the magic. You set up a simple CI/CD pipeline (using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.) that triggers on a push to your main branch.
Once your plan lives in Plans.do, you can use integrations and webhooks to:
Your strategy is no longer a document you read; it's an automated system that works for you. The loop is closed. A git push truly leads to a goal being met, tracked, and reported on, all automatically.
Ready to stop managing strategy and start executing it? Explore the Plans.do API and bring the power of version control and automation to your company's most important goals.
Q: What is Plans.do?
A: Plans.do is an API-first platform that lets you define, manage, and track your strategic business plans as code. It allows for the automation of goal setting, progress tracking, and reporting by integrating planning directly into your software and business systems.
Q: How does 'Business-as-Code' apply to strategic planning?
A: By treating your strategic plans as code, you can version control them (e.g., in Git), automate their creation and updates via API, and trigger actions in other systems when milestones are reached. This brings the reliability, scalability, and automation of software development to your business strategy.
Q: What kind of planning frameworks can I implement?
A: Our flexible API is framework-agnostic. You can easily model Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), V2MOM (Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, Measures), Balanced Scorecards, or any custom planning methodology your organization uses.
Q: Can I integrate Plans.do with other tools?
A: Absolutely. Plans.do is designed for integration. Use our webhooks and API to connect with your project management tools (like Jira or Asana), communication platforms (like Slack), and business intelligence dashboards (like Tableau) to create a fully synchronized planning ecosystem.