University of Southern Queensland | | Document title
1
SVY4309 2022
Assignment 3
Business Plan
University of Southern Queensland |SVY4309 Assignment 3 1
Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Assignment 3 Presentation guidelines …………………………………………………………………… 2
Assignment Value ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Due Date ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Late penalty ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Submission Instructions ………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Equipment required ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Internet & Software………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Assignment brief: To Develop a Business Plan ……………………………………………………….. 4
Assignment Task: Business plan ………………………………………………………………………. 4
1. Introduction to your business plan and industry (15 marks) …………………………………. 5
2. Market Analysis and Plan (50 marks) …………………………………………………………………. 5
3. Competitive Analysis (15 marks) ……………………………………………………………………….. 5
4. Management Plan (75 marks) …………………………………………………………………………… 5
5. Operating Plan (services) (75 marks) …………………………………………………………………. 5
6. Operating Plan (systems) (200 marks) ……………………………………………………………….. 5
7. Financial Plan (60 marks) ………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
8. Conclusion and Summary (10 marks) …………………………………………………………………. 6
Appendix A – Checklist for submission ………………………………………………………………….. 6
University of Southern Queensland |SVY4309 Assignment 3 2
Introduction
There may come a point in your career when you think to yourself that it is time to start working for
yourself. Or perhaps you are asked to work in a team to develop a new arm of the business to take
on different types of projects. Whatever the scenario as you move through your career,
understanding the considerations that need to be taken into account, either as a concept or as a
well-established business is integral to the on-going success of a business for both the employee and
the equity partner. Developing a business plan is the first step to establishing a successful business.
The Assignment comprises elements from all Course learning Outcomes and Study Book Modules
and represents the capstone experience for the course.
Assignment 3 Presentation guidelines
Presentation can influence the marks allocated to an assignment and to each question within that
assignment. Answers should directly address the question and reflect the criteria outlined in the
provided marking rubric.
Please note it is expected that your report will be of professional presentation, and should contain
the following elements as a minimum:
 Cover page
 Contents page
 Page numbers
 Appropriate use of headings
 Numbering of tables and figures
All submissions should identify you via your student number or name and should provide sufficient
evidence for the marker to clearly identify which question is being addressed.
Any published material you refer to should be properly referenced and included in a bibliography or
list of references at the end of your assignment. You should use the Harvard AGPS style of
referencing. See the library website for further details on referencing:
https://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing
Assignment Value
Assignment 3 is a 50% (500 marks) assessment.

University of Southern Queensland |SVY4309 Assignment 3 3

Due Date
The assignment is due 11.55pm AEST 30th May 2022.
Late penalty
As per Section 4.2.4 of the USQ Assessment Procedure. If an Assignment is submitted after the
published deadline without an approved extension of time, the maximum mark will be reduced as a
consequence. The available mark is reduced by 5% (of the original available 250 marks) for each
Calendar Day or part day that the Assignment is late. An Assignment submitted more than one (1)
week after the due date will have a Mark of zero recorded. A zero Mark will be awarded for an
Assessment Item if it is submitted after an approved extension date.
Please refer to the University Procedure for Assessment –
https://policy.usq.edu.au/documents/14749PL
Submission Instructions
 All submissions should be digital and made through the StudyDesk Assignment submission link.
 A submission checklist is included as Appendix A

o SVY4309_A3_[SurnameInitial]_[StudentNumber].xxx
o Where [SurnameInitial] is replaced by your surname and your first initial (eg Chris
McAlister would be McAlisterC); and
o [StudentNumber] is replaced by your 10 digit student number (eg 6001234567)
Equipment required
Internet & Software
You will need internet access to access the relevant software packages (Office 365 or similar) and
assignment resources (StudyDesk).
University of Southern Queensland |SVY4309 Assignment 3 4
Assignment brief: To Develop a Business Plan
Over lunch, one beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon, you and a friend decide to establish a business in
your professional capacity – appropriate social distancing observed of course! Each brings certain
professional skills and registrations to the table, suitable for the type of practice to be established.
You decide that the practice profile would be:
 1 business manager and senior registered professional (equal ownership equity),
 1 operations manager and senior registered professional (equal ownership equity),
 1 graduate,
 1 CAD person,
 1 assistant,
 1 administrative assistant plus casual staff as required.
The owners require a 33.3333% profit margin to costs.
The aim is to research and prepare a financial plan to incorporate into a formal business plan, to be
presented to your bank, with the aim of obtaining funding to establish a professional practice. You
should tabulate information as much as possible with suitable discussion and illustration with
appropriate graphics. You will need to adopt a name and a nominated geographic location where
your business is to be established.
Assignment Task: Business plan
Approx. Word usage: About 5000 paragraphed words? (use tables where appropriate, rather than
verbose statements). The assignment needs to be of sufficient depth and information to address
the objective of persuading a bank manager to fund your entry into the business world. Be
concise, however conciseness is not a bullet-list of 2 word buzzwords/slogans. Last year, the
length varied from 10 pages to 59 pages (single line spacing). The 59 pages was over the top and
the median length was about 22 pages (including TOC, tables, figures and appendices).
You are required to develop a business plan in your discipline of study, using the structure and
marking scheme outlined as follows. Marks will be allocated in blocks of 5 and gradation of marks
will be based upon missing elements/criteria, errors and failing to meet communication benchmarks
expected for a final year report.
University of Southern Queensland |SVY4309 Assignment 3 5
1. Introduction to your business plan and industry (15 marks)
This section should provide an overview of the industry sector that your business will participate,
including industry trends – i.e. a summary of your business’s place within the area and industry
(including services to be provided); and the key elements to be addressed in the plan.
2. Market Analysis and Plan (50 marks)
This section should provide an examination of the primary target market for your services, including
geographic location, population demographics and your targeted market(s) (15 marks). You should
provide an explanation of your sales/services and pricing strategy or plan (20 marks), proposed
marketing/advertising and promotion activities for your business (15 marks).
3. Competitive Analysis (15 marks)
This section should provide a list of your direct/indirect competitors and discussion of how you will
overcome any entry barriers to your chosen market and the risks attached to the business (15
marks).
4. Management Plan (75 marks)
This section should contain an outline of the business legal structure and business requirements for
establishing a business (30 marks); your human resource needs (staffing, roles, responsibilities,
professional competencies (professional staff) and/or any external resourcing (30 marks); insurances,
registrations and professional bodies (15 marks).
5. Operating Plan (services) (75 marks)
This section should contain a description of your business’s physical location, facilities required and
equipment (office, field, vehicles), inventory requirements (20 marks). Other applicable operational
details, such as salaries (15 marks); charge-out rates for staff and equipment (20 marks); sales
revenue, fixed and variable cost research (20 marks). Provide sources/evidence as appropriate.
6. Operating Plan (systems) (200 marks)
This section should outline the strategy for managing;
 a quality system (40 marks)
 risk to health and safety of employees (40 marks)
 project control and management of projects (30 marks) and including a generic project Gantt
chart from client request for proposal to client billing (say 1 week project duration from
initiation to billing, assume seamless progression) (40 marks),
 accounting system, invoicing and payment policy (25 marks), and
University of Southern Queensland |SVY4309 Assignment 3 6
 client/contract engagement process (25 marks)
7. Financial Plan (60 marks)
This section should contain a description of your equity and funding requirements (10 marks), cash
flow financial statement and analysis forecasting costs and revenue for at least 2 years (50 marks).
8. Conclusion and Summary (10 marks)
This section should summarise the key elements of the business plan and references/sources.
Appendix A – Checklist for submission
 Assignment file:
 Need to include identifiers of:
 Your name & student number
 The subject number
 The assignment number
 Files to be Labelled SVY4309_A2_Q1_[SurnameInitial]_[StudentNumber].xxx
Standard report formats should be used, including title page, table of contents, page numbers,
headings and titles.
 Please note the combined size of files cannot exceed 100MB.