Advancing Statewide Spatial Data 

Infrastructures in Support of the National 

Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) 

Business Plan 

Guidelines 

For use by all stakeholders in the Geospatial Community

Produced for the Federal Geographic Data Committee 

(FGDC) to Support the Cooperative Agreements Program 

(CAP), Category 3: Fifty States Initiative 

Revised: May 2009 
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Advancing Statewide Spatial Data Infrastructures in Support 

of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) 

Business Plan Guidelines 

 For use by all Stakeholders in the Geospatial Community 

This document replaces the “Business Plan Template” (March 2006) that was produced 

by the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) under contract 

(05HQCN0034) to the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). This replacement 

version was produced under a contract: issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

FGDC Secretariat 

Contract Number: 08HQCN0024 

Prime Contractor:

Subcontractors: 
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Foreword

Strategic and business planning are critical processes for articulating a shared vision, 

and for building the partnerships that are necessary for disparate organizations to work 

together on common goals. The key is to identify the business needs for geospatial data 

and services that are shared by many stakeholder groups. For instance, it is easy to 

envision that statewide orthoimagery acquired on a routine basis would be useful to 

almost all stakeholders in the geospatial community, as might be a widely accessible 

geocoding service. Effective planning is essential for moving collaborative programs 

forward and for gaining the required support for investments in your statewide spatial 

data infrastructure (SSDI). 

This project is part of the Fifty States initiative from the Federal Geographic Data 

Committee (FGDC), in close cooperation with the National States Geographic 

Information Council (NSGIC) and other stakeholders in the geospatial community. A 

core component of this Initiative is establishing more formal statewide geospatial 

coordination councils that will help to govern and complete the NSDI by enabling all 

stakeholders. The principal goals of this project are to: 

• Encourage implementation of statewide spatial data infrastructures through 

effective strategic and business planning efforts 

• Provide guidance on planning activities 

• Encourage the formation of partnerships and alliances that will improve planning 

process 

• Provide a uniform national framework for strategic and business plans, for 

comparative analysis to reveal national trends 

Several documents have been created to support the geospatial community in these 

planning efforts, including: 

• Strategic Plan Guidelines that provides a structure for “mapping” a clear path 

from present conditions to a vision for the future into a plan document. 

• Strategic Planning Process Map that divides the process of creating the 

strategic plan into five simple steps or phases that are each characterized by 

certain activities, tasks, and accomplishments. 

• Business Plan Guidelines that provides a detailed description of how goals and 

objectives will be achieved, along with the necessary justification for action. 

The Strategic and Business Plan Guidelines each include major section headings with 

key information and a series of questions that should be considered. Your planning 

team will determine which questions are applicable for their activities and use the 

answers to these questions to help draft an effective plan. This approach was 

developed, because “one size does not fit all” for these plans. However, the 

organizational structure of the main sections can and should be consistent with the 

Guidelines, even though the specific content of each section will vary for a variety of 

reasons, reflecting the differences in the organizations undertaking the plans. 

Using these Guidelines will help you navigate through the entire process of preparing 

high quality and effective strategic and business plans. By simply substituting terms 

such as “countywide” and “citywide” for “statewide,” the Guidelines should work well for 

most stakeholder groups. 
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Over the past three years, the states using these Guidelines have discovered that the 

“process” of working with people to create these plans, including the partnerships that 

are formed, may be more valuable than even the actual plans. Please make the process 

a valuable learning experience that leads to trust and new partnership opportunities. 
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BUSINESS PLAN GUIDELINES 

While the Strategic Plan describes what you want to achieve and why, the Business 

Plan provides a detailed description of how objectives will be achieved, along with 

the necessary justification. 

The purpose of your Business Plan is to support the successful implementation

of the programs identified in the Strategic Plan of your organization, thereby 

advancing statewide spatial data infrastructure (SSDI). These programs may each 

require a different approach and may place emphasis in different areas. Examples 

of programs that require Business Plans could include: 

An Ortho-imagery Program (data-centric) 

Homeland Security Web Mapping Initiative (function or application-centric) 

Statewide GIS Coordination (business process-centric) 

Regardless of the approach, there are requirements for assessing where you are 

and where you need to be, in addition to identifying the pathway that will get you 

there. A good Business Plan makes a compelling case to those who must approve 

it and provide the required funding or other necessary resources. As such, you need 

to provide the following content: 

Describe who you are 

Describe what you want to achieve 

Describe the tangible benefits to be realized 

Quantify and/or qualify the return on investment 

Detail the options and the suggested plan of action for attaining the desired end state 

Provide evidence that your ‘business case’ has been fully researched and is ‘highly’ 

viable 

The Business Plan provides a clear description of what needs to be done, including 

when and how to implement an organization’s strategic goals and vision. It should 

itemize and describe the benefits that an organization will realize if the plan is 

followed, as well as the costs that will be incurred. The plan should include any 

requirements for achieving its purpose, and a scorecard to gauge performance 

once the plan is accepted and unfolds. It should also be written with a clear focus 

on the readership. Ultimately the Business Plan needs to be approved and funded. 

Its content should include: 

Relevant and beneficial to the organization 

Relatively short (c. 20 pages -- but there is no absolute rule) 

Easy to read (and approve) 

Clear and concise 

Compelling 

Action-oriented 

Credible 

Factually correct 

Understandable and free from any extraneous details 
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HOW TO USE THESE GUIDELINES 

The Guidelines provide an organized approach and process for creating Business 

Plans. The plans take shape through an iterative process of facilitated group 

discussions, research, drafting, and review. Consistent with the approach used in 

the Strategic Plan Guidelines, the reader will find explanatory instructions in each 

section (in non-serif brown typeface). Also, the Business Plan Guidelines utilize a 

list of questions (in black serif typeface) to help facilitate your discussions and to 

generate content for each section of the document. Not all of the questions need to 

be answered, because the situation or approach you have selected will vary from 

state to state. The emphasis should be on an inclusive, participatory approach 

within the group that is charged with developing the plan. It needs to be clear who is 

responsible for the plan’s content, as well as its execution. 

It is assumed that the programmatic goals, which are to be the focal points of the 

Business Plan, were articulated in the overall Strategic Plan – i.e. there should be 

congruence between the overall Strategic Plan and the Business Plan(s) that support 

implementation. Some states may choose to roll multiple objectives into a single 

Business Plan document. Others may choose to have one business plan per 

objective (this may be determined by the approval or funding mechanisms). In some 

states, there may be the possibility of parallel action on more than one program at 

the same time. 

The Business Plan Guidelines are broken down into sections. For recipients of Fifty 

States Agreements, the main section topics are considered “mandatory.” This does 

not make everything within each section mandatory, but rather, requires that each of 

the main sections be addressed in a reasonable fashion. The following table is a 

summary of “mandatory” and “mandatory if applicable” elements within each section: 

Table of Mandatory Elements 

Mandatory Main 

Section 

Mandatory Element Mandatory if 

Applicable 

What outcome(s) are you proposing to 

accomplish? 

1. Executive Summary 

What do you need to do it? 

What are the specific ‘Programmatic 

Goal(s)’ for this Business Plan (and 

which Strategic Goals do they relate to 

from your Strategic Plan)? 

2. Program Goals 

For each goal, what are the ‘Success 

Factors’ (or supporting objectives)? 

3. Benefits and 

Justification 

What is the primary reason ‘why’ you 

want to do what you are proposing? 

What is your organizational approach? 

What are the estimated total costs of 

your proposal? 

4. Requirements and 

Costs 

 What standards are 

you requiring? 

5. Implementation Phasing and milestones 
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Mandatory Main 

Section 

Mandatory Element Mandatory if 

Applicable 

Program Budget Plan 

6. Measuring Success 

and Feedback for 

Recalibration 

Criteria for performance measurement 
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Table of Contents 

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................. 8

2. PROGRAM GOALS .......................................................................................................................... 9

3. BENEFITS AND JUSTIFICATION............................................................................................... 11

4. REQUIREMENTS AND COSTS .................................................................................................... 13

4.1 ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACH.................................................................................................... 14

4.2 SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE ....................................................... 14

4.3 DATA REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................................ 15

4.4 TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................... 16

4.5 RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS........................................................................................................ 16

4.6 STANDARDS ............................................................................................................................... 16

4.7 COSTS ........................................................................................................................................ 17

4.8 RISKS ......................................................................................................................................... 17

5. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN........................................................................................................... 19

5.1 IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS........................................................................................................ 19

5.2 PHASING AND MILESTONES........................................................................................................ 19

5.3 BUDGET PLAN............................................................................................................................ 20

5.4 MARKETING OUTREACH ............................................................................................................ 20

6. MEASURING SUCCESS AND FEEDBACK FOR RECALIBRATION.................................... 21

7. INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL .................................................................................................. 22
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BUSINESS PLAN GUIDELINES 

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Executive Summary should be a concise presentation of the most important 

details of the Business Plan’s contents. A brief context should be included for where 

this Business Plan fits into the organization’s overall Strategic Plan. A well written 

Executive Summary highlights the key benefits of the plan, a proposed timeline, 

and the essential call-to-action for what is required. It should include an 

implementation cost estimate over a one, two and three year period. 

It should also include summarized financial scenarios from any cost/benefit or ROI 

analysis where feasible. A brief risk assessment (including the risk of doing 

nothing), is also appropriate in this section and will indicate due diligence. If there 

are similar programs successfully implemented in other comparable organizations, 

these could be briefly noted, along with a description of the benefits that were 

realized. 

The approval and/or funding readership should be able to appreciate the tangible 

benefits that the executed plan will bring. Further reading should develop a stronger 

case for plan approval. A one or two page summary is all that is required. 

Sometimes, a longer Executive Summary for stand-alone purposes may be 

appropriate as a companion piece to the full plan document. 

a. What outcomes are you proposing to accomplish? (Mandatory)

b. What do you need to do it? (Mandatory) 

c. Have you clearly stated the purpose of the proposed program? 

d. Are the benefits presented in a meaningful way and is it clear that they are 

greater than the associated costs? 

e. What problems will this solve, reduce, or help make go away, for your 

politicians and executives? 

f. Are the requirements made explicit (e.g., organizational, financial, and 

technical)? 

g. Is the call-to-action apparent? 

h. What are the key scope items and key milestones? 

i. What are the likely costs over a one, two or three year period? 

j. How does this plan fit into the overall strategy for building your Statewide 

Spatial Data Infrastructure (SSDI)? 

k. Who are the key players and why will they be successful? 

l. Have you made a compelling case? 

m. Have you adequately explained the reasons that would motivate the targeted 

reader to say “yes” to what you are asking for? 

n. What is cost/benefit or return on investment, and what analysis techniques 

were used? 

o. What are the major risks associated with executing (or not executing) the 

business plan? 
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2. PROGRAM GOALS

A list of ‘programmatic goals’ was created as part of your Strategic Plan, to help 

implement your strategic goals. The business planning process is focused on 

defining and detailing the incremental steps that are necessary to implement these 

programmatic goals. Business plans come from goals, and not the other way 

around. In this section, the programmatic goal(s) for which the Business Plan is 

being developed are described. (Mandatory) 

It is important to articulate why a particular program (i.e. programmatic goal) is 

important to your success, and how it relates to your overall Strategic Plan. And to 

support implementation, it is essential to clearly state the success factors (i.e. 

supporting objectives) that relate to this program. The success factors are 

subordinate to you programmatic goal. They comprise the set of objectives that 

support the implementation of your goal. They become the standard of record 

against which the results will be measured to assess the plan’s progress and 

successful execution; and they may need to be modified or expanded if course 

correction is necessary. In this section of the document, you should list the 

programmatic goal that is the subject of your Business Plan along with its specific 

success factors, or supporting objectives. (Mandatory)

The following Programmatic Goal (with supporting Objectives) was the subject of a 

Business Plan for “Improved Elevation Data for Statewide Applications” (courtesy of 

State of Kansas): 

Programmatic 

Goal 

Develop improved statewide elevation data that will support twofoot contours to support detailed topographic mapping necessary 

for a multitude of critical applications and risk determination

Objective 1: Identify elevation program management team who will champion 

the project forward 

Objective 2: Gather core requirements and expectations for stakeholder 

community

Objective 3: Analyze current and near future high resolution elevation data 

collection efforts to determine the necessary geographic extent of 

the program 

Objective 4: Evaluate available technologic options and approaches for 

suitability 

Objective 5: Determine data storage and other management strategies, including 

mechanisms for promoting the availability of the data and its 

applicability, and distribution details

Objective 6: Request program cost estimates from qualified solution/data 

providers based on a scope of work

Objective 7: Identify and pursue program funding source(s); encumber funds

Objective 8: Develop technical specifications, determine acquisition criteria, and 

procure services according to scope of work 

Objective 9: Advertise and make available project deliverables to stakeholders

Objective 10: Conduct post-project assessment, including scoring of success 

factors and lessons learned
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The following questions are intended to facilitate discussion on goals and supporting 

objectives for the program: 

a. What are we trying to accomplish? 

b. What is the vision for this program? 

c. What is the boundary (project limit) of what we want to achieve? (i.e., 

Will we include addressing as part of a road centerline project?) 

d. What items are out of bounds in this current planning cycle? 

e. Which stakeholders will benefit from the successful execution of the 

program(s)? 

f. Are our goals measurable? 

g. Are our goals clear, concise and attainable? 

h. Have our goals been prioritized, and which ones are most critical to the 

success of this effort? 

i. Where do we want to be in the near-term (i.e., one year from now), in 

terms of accomplishments? Where do we want to be in the long-term (i.e., 

five years from now)? 
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3. BENEFITS AND JUSTIFICATION

Itemizing the tangible benefits and providing the justification for why a program is 

important are essential to getting the necessary support. Value should be measured 

both qualitatively and quantitatively, to the extent feasible. A brief tutorial on 

“Economic justification: Measuring Return on Investment (ROI) and Cost Benefit 

Analysis (CBA)” was developed as a supplement to the Strategic and Business Plan 

Guidelines, and is available for reference on the NSGIC website 

(http://www.nsgic.org/) 

 

Whether a rigorous analytical method is used or not, certain questions need to be 

asked, and thorough answers will enhance your credibility in justifying your 

program. For example, it is important to include financial benefits (such as cost 

savings, or cost avoidance), and also non-financial benefits (such as better or 

more available data). Historically, the latter is one of the challenges of doing costbenefit analysis for public projects, due to the difficulty for quantifying both tangible 

and intangible benefits. It is also important to think of projected values as more than 

just a means to obtain funding. They are also measures for on-going performance 

appraisal and results-based management that are closely tied to the goals. 

Ultimately, the projected benefits will need to be compared to the associated costs 

for a justifiable case to be made. 

a. What is the primary reason ‘why’ you want to do what you are proposing? 

(Mandatory) 

b. Are there good “use cases for implementing the subject program?” 

c. Where do we get lessons-learned? 

d. What are the key reasons for saying “yes” to what you are asking for? 

e. What are the distinct qualitative benefits of implementing this program? 

For customers? For business partners? For other levels of government? 

f. How can qualitative benefits be presented in a meaningful way? 

g. What are the distinct quantitative benefits of implementing this program? 

For customers? For business partners? For other levels of government? 

h. Are there other benefits to be realized, such as reduced wait times, 

enhancing a centralized data store with critical data? 

i. What problems are you going to solve, or what opportunities are you 

going to enable by going forward? 

j. How might this program benefit our sponsor agency? 

k. What are the benefits that users across each stakeholder community will 

realize? 

l. What improvements to the current way of doing things will be achieved, 

including new efficiencies or capabilities? 

m. What are the benefits to society as a whole? 

n. What are the implications and costs of doing nothing and maintaining the 

status-quo? 

o. What opportunities are possible to redirect and concentrate existing 

resources toward accomplishing the subject program? (i.e. is there an 

opportunity to establish joint missions and cost-sharing?) 
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p. What opportunities are there to avoid costs by implementing the subject 

program? For example, will the current effort consolidate other duplicate 

initiatives that are underway elsewhere within the organization? 

q. How can this program eliminate duplication of effort and unnecessary 

redundancy? 

r. Does implementing this program provide the opportunity for a better ROI 

than current approaches? 

s. Are there synergies between this program and the overall mission and 

objectives of the local, state, tribal and federal stakeholders? 

t. How does this current program align with the organizational strategic 

goals? Will broader strategic goals be supported by this imitative? 

u. Are there synergies with priorities expressed in Presidential Directives, 

Executive Orders, or Congressional mandates? (e.g., Presidential Directive 

#8 on Homeland Security, Executive Order 12906 on NSDI and FGDC, 

or OMB Circular A-16) 

v. What opportunities are there to participate in federal, tribal, state, and 

local geospatial initiatives that position us for additional funding to meet 

our objectives for this program? 

w. Are there other states or organizations that can be cited as exemplars of 

success for similar programs? (Cite examples that are clearly comparable 

to your own situation such as states or projects of a similar size to the one 

you wish to have approved) 

x. Can you cite narrative or quantitative ROI case studies for similar 

programs? 
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4. REQUIREMENTS AND COSTS

This part of the Business Plan assesses the condition of the existing infrastructure

as well as the requirements to achieve effective program implementation. There is 

a causal relationship between requirements and costs. Depending on the 

programmatic goals, you will need to provide appropriate program details for one or 

more of the sub-sections below (4.1 through 4.7). 

REQUIREMENTS

This section should be closely aligned with the subject program, the applications 

and business processes that it must support, and associated user communities. It 

may include details for one or more of the following: 

Data and Services 

• Inventory of existing data or services 

• Historic cost information 

• Service providers 

• Data owners and stewards 

• Data content and metadata 

• Appropriate national and or other standards (including costs of adhering or not 

adhering) 

Technology and Architecture 

• Integration with the broader statewide SSDI or national NSDI 

• Assessment of the broader state level Information Technology (IT) 

architectural environment 

The broader role of IT is to provide guidance, services, and infrastructure to support 

a full range of business requirements. The SSDI should be no different in this 

regard, and should bring geospatial data into play with a variety of business 

processes which may (or may not) be traditional GIS applications. The focus of this 

section is to fit the subject program into this overall context. It should also explore 

any unique requirements that are particular to geospatial data collection, 

management, and sharing. 

COSTS

It is important to breakdown the cost factors associated with implementing a 

program. This should include an assessment of immediate costs as well as on-going 

costs over the longer term. Cost factors are many (and varied) and might include the 

following items for a functional or applications driven issue: 

• System Planning 

• System Acquisition 

• Implementation 

• Staffing 

• Training 

• Operations and Maintenance 
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Sometimes programs get up-front funding to get off the ground, and then fail due to a 

lack of sustainable funding for ongoing operations and maintenance. It is important 

to fully and adequately present the spectrum of costs. 

Opportunity costs are often neglected because they can be hard to quantify. These 

costs relate to alternatives that cannot be pursued due to choices that are made (or 

not made), and the associated forgone benefits. For example, if geospatial 

interoperability is not achieved, how would you quantify the decreased benefits or 

increased costs? Another form of cost is that associated with risk assessment, 

including the potential severity and probability that particular outcomes might occur. 

For example, if your jurisdiction is not able to share data with First Responders, what 

is the risk of not having an accurate and current Common Operational Picture (COP) 

to support situational awareness in the event of an emergency? 

A good example of a useful tool for projecting costs is the Spread Sheet approach 

developed by NSGIC as part of The National Map Partnership Project (see 

informational material on the NSGIC website). While it was principally designed for 

national cost estimation, it is a method to consider as you breakdown and consider 

the full cost of your program, including the cost of lost benefits. 

 

4.1 Organizational Approach 

A good organizational approach is necessary to accomplish your programmatic 

goals. It is appropriate to identify the organizations that will be required to cooperate 

for the implementation effort to be successful. Other content may include: 

• Qualifications and experience of the key people 

• Required skill sets 

• Gaps in existing skill sets 

• Availability of staff and their alignment 

• Executive Support 

This section is considered Mandatory. Relevant questions to help develop your 

organizational approach include the following: 

a. Who is behind this effort? 

b. Who are the individuals responsible for implementing the Business Plan? 

c. What is their organizational affiliation? 

d. What is their track-record for leading successful program efforts? 

e. What level of organizational support and commitment is evident? 

f. How is the Business Plan implementation team chartered? 

g. Who will manage the program to ensure success, and why? 

h. Who are the customers, consumers, or constituents for the program? 

4.2 Suitability Assessment of Existing Infrastructure 

Based on what you want to accomplish, you need to look at the existing technology 

infrastructure to determine if it is adequate, or not. This includes taking inventory of what 

you have, and assessing its suitability for supporting your programmatic goal(s). 
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a. What is the state of our technology infrastructure to support the subject 

program? (e.g., hardware, software, networking, communications, storage, 

backup, retrieval, disaster recovery, etc.) 

b. Is there an existing State IT Enterprise Architecture that is relevant to this 

program? (i.e., to facilitate data exchange and distribution.) 

c. Are standards in place that relate to the subject program? If so, which 

ones? 

d. Are we in compliance with these standards? 

e. What is the migration plan to arrive at compliance with these standards? 

f. What geospatial content do we have that relates to the subject program? 

(And, what is its quality in terms of accuracy, currency, and 

completeness?) 

g. Is there a current user community with expectations? If so, what are the 

expectations? (i.e., will they applaud a change of approach, or resist it?) 

h. What existing business processes and applications need to be supported 

that relate to the subject program? (e.g., permitting, licensing, taxing, etc.) 

4.3 Data Requirements 

Depending on the programmatic goal you are planning to implement, this can be 

fairly straightforward. For example, if you are acquiring improved elevation data for 

statewide applications, you would focus on data specifications for meeting your 

application requirements. If you are identifying data gaps across the enterprise, a 

more extensive investigation might be needed to identify available data sets, and to 

assess their quality for the desired purposes that they need to support. 

a. What geospatial content do we need to fulfill the objectives of this 

program? 

b. What levels of accuracy, completeness, and currency do the data need to 

have? 

c. Is there a Federal compliance mandate for data to be built to meet certain 

specifications? (i.e., the EPA may have specific data requirements) 

d. Are there confidential datasets that need to be treated differently than 

publicly available datasets? (e.g., critical infrastructure or privacy 

concerns) 

e. Are basic metadata records completed and what is our plan to submit 

records to a discoverable metadata clearinghouse or inventory system? 

f. Are there data warehousing schemes with Extraction, Transformation, and 

Loading (ETL) procedures that support the distribution of subject data? 

g. Is one data schema available to implement that serves all needs? 

h. If multiple schemas are needed, what applications do they need to be 

tailored to? 

i. Has data been aggregated from multi-jurisdictional sources? 

j. Are data sharing agreements and MOUs in place? 

k. Are there data sharing agreements with private sector stakeholders, such 

as utility companies, if they are relevant to this program? 

l. Are there standards being used for data development and exchange? 
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m. Are authoritative data sources identified and respected? 

4.4 Technology Requirements 

Based on your assessment of existing infrastructure, gaps may be identified in terms 

of supporting the needs of your program. In this case, you should specify what is 

necessary and appropriate. This may be as simple as identifying additional 

storage requirements for an image server, or as complicated as proposing a new 

enterprise architecture for managing geospatial data and services. 

a. Does the subject program have any particularly unique requirements and 

do we have personnel with experience in their use? (e.g., in terms of 

storage, processing, exchange, such as distribution formats and media?) 

b. What system architectures are needed? (e.g., servers, desktop clients, web 

browser clients, networks, etc.) 

c. What applications need to be supported? 

d. What interoperability specifications need to be followed, if any? 

e. How will the proposed technology fit into the state enterprise IT 

architecture? How does it relate to the Federal Enterprise Architecture 

(FEA) Geospatial profile? 

f. How does the proposed technology dovetail with an existing IT strategic 

plan? 

g. What are the security and privacy requirements and how are these 

safeguarded technologically? 

h. Are there relevant de facto standards based on a dominant product 

manufacturer? If so, are they congruent with statewide needs? 

i. What overarching enterprise architecture plans need to be followed (and at 

what level of compliance)? (i.e., is there a Service-Oriented Architecture 

in place?) 

j. Do we have legacy systems that need to be integrated? 

4.5 Resource Requirements 

In this context, resource requirements include people and facilities to support your 

program. There is a separate section for costs. 

a. What people expertise is needed? 

b. Are the required skills already available within the organization or will 

staff require training? 

c. Will staff need to be reassigned in order to support the subject program? 

d. Will new staff need to be hired? 

e. Are consultants needed? 

f. Are voluntary resources available, with the right skill sets and availability? 

g. Are there relevant resources available at local or state universities? 

h. Are there facilities to accommodate the subject program? 

4.6 Standards 

This section is “Mandatory if Applicable.” For example, standards would be 

applicable to plans about data, but not for plans to create the role of “GIO.”
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a. What are the relevant national standards that relate to the subject program? 

(See: http://www.fgdc.gov/standards) 

b. What are the relevant standards that relate to the SSDI in general? 

c. Do you have any standards dictated by your organization? 

d. What determines the appropriateness of various standards for us? 

e. Are we in compliance with these standards? 

f. If we don’t adopt appropriate national standards, are we decreasing our 

ability to partner or obtain grants and cost-share funds? 

4.7 Costs 

This section provides the detail about how much funding is needed, whereas the 

“Budget Plan” (Section 5.3) determines how funds will be secured and spent. 

a. What are the projected costs for all requirements (e.g., data, technology, 

standards, training, and staff)? 

b. Have we considered the full spectrum of costs (e.g., planning, acquisition, 

implementation, operations, maintenance, and the timing of costs -- annual 

costs, cost of project phases, cost of total project, fixed costs, variable 

costs, etc.)? 

c. If required, how will new staff positions be funded? 

d. What methods will be used to project our needs for funding (e.g., VMM, 

TNM Spread Sheet, or other analytical methods)? 

e. How are we funded (e.g., dedicated funds, mission-driven funds, general 

funds, special funds, service fees, assessment on agencies, permit/license 

fees, federal grants, central and capital funds, cost recovery)? 

f. How can we redirect existing funding to achieve our goals? 

g. What non-traditional sources of money/funding can be utilized for this 

initiative (e.g., Federal grants, agency assessments, incentives, matched 

contributions from other sources, etc.)? 

h. How do we insulate ourselves against future budget cuts and shortfalls? 

4.8 Risks 

Assessment of risk is an important aspect of planning. A thorough and realistic 

assessment of risk, as well as an analysis of possible mitigation steps, will 

demonstrate that all aspects of the initiative have been examined, and that due 

diligence was performed. Sometimes there are risks associated with taking no 

action. For example, equipment may be outdated and no longer supported by a 

manufacturer. If the equipment fails, the outcome could severely impact the ability to 

conduct business. If risks are very low, this should also be reported to make it 

explicit that the risk assessment was performed. 

 

a. What are the major external challenges that could possibly affect our 

efforts in a negative way? 

b. What operational issues do we have and how can we overcome these? 

c. How do we recognize and overcome obstacles? 

d. What might happen if we don’t appropriately anticipate obstacles? 
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e. How do we assess program vulnerabilities (e.g., public access to sensitive 

data, system back-ups, viruses, etc.)? 

f. How do we reduce our risk factors? 

g. What is the severity and probability of the risk factors occurring that we 

identify? 
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5. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

This section of the Business Plan should briefly explore all viable options and then 

thoroughly document the recommended set of specific steps, schedules, budgets, 

and activities required to accomplish the goals of the program. This is where a 

phased approach might be delineated, with targets for where the statewide spatial 

data infrastructure should be along a timeline with appropriate milestones. Showing 

early success and incremental progress is desirable. This section is aimed at the 

programmatic goals prioritized for business planning and implementation. 

A frequent assessment of progress is necessary in order to ensure that plan 

objectives are achieved in a timely manner. Course corrections may be required 

as new information becomes available or new opportunities or threats develop. See 

“Success Scorecard” in Appendix 3. 

5.1 Implementation Details 

This section includes a summary of overall implementation details, elaborating on 

requirements from the previous section. For example, this is where you would name 

the implementation team that fulfills the required qualifications, and which needs to 

be available to work on the program. It may also include a “reality check” on what is 

feasible in your operating environment, so that your plan is reasonable to implement. 

For example, this is where you might explain that you are taking a phased, 

incremental approach, with the planned “Phasing and Milestones” and “Budget Plan” 

to be described in subsequent sections. 

a. Have we geared our implementation objectives to what is practical and 

useful to stakeholders? 

b. Have we set realistic expectations based on what is achievable? 

c. Do we have a contingency plan? 

d. Who is responsible for administering the program? 

e. How will their performance be measured? 

f. Are our proposed steps appropriately prioritized? 

g. Have we considered training requirements and who should receive this 

training? 

h. How much of this effort should be taken on by in-house resources and how 

much could be met with consultant help? 

i. Are their procurement considerations, in terms of both procedures and 

timing? 

j. Is partial success acceptable? If so, how is this to be determined? 

k. What would constitute failure? 

5.2 Phasing and Milestones 

A timeline or chart should be included in this section, showing the phases and 

milestones for implementing the project. This not only helps to guide action, but it 

serves as a baseline for monitoring progress. (Mandatory)

a. Based on available time and resources, what is realistically achievable? 
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b. Should we look at a phased implementation? 

c. What are the target dates for the completion of each phase? 

d. Are incremental deliveries desirable? If so, are they feasible? 

e. Are we cognizant of specific program dependencies, such as leaf-on or 

leaf-off considerations for flyovers, the related timing of an RFP, pilot 

studies, and other execution details? 

5.3 Budget Plan

In this section, the costs described under “Requirements” are factored into a budget 

plan. This is done in consideration of your Fiscal Year and budget cycle, as well as 

the Phasing and Milestones described above. (Mandatory)

a. Based on the implementation plan, what are the budgetary needs? 

b. Have we documented how to redirect existing funds as our first choice? 

c. Have we documented the savings due to cost avoidance? 

d. Have we documented the savings due to reducing duplication of effort? 

e. Who is the financial authority for administering the budget? 

f. What can be allocated per time period of the implementation program? 

g. How does the available budget affect the deliverables and project 

timeline? 

h. Are there cost-sharing alternatives? 

5.4 Marketing Outreach 

Effective marketing will help increase visibility for your program, and improve the 

awareness for what you are trying to accomplish. It is often overlooked, but there 

are a number of useful tools and techniques for promoting your program and 

garnering support. The NSGIC website has support materials for this purpose 

(http://www.nsgic.org/). 

a. How do we get the word out (e.g., press releases, articles, whitepapers, 

workshops, seminars, conferences, webcasts, podcasts, etc.)? 

b. Who is our target audience for marketing? 

c. Is the target audience the same as our customers and constituents for the 

program deliverables? 

d. What events should we attend? 

e. What are the logistics of maintaining a sufficient level of communication 

between the strategic group and the stakeholder community? 

f. Are we leveraging existing GIS communities (e.g., User Groups, 

Roundtables, List Server members)? 

g. Do we have a group identity for our GIS coordination community? 
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6. MEASURING SUCCESS AND FEEDBACK FOR

RECALIBRATION

Regular progress reviews are an important aspect of monitoring a program. In busy, 

complex organizations, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of your broader goals. 

Revisiting goals on a periodic basis, and determining what level of progress has 

been achieved in meeting those goals, offers an opportunity to make appropriate 

adjustments in strategy or approach. There is a separate but related document 

called “Scorecard for Measuring Success” that includes a sample rubric for 

developing your own scorecard for tracking progress. 

Success can be measured in many ways, including measurable cost savings, direct 

and positive feedback from the stakeholder community, additional funding or a 

growing level executive support. Developing a set of quantitative performance 

benchmarks for each goal or supporting objective provides a way of establishing a 

clearly understood scorecard that is quantifiable. It also allows you to look at 

progress over time. If possible, each task should have an associated completion 

date, so an assessment of progress will include the time dimension. Assessing 

progress against targets obviously provides a ready means to determine the current 

success level. If that level is low then appropriate action needs to be taken. 

a. What are our criteria for performance measurement? (Mandatory)

b. What are the critical success factors that would indicate to our 

stakeholders that we are on the path to success? 

c. How will we capture feedback from all appropriate stakeholder groups? 

d. What performance metrics should we use? 

e. Have we developed a set of achievable goals with associated benchmark 

measurements of success? 

f. Will performance metrics support measuring progress over time? 

g. How do we capture cost-benefit data and determine ROI, both 

quantitatively and qualitatively? 

h. How often should we assess progress and recalibrate? 

i. Who do we report our successes to? (e.g., Stakeholders, Executives, 

general public, others) 

j. How do we report our successes? (e.g., website, conference presentation) 

k. With growing success, are there new opportunities or sources for 

additional funding? 

l. Who is going to be involved in completing the score card? 
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7. INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL

Instructional appendices for the Business Plan Guidelines appendices are available 

on the NSGIC website: 

www.nsgic.org

• Appendix 1: “Economic Justification: Measuring Return on Investment (ROI) 

and Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)” 

• Appendix 2: The National Map Partnership Project – Cost Spreadsheet 

• Appendix 3: Performance Score Card 

• Appendix 4: Sample SSDI Business Plans 

Other Information: GITA ROI workbook on the FGDC web page at: 

http://www.fgdc.gov/policyandplanning/50states/roiworkbook.pdf