account-plan

name	account-plan
description	Use when pursuing, defending, expanding, or recovering a client account or project opportunity. Use when applying the Account Plan consulting method and when a user asks for Account Plan, method execution, structured diagnosis, or action planning.
license	Apache-2.0

Account Plan

Use this skill to run Account Plan as a practical consulting method, not as a generic framework explanation.

Method Notes

• Map decision rights, relationship strength, competitor position, proof gaps, and next ask.
• Do not treat a friendly contact as the account plan.

Required Inputs

Collect or infer these inputs before execution:

• account background
• opportunity
• stakeholders
• competitors
• relationship evidence

If an input is missing, do not block automatically. Mark it as missing, state the assumption used, and add a validation action.

When Not To Use

Do not use without a named account, a defined business need, relevant stakeholders, a value hypothesis, and a next customer decision. It is not a generic market or campaign plan.

Adjacent Methods

• stakeholder-power-map: diagnose power, stance, and hidden vetoes around one decision.
• deal-strategy-map: plan the buying path and next commercial commitment for one opportunity.

Step-by-Step Execution

Step	Required input	How to execute	Output
Set account objective	Account, opportunity, target outcome, timeline.	State win/expand/defend/recover objective and commercial stakes.	Account objective.
Map account structure	Stakeholders, decision rights, budget, users, influencers.	Map formal and informal buying network.	Account stakeholder map.
Diagnose value and proof	Client business problem, current supplier, competitor, proof assets.	Clarify why change is valuable and what proof is missing.	Value/proof diagnosis.
Identify risks and paths	Stakeholder map, competitor position, relationship gaps.	Find blockers, sponsor path, political risks, and fallback routes.	Account risk/path map.
Build 30-day plan	Risks, paths, meeting opportunities, owner capacity.	Define next asks, messages, meetings, proof, and validation signals.	30-day account plan.

Output Template

### 1. Account Objective And Evidence
Account objective:
Decision deadline:
Confirmed facts:
Assumptions to test:

### 2. Stakeholders And Buying Path
| Stakeholder | Role / power | Current stance | Evidence / confidence | Needed movement | Next ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |

### 3. Value, Competition, And Risk
| Buyer need | Proposed value | Proof | Competitor / alternative | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |

### 4. 30-Day Action Plan
| Action | Owner | Timing | Expected commitment / signal | Fallback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |

### Evidence And Next Decision
- Confirmed facts:
- Assumptions:
- Missing evidence:
- Next action, owner, and timing:
- Expected signal and decision threshold:

Quality Gate

• Produce the method-specific outputs for Account Objective And Evidence, Stakeholders And Buying Path, Value, Competition, And Risk; do not substitute a generic framework summary.
• Tie every material score, causal claim, or stakeholder judgment to evidence or label it as an assumption.
• Include at least one disconfirming check, sensitivity, alternative explanation, or failure condition appropriate to the method.
• Convert the result into a named action or decision with an owner or stakeholder, timing, and observable signal.
• State missing inputs and the smallest validation action instead of inventing precision.
• Keep wording professional and plain enough that a smart non-specialist can use the output directly.