Free mutual action plan template.
Agree every step to a signed deal with your buyer: who does what, by when. Fill it in below, then download it for Excel or Word, or print it to PDF. No sign-up, and nothing leaves your browser.
| Stage | Step | Owner | Due | Done | Remove |
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The example is a 90-day purchase of business software by a mid-sized company. Change the start date and every due date moves with it.
What a mutual action plan is
A mutual action plan is the list of steps a buyer and a seller agree to complete to reach a decision by a date the buyer cares about. Unlike a sales forecast, it is written with the buyer and shared with them, so both sides can see what is late and who is holding it.
Most steps in a B2B purchase sit with the buyer: a security review, a budget sign-off, a legal redline, a procurement check. A plan that lists only the seller’s tasks misses where deals actually stall.
How to use it in a deal
- Start from the buyer’s date. Ask what has to be live, by when, and why. Work backwards from that date, not forwards from today.
- Name a person, not a team. “Buyer” is not an owner. Write the name of the person who will do it.
- Add the steps nobody mentions. Security questionnaires, vendor onboarding, legal review and purchase orders take weeks. Ask who signs and what they need to see.
- Review it on every call. Open the plan at the start of each meeting and tick off what is done. A plan that is not revisited becomes a document nobody trusts.
- Keep it going after signature. The last steps are kickoff and the first milestone, so the buyer sees the plan is about their outcome, not your quarter.
Mistakes to avoid
- Sending it cold. A plan sent before the buyer has agreed there is a problem reads as pushy. Build it together on a call.
- Hiding it in an attachment. Spreadsheets in email threads go stale within a week. Keep one live copy both sides can see.
- Treating dates as fixed. When a date slips, change it with the buyer and note why. The reason is often the most useful thing you learn in the deal.
Questions
What is a mutual action plan?
A mutual action plan (MAP) is a shared list of the steps a buyer and a seller agree to take to reach a decision and a go-live date. Each step has an owner on one side or both, and a date. It is also called a joint execution plan or a close plan.
When should I share a mutual action plan?
After the first or second meeting, once the buyer has agreed there is a problem worth solving and a date that matters to them. Sharing it earlier tends to feel like pressure; sharing it late means you have already lost track of who decides.
What should a mutual action plan include?
The buyer’s target date and the reason for it, every step from evaluation to kickoff, an owner and a due date for each step, and the people involved on both sides, including procurement, legal and security.
Is this template free?
Yes. Fill it in on this page and download it for Excel or Word, or print it to PDF. Nothing is sent to us; your plan is saved only in your own browser.
How is this different from a project plan?
A project plan is usually owned by one team. A mutual action plan is owned by both sides of a deal, and most of its steps sit with the buyer: approvals, reviews and signatures that the seller cannot do.