How to build a close plan
A close plan is a mutual action plan focused on the path to signature. Building it well is one of the highest-leverage things you can do on a complex deal.
Work backward from the deadline, not forward from today, so the plan is anchored to something real.
Short answer
Build a close plan by identifying the buyer's compelling event, working backward to list every step required to reach signature (approvals, security, legal, procurement) with an owner and date for each, and getting the buyer to review and co-own it. A close plan built backward from a real deadline and jointly owned keeps a complex deal on track and honest.
Step by step
Identify the compelling event
Find the real deadline driving the decision. Everything in the plan works back from this date, so if there is no compelling event, the plan has no anchor.
List every step to signature
Map all the steps: final evaluation, business case approval, security review, legal, procurement, and signature. Missing a step is how deals slip.
Assign owners and dates
Give each step an owner on both sides and a target date, working backward from the compelling event so the timeline is realistic.
Get the buyer to co-own it
Review the plan with the buyer, adjust it together, and confirm they will own their steps. Co-ownership is what makes it real and qualifies their commitment.
Track it and inspect weekly
Keep the plan live, update it as steps complete, and review it in your deal reviews. A close plan that is not tracked is just a document.
Common mistakes
Building the plan yourself and sending it, rather than co-building it so the buyer owns their steps.
Working forward from today instead of backward from the compelling event, so the timeline has no real anchor.
How Ardovo runs this
Ardovo turns this from a slide no one opens into how the work actually happens. The stages, exit criteria, and plays live in the deal object, and Rook flags any deal that skips a step, drafts the next artifact, and keeps the data honest, so close plans are built backward from a real deadline gets followed instead of forgotten.
Frequently asked questions
How do I build a close plan?
Identify the buyer's compelling event, work backward to list every step to signature (approvals, security, legal, procurement) with an owner and date for each, and get the buyer to review and co-own it. Building it backward from a real deadline and jointly owning it keeps a complex deal on track.
Why build a close plan backward from the deadline?
Because working backward from the buyer's compelling event anchors the timeline to something real and reveals whether the deadline is even achievable given all the steps. Building forward from today produces an arbitrary timeline with no anchor, which is exactly the kind of close date that slips.
Should the buyer help build the close plan?
Yes. Co-building the plan makes the buyer own their steps and surfaces internal steps you would otherwise miss, like a lengthy security review. It also qualifies commitment: a buyer willing to co-own a close plan is serious, while one who resists is signaling the deal may not be real.