What you get: the tool's output
Made up example This is the output of the free Mutual Action Plan Generator, run on 6 November 2026 with made up inputs: deal name: Example Co platform rollout (made up); target close date: 2026-12-18; current stage: evaluation; buyer champion: Head of Operations (made up role); economic buyer: Chief Financial Officer (made up role); technical evaluators: IT lead and security reviewer; procurement contact: Procurement manager; known requirements: Fit with the current workflow; a security review; a clear payback; known process steps: Pilot with one team; Security review; Business case to the CFO; Procurement; Contract signature; blockers: Budget timing at quarter end; your solution: our workflow software; your sector: saas. It is shown exactly as the tool returned it. Your own inputs give a different plan.
Mutual Action Plan Generator output
Mutual Action Plan: Example Co platform rollout (made up)
Overview
This plan takes the deal "Example Co platform rollout (made up)" from the evaluation stage to a signed contract on 2026-12-18: 30 working days from 2026-11-06, 42 calendar days. The seller is offering our workflow software, bought as a subscription.
Sector: from your choice: SaaS. Business model: not stated. Tell us how you charge and the plan will adjust.
Key Stakeholders
| Role | Name | What they own in this plan |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | Head of Operations (made up role) | Keeps the plan alive on the buyer's side, gathers the evaluators and answers the open questions with us |
| Economic buyer | Chief Financial Officer (made up role) | Approves the business case and the final decision |
| Evaluator | IT lead and security reviewer | The security and data-handling review and the proof of value |
| Procurement | Procurement manager | The buyer's purchasing steps, the contract and the payment terms |
On the seller side the account executive owns the deal and the plan, a solutions engineer owns the technical validation, and an executive sponsor is called in at the phase gates and for escalation.
Success Criteria
Each of the 3 things you listed is its own criterion, with the way it will be tested in the evaluation.
| Criterion | How it will be tested | Judged by |
|---|---|---|
| Fit with the current workflow | Agree the measure and the pass mark with the champion, then test it on the buyer's own case | Head of Operations (made up role) |
| A security review | Check it against the buyer's own policy or control list with the reviewer present, and keep the evidence | IT lead and security reviewer |
| A clear payback | Agree the measure and the pass mark with the champion, then test it on the buyer's own case | Head of Operations (made up role) |
Mutual Action Plan Timeline
The buyer's own process, as you gave it: "Pilot with one team", "Security review", "Business case to the CFO", "Procurement" and "Contract signature". Each step is placed as a milestone below.
Phase 1: Evaluation, the current stage (2026-11-06 to 2026-11-23)
Show on the buyer's own case that the criteria are met, and start the reviews that take longest.
| # | Milestone | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choose the team and the real project or workflow for the trial, and agree the baseline and the measure before it starts | Both teams | 2026-11-09 | Pending |
| 2 | Connect the tools the trial must work with and set up the first users | IT lead and security reviewer with Seller (solutions engineer) | 2026-11-10 | Pending |
| 3 | Run the trial on that work and check use every week | Head of Operations (made up role) | 2026-11-11 | Pending |
| 4 | Review the result against the baseline and agree what the rollout covers and in what order | Both teams | 2026-11-12 | Pending |
| 5 | Test the buyer's criterion "Fit with the current workflow": agree the measure and the pass mark with the champion, then test it on the buyer's own case | Head of Operations (made up role) | 2026-11-13 | Pending |
| 6 | Test the buyer's criterion "a security review": check it against the buyer's own policy or control list with the reviewer present, and keep the evidence | IT lead and security reviewer | 2026-11-16 | Pending |
| 7 | Test the buyer's criterion "a clear payback": agree the measure and the pass mark with the champion, then test it on the buyer's own case | Head of Operations (made up role) | 2026-11-17 | Pending |
| 8 | Buyer's process step, in your words: Pilot with one team | IT lead and security reviewer | 2026-11-18 | Pending |
| 9 | Buyer's process step, in your words: Security review | IT lead and security reviewer | 2026-11-19 | Pending |
| 10 | Timing for "Budget timing at quarter end": confirm with the champion what fixes the date and what happens if it slips | Head of Operations (made up role) | 2026-11-20 | Pending |
| 11 | Reference calls with similar our workflow software customers (only if one has agreed) | Head of Operations (made up role) | 2026-11-23 | Pending |
How this sector buys: Trial or pilot with one team, then a team or company deal; sales assisted where the buyer expects it; expansion through usage and renewals.
Phase 2: Business Case & Alignment (2026-11-23 to 2026-11-30)
Put the result in a business case the economic buyer can approve, and answer every open question in writing.
| # | Milestone | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Present the business case, built from the buyer's own figures, to Chief Financial Officer (made up role) | Seller (account executive) | 2026-11-24 | Pending |
| 2 | Check the cost and value figures with the finance contact | Buyer finance contact | 2026-11-25 | Pending |
| 3 | Agree the commercial shape of the deal: the scope, the term and the price | Seller (account executive) | 2026-11-26 | Pending |
| 4 | Send written answers to the blocker in Risks & Blockers | Both teams | 2026-11-27 | Pending |
| 5 | Buyer's process step, in your words: Business case to the CFO | Buyer finance contact | 2026-11-30 | Pending |
Phase 3: Commercial & Legal (2026-11-30 to 2026-12-07)
Settle the terms and the legal text.
| # | Milestone | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turn the commercial shape agreed in the business case phase into contract terms and send the draft to the buyer's legal and procurement teams | Both teams | 2026-12-02 | Pending |
| 2 | Complete the legal review and resolve the redlines | Procurement manager | 2026-12-03 | Pending |
| 3 | Confirm the implementation timeline and the owners on both sides: the access, the integrations and the first users | Both teams | 2026-12-04 | Pending |
| 4 | Obtain the economic buyer's approval of the contract terms | Chief Financial Officer (made up role) | 2026-12-07 | Pending |
Phase 4: Procurement (2026-12-07 to 2026-12-14)
Complete the buyer's purchasing steps.
| # | Milestone | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Complete vendor registration and submit the documents the buyer's process asks for | Procurement manager | 2026-12-09 | Pending |
| 2 | Finalize the payment terms | Procurement manager | 2026-12-10 | Pending |
| 3 | Complete the purchasing approvals: the purchase order and the budget code | Chief Financial Officer (made up role) | 2026-12-11 | Pending |
| 4 | Buyer's process step, in your words: Procurement | Procurement manager | 2026-12-14 | Pending |
Phase 5: Close & Launch (2026-12-14 to 2026-12-18)
Sign, and agree how the first weeks run.
| # | Milestone | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buyer's process step, in your words: Contract signature | Chief Financial Officer (made up role) | 2026-12-16 | Pending |
| 2 | Kickoff scheduled, with the owners and the dates confirmed in the commercial phase | Both teams | 2026-12-17 | Pending |
| 3 | Success criteria written down from the criteria above, with the pass mark for each | Seller (account executive) | 2026-12-18 | Pending |
Risks & Blockers
Each blocker below is answered on its own question. Where an answer needs a fact about our workflow software, it says what to confirm first.
| Blocker | Answer | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget timing at quarter end | Answer with how our workflow software is priced (as a subscription) and one worked example on the buyer's own volumes, with every charge on the page. Then set the figure next to what the problem costs them today, so the price is read against their own cost and not on its own. Sentence read: "Budget timing at quarter end". Confirm first: our workflow software's price list and exactly what it includes; use a competitor's price only from a quote the buyer shows you. | Chief Financial Officer (made up role) with Seller | Open |
What each blocker adds to the plan
Each blocker is read against a fixed list of blocker types. The type decides the milestone added to the timeline, its owner and the risk under What can move the close date. Blockers of one type share a milestone. A blocker that fits no type gets a step to resolve it and a question about who owns it.
| Read as | Blocker | Why this type | Milestone added in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing | Budget timing at quarter end | It names a deadline, a delay, a freeze, a holiday or other priorities | Phase 1: Evaluation |
What can move the close date
- The calendar: 30 working days for 4 stages, and the buyer's own step "Pilot with one team" is not under your control: start it in the first week.
- Losing the champion: if the champion leaves or is moved, IT lead and security reviewer must already know the plan; keep them in the weekly loop.
- The evaluation shows a gap: agree the pass mark for each criterion before the test starts (the 3 above), so a gap is a finding and not a surprise.
- Timing ("Budget timing at quarter end"): a date the buyer does not own will slip; tie the close to the buyer's own event.
Communication Plan
| Cadence | Participants | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Head of Operations (made up role) and the account executive | Progress against the table above and the open questions |
| Every two weeks | IT lead and security reviewer and the solutions engineer | Progress of the tests |
| At each phase gate (2026-11-23, 2026-11-30, 2026-12-07, 2026-12-14) | Chief Financial Officer (made up role) and the executive sponsor | Decisions and the next phase |
Escalation runs from the Head of Operations (made up role) to Chief Financial Officer (made up role) first; if that does not clear it, the seller's manager goes to the buyer's executive.
Next Actions (This Week)
| Priority | Action | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Confirm the dates and owners in this plan with Head of Operations (made up role) | AE | 2026-11-09 |
| High | Book a meeting with Chief Financial Officer (made up role) for the first phase gate | AE | 2026-11-10 |
| Medium | Send this plan to Head of Operations (made up role) to edit | AE | 2026-11-06 |
| Medium | Start "Pilot with one team" now | Both | 2026-11-11 |
This only works as a mutual plan once the buyer has corrected the dates and the owners; update it as things change.
Last updated 2026-11-06.
Reading the answer
This is a proposed dependency sequence for Example Co platform rollout (made up), not a commitment to close on 2026-12-18. Agree the acceptance, review and signature owners before accepting the dates. The conclusion needs review if a dependency finishes later, the buyer cannot attend, the acceptance test fails, or the budget and signature authority remain unresolved.
Decisions by role
Proposed owners. Confirm the named person before acting.
Founder: have the buyer confirm "each supplied requirement, tested separately" before accepting the first milestone for Example Co platform rollout (made up); record what would fail acceptance.
CEO: resolve "Budget timing at quarter end" with Chief Financial Officer (made up role) before approving resources against 2026-12-18; keep the close date proposed while budget or capacity is unconfirmed.
CMO: have IT lead and security reviewer confirm the evidence needed for the Example Co platform rollout (made up) technical review before circulating claims; retain the approval record and any unresolved condition.
CRO: confirm lead times and signature dependencies with Procurement manager and Chief Financial Officer (made up role) before accepting 2026-12-18; move dependent dates when an upstream review slips.
Demand generation head: confirm attendance and the handoff owner for Example Co platform rollout (made up) before issuing meeting invitations; check buyer availability against 2026-12-18 rather than treating a sent invite as agreement.
Run the whole close plan
A mutual action plan is one part of closing a deal. The B2B Deal Execution plugin for Claude and Gemini has a Deal review and close plan skill. It scores the health of one deal from your own facts, ranks the risks, gives dated next actions and builds a mutual close plan with the buyer on a working day calendar.
In Claude Code, run /plugin marketplace add shashwatgtm/b2b-deal-execution and then /plugin install b2b-deal-execution@b2b-deal-execution. In Claude or Cowork, the plugin page has the steps.
Related free tools in Revenue Enablement
Read the method
- CFO ready B2B ROI business case The business case and the mutual action plan for one deal, worked end to end
- B2B proposals and RFP answers The proposal the buying committee signs
- AI native and BPO outcome pricing A mutual action plan for a paid pilot
- Fintech selling to banks Running the bank review a deal plan depends on
Common mistakes
- Treating the draft as agreed. A plan only works as a mutual plan once the buyer has corrected the dates and the owners. Send it to the champion to edit before you rely on any date.
- Setting the pass mark after the test. Agree the pass mark for each criterion before the trial starts, so a gap is a finding and not a surprise.
- Tying the close to a date the buyer does not own. A date the buyer does not own will slip. Date the plan from the buyer's own event, such as a budget meeting or a board date.
- Starting the buyer's long steps late. Steps such as a pilot or a security review are not under your control. Start them in the first week.
- Keeping the plan with one person. If the champion leaves, the evaluators must already know the plan. Keep them in the weekly review.
- Counting a sent invite as agreement. Check that the buyer can attend before you treat a meeting date as part of the plan.
No AI assistant? Copy the template
Working without Claude or ChatGPT? Copy this table into a shared document and fill it in with the buyer. Each date comes from the buyer, and a step is done only when its exit criterion is met.
| Step | Buyer owner | Seller owner | Date | Exit criterion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Agree the success criteria and the pass mark for each | Champion | Account executive | [date from the buyer] | Each criterion is written down with its measure and pass mark, and the champion has confirmed it |
| 2. Run the trial or pilot on the buyer's own case | Champion and evaluators | Solutions engineer | [date from the buyer] | The result has been reviewed against the baseline agreed before the trial started |
| 3. Security and data review | Security reviewer or IT lead | Solutions engineer | [date from the buyer] | The review is passed against the buyer's own policy, and the evidence is kept |
| 4. Business case to the economic buyer | Economic buyer and finance contact | Account executive | [date from the buyer] | The economic buyer has approved the business case built from the buyer's own figures |
| 5. Commercial, legal and procurement steps | Legal and procurement | Account executive | [date from the buyer] | The redlines are resolved, vendor registration is complete and the purchase order is raised |
| 6. Signature | Economic buyer | Account executive | [date from the buyer] | The contract is signed |
Questions and answers
What is a mutual action plan?
A mutual action plan is a shared, dated list of the steps a buyer and a seller agree to take from evaluation to a signed contract. Each step has an owner on each side, a due date and an exit criterion.
When should I propose a mutual action plan?
Propose one when the deal has a real buying process, usually at the evaluation stage, and the buyer has named a champion and the people who will review and sign.
Who owns the mutual action plan?
On the seller side the account executive owns the deal and the plan. On the buyer side the champion keeps it alive. It only becomes mutual once the buyer has corrected the dates and the owners.
Is a mutual action plan a promise to close?
No. It is a proposed order of steps. If a review finishes late, the dates after it move, and the plan should be updated.
Is there a free mutual action plan tool?
Yes. The Mutual Action Plan Generator in Revenue Enablement builds a dated plan from your deal name, target close date and the buyer's steps, free in a browser with no sign in, and in Claude or ChatGPT.
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