Small Business Plan Strategies

Is it really necessary for small businesses to have a business plan strategy? Some small business owners will take the position that business planning is not necessary for their situation because everything is in "great shape". In this case the need for a business plan can be easily overlooked, but that does not mean that this is really the preferred path given all of the possible alternatives. Things can and do go wrong regardless of how well a business is currently doing. This is precisely the rationale for having a contingency business planning strategy in advance of something going wrong.