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Adding Your Strategy Document

Adding Your Strategy Document

Strategy documents are a key component of your SR&ED claim, providing detailed evidence of your organization’s approach to research and experimental development. This guide will walk you through the process of preparing and uploading your strategy document to SREDWise.

You can skip this section if you…

Have a draft or final pitch deck, business plan, or operational document? You’re good to go! Just upload your file into SREDWise.

If you don’t have this file on hand, no problem! Follow the guide to put your SR&ED documentation together.

Get Started: Use Our Strategy Document Template

Creating a comprehensive strategy document from scratch can be challenging. We’ve prepared a template that follows CRA guidelines to help you document your SR&ED approach effectively.

Download our SR&ED Strategy Document Template

What to Include in Your Strategy Document

An effective SR&ED strategy document should include:

  • Strategic technological vision for your organization
  • Innovation roadmap showing planned technical evolution
  • Research areas you’re actively investigating
  • Technical barriers you anticipate encountering
  • Methodology for experimentation and testing
  • Knowledge gaps you aim to address
  • Resource allocation for R&D activities
  • Risk assessment and mitigation strategies
  • Competitive technology landscape analysis
  • Timeline for research and development activities

Uploading Your Strategy Document

SREDWise currently accepts a single PDF upload for your strategy document. Follow these steps to add your document:

  1. Navigate to the “Strategy Document” section in your SR&ED claim
  2. Click the “Upload Document” button in the file upload area
  3. Select your prepared PDF file
  4. Wait for the analysis to complete (this typically takes 1-3 minutes)

Once processed, SREDWise will generate a structured analysis of your strategy document that you can review and edit.

Important: Combining Multiple Documents

Note: The system currently accepts only one file upload for strategy documents. If you have multiple documents, you’ll need to combine them into a single PDF before uploading.

Options for Combining PDFs

Online Tools (Free)

Desktop Software

  • Adobe Acrobat Pro - Professional solution with additional editing features
  • Preview (Mac) - Built-in on Mac computers:
    1. Open the first PDF in Preview
    2. Open the sidebar (View > Thumbnails)
    3. Drag additional PDFs into the sidebar to combine them
    4. Save as a new file
  • Microsoft Word - Insert multiple PDFs and save as PDF

For Developers

If you’re technical, you can also use command-line tools:

  • PDFtk - pdftk file1.pdf file2.pdf cat output combined.pdf
  • Ghostscript - gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -q -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=combined.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf

Using LLMs to Generate SR&ED Strategy Documents

Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini can be valuable tools for creating comprehensive SR&ED strategy documents. This guide will help you effectively use these tools to generate high-quality strategic documentation for your SR&ED claims.

Gathering Your Data First

Before approaching an LLM, collect these key information sources:

  1. Company Documentation

    • Business plans and strategic roadmaps
    • Annual reports and investor presentations
    • Internal technology roadmaps
    • Patent applications or technology whitepapers

  2. R&D Planning Materials

    • Research initiatives and their prioritization
    • Technology stack evolution plans
    • Innovation objectives and key results (OKRs)
    • Budget allocations for experimental development

  3. Market and Competitive Analysis

    • Industry trend reports
    • Competitor technology assessments
    • Market gap analysis documents
    • Customer problem statements

  4. Technical Leadership Input

    • CTO/VP Engineering strategic vision documents
    • Technical steering committee meeting notes
    • Long-term architectural vision statements
    • Technical debt and modernization plans

  5. Past SR&ED Projects

    • Previously successful SR&ED claims
    • Technical advancement outcomes
    • Knowledge gaps identified but not yet addressed
    • Continuation of past experimental work

Effective Prompting Strategies for LLMs

Two-Stage Approach

For best results, use a two-stage prompting approach:

Stage 1: Data Organization

I need to create a SR&ED strategy document for my company [Company Name]. I have the following raw data:


[Paste relevant company documentation, roadmaps, etc.]


Please help me organize this information into a structured format covering:
1. Current technological position
2. Strategic research directions
3. Technical uncertainties to address
4. Systematic investigation approaches
5. Expected technological advancements
6. Resource allocation and timeline

Stage 2: Structured Document Creation

Using the organized information below, please create a comprehensive SR&ED strategy document that aligns with CRA requirements. Focus on highlighting technological uncertainties, systematic investigation approaches, and planned advancements that demonstrate SR&ED eligibility.


[Paste the organized information from Stage 1]


Please structure the document with these sections:
1. Executive Summary
2. Technology Vision and Strategy
3. Research Areas and Knowledge Gaps
4. Systematic Investigation Methodology
5. Technical Advancement Objectives
6. Risk Assessment and Mitigation
7. Resource Allocation
8. Timeline and Milestones
9. Performance Metrics and Success Criteria

Specific Enhancement Prompts

For improved sections, use these targeted prompts:

For Technical Uncertainties:

For each research area mentioned, please elaborate on:
1. Why current technologies are insufficient
2. What specific knowledge gaps exist
3. Why the outcomes cannot be predicted based on current knowledge
4. How these uncertainties align with CRA's SR&ED eligibility criteria

For Systematic Investigation:

For each area of technical uncertainty, please expand on:
1. What experimental approaches will be used
2. How hypotheses will be formulated and tested
3. What metrics will determine success or failure
4. How iterations will be designed and evaluated
5. What documentation methods will track the investigation

For Strategic Alignment:

Please enhance the strategic alignment section by:
1. Connecting technological advancement to business objectives
2. Explaining how SR&ED activities support competitive advantage
3. Demonstrating how systematic investigation aligns with long-term vision
4. Highlighting the innovation culture that supports SR&ED activities

Example Prompts for Specific Industry Types

For Software Companies:

I'm creating a SR&ED strategy document for our software company that specializes in [specific domain]. Our current technology stack includes [list technologies], and we're facing challenges in [specific technical areas]. Our long-term vision is to [describe vision].


Please create a comprehensive SR&ED strategy document that outlines our planned research into these technical uncertainties, our systematic investigation approach, and how these advancements will position us strategically in the market.

For Manufacturing/Hardware Companies:

I'm creating a SR&ED strategy document for our manufacturing company that produces [specific products]. We currently use [list technologies/processes], and we're facing limitations in [specific technical areas]. Our strategic goal is to [describe goals].


Please create a comprehensive SR&ED strategy document that outlines our planned experimental development in these areas, our testing methodologies, and how these technical advancements will improve our production capabilities.

For Biotechnology/Life Sciences:

I'm creating a SR&ED strategy document for our biotechnology company that works on [specific focus area]. Our current research involves [list approaches/methods], and we're facing scientific uncertainties in [specific areas]. Our research vision is to [describe vision].


Please create a comprehensive SR&ED strategy document that outlines our planned scientific investigations, our experimental design approach, and how resolving these uncertainties will advance our technological position.

Tips for Optimizing LLM Output

  1. Provide Company Context

    • Include your company size, industry, and history
    • Mention previous SR&ED claims if applicable
    • Describe your current technological position

  2. Be Technically Specific

    • Avoid generic technological descriptions
    • Include actual technology stacks, frameworks, or methodologies
    • Specify particular technical challenges unique to your domain

  3. Include Strategic Business Goals

    • Connect technical research to business objectives
    • Explain how technological advancement impacts market position
    • Demonstrate the strategic importance of resolving uncertainties

  4. Balance Detail and Readability

    • Request executive summaries for leadership
    • Ask for more technical detail in specific sections
    • Ensure the document reads cohesively across sections

  5. Focus on Eligibility Criteria

    • Emphasize technological uncertainty
    • Highlight the systematic investigation approach
    • Show how the work advances knowledge in your field

What to Review and Edit After Generation

After generating your strategy document with an LLM, be sure to:

  1. Verify Technical Accuracy

    • Ensure all technology descriptions are correct
    • Confirm that technical challenges are accurately portrayed
    • Check that proposed methodologies are feasible

  2. Add Company-Specific Details

    • Insert proprietary research approaches
    • Include specific team expertise and capabilities
    • Reference company-specific technological assets

  3. Enhance CRA Alignment

    • Strengthen descriptions of technological uncertainty
    • Ensure systematic investigation is clearly documented
    • Verify that technological advancement claims are supportable

  4. Include Visuals

    • Add timelines, roadmaps, or process diagrams
    • Include resource allocation charts
    • Create visual representations of technical challenges

  5. Personalize for Stakeholders

    • Tailor language to reflect company culture
    • Include quotes or perspectives from technical leaders
    • Adapt the tone to suit your organization’s communication style

Remember, the LLM output should serve as a strong starting point for your SR&ED strategy document, but human review and enhancement are essential for creating a compelling and accurate strategy that aligns with CRA requirements.

After Uploading

After your strategy document is processed:

  1. Review the generated analysis for accuracy and completeness
  2. Use the editing feature to refine any sections that need clarification
  3. If needed, you can regenerate the analysis up to 3 times by clicking the “Regenerate Plan Analysis” button
  4. Ensure all key strategic elements are accurately represented in the final document

Best Practices

  • Align with business objectives while focusing on technical research
  • Be specific about technical uncertainties rather than business risks
  • Demonstrate systematic investigation methodologies clearly
  • Show how your approach is experimental rather than routine development
  • Connect research activities to knowledge advancement in your field
  • Provide measurable success criteria for technological advancement
  • Include a reasonable timeline for research and experimental activities
  • Document resource allocation to demonstrate commitment to R&D

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with your upload:

  • Ensure your PDF is not password-protected
  • Check that the file size is under 10MB
  • Verify the PDF isn’t corrupted by opening it before uploading
  • If analysis fails, try using a different PDF creation method

If problems persist, contact our support team at support@sredwise.com.

Next Steps

Once your strategy document is processed and refined, proceed to the next section to document your work summary which provides the detailed evidence of the SR&ED work performed. Together, your strategy document and work summary create a comprehensive narrative for your SR&ED claim.