How to Create a Trading Plan

This article walks you through creating a custom trade plan in Edge, EdgeFlo's Trade Plan Builder, from opening the builder to saving and reviewing your completed plan.

Edge lets you document your complete trading strategy in one structured plan. This article covers how to create a plan from scratch. If you want to use one of the pre-built preset plans instead, see How to Edit, Duplicate, or Archive a Plan.

A well-documented trade plan is not just reference material. It becomes the standard you measure yourself against every time you take a trade.

Before you start

Have your strategy notes handy before opening Edge. The plan sections cover your charting process, entry criteria, and trade management rules. The more specific you are, the more useful the plan becomes when you are trading under pressure.

Tip: If you are new to EdgeFlo or unsure what to write in each section, open the Presets tab first. These are ready-made trade plans from Brad Goh, Jason Hakeem, and Sanjeev Sangar - mentors from 1% Club and professional traders with over 20 years of combined experience. You can duplicate any preset to use as a starting point.

Step 1: Open Edge and create a new plan

Click Edge in the left navigation bar.
On the Edge home screen, click Create New Plan.
A blank plan form opens.

*Edge home screen with the Create New Plan button*

Step 2: Fill in strategy basics

The first section sets the identity of your plan.

Trade plan name: give your plan a specific name, for example "Weekly Range Reversal" or "London Liquidity Sweep".
Setup type / strategy description: briefly describe the overall approach. Examples include Break and Retest, Liquidity Sweep, or Fair Value Gap.

Step 3: Define your charting process

The charting process is an ordered checklist of the steps you take to prepare your chart before looking for an entry. Think of it as your pre-trade preparation routine.

To add steps:

Click Add step in the Charting Process section.
Type your step, for example "Mark higher timeframe key levels".
Continue adding steps in the order you perform them.
Use the drag handle to reorder steps at any time.

Common examples include:

Mark higher timeframe levels
Identify key ranges or zones
Wait for a specific candle behaviour
Define areas of interest for entry

Step 4: Add entry models

Entry models show what a valid setup looks like visually. This section reduces ambiguity when you are mid-session and trying to decide whether a setup qualifies.

Upload a screenshot of an example entry.
Add a description of what the setup shows and why it qualifies.
You can add multiple entry model examples.

Tip: Use annotated chart screenshots where possible. The clearer the visual, the faster you can reference it during trading without second-guessing yourself.

Step 5: Set your entry criteria

Entry criteria are the specific conditions that must all be true before you enter a trade. These become the checklist Edge uses when evaluating whether you followed the plan.

To add criteria:

Click Add criterion in the Entry Criteria section.
Write each condition as a testable statement, for example "H4 candle must close through key level" or "Stop must be placed outside structure".
Add a minimum R:R requirement if your strategy uses one.

Step 6: Review risk controls (read-only)

The Risk Controls section displays your current discipline settings from your guardrails. These values are not edited in Edge. They are shown here so your plan stays aligned with the rules you have set for yourself.

Displayed values include:

Max trades per day
Max daily loss
Max daily profit
Risk per trade

To change any of these values, go to Settings and update your guardrail rules there.

Step 7: Write your trade management rules

Trade management rules define how you handle the trade after entry. Writing these down in advance removes emotional decision-making once a position is live.

Examples to include:

Whether you trade set and forget (SL and TP only) or actively manage
Trailing stop logic, if you use one
Partial profit rules (for example, take 50% at 1:1 R, move stop to breakeven)

Step 8: Set your exit criteria

Exit criteria are the specific conditions that must all be true before you exit a trade. These become the checklist Edge uses when evaluating whether you followed the plan.

To add criteria:

Click Add criterion in the Exit Criteria section.
Write each condition as a testable statement, for example "Price hit my risk-reward target (e.g., 2R, 3R)"
Add a R:R requirement if your strategy uses one.

Step 9: Add trading notes

Trading notes are a free-form space for anything that does not fit neatly into the structured sections above. Use this section for:

Why the strategy works and the market logic behind it
Common mistakes to watch out for
Reminders or mental cues for specific situations

This section functions as your personal playbook. It is the part you will likely read most often during the session.

Step 9: Save the plan

Once all sections are complete, click Save.
Your plan will appear in the My Plans list.
You can now set it as Active or leave it inactive until you are ready.

Note: You do not need to complete every section before saving. Save a draft at any point and come back to fill in remaining sections. However, the plan should be as complete as possible before you set it as Active and start trading with it.

Frequently asked questions

How many trade plans can I create?

There is no limit on the number of plans in My Plans. You can build separate plans for different strategies, instruments, or sessions. Only one can be Active at a time.

Can I save a plan without filling in every section?

Yes. You can save a plan at any stage. Incomplete plans are stored and can be opened and edited at any time.

What happens to the plan stats section when I create a new plan?

Plan stats start empty. They populate as trades are taken with the plan set as Active and reviewed in the Trade Journal. Stats update automatically over time.

Can I add more than one entry model screenshot?

Yes. You can upload multiple screenshots to the Entry Models section to cover different market conditions or setup variations within the same strategy.

Should my entry criteria list every possible condition or just the critical ones?

Focus on the conditions that are non-negotiable before you enter. If you include too many items, the list becomes hard to scan during a live session. Three to six criteria is usually the right range for most strategies.