Mastering the Market. How Agile Planning Keeps You Ahead of the Curve.

Do you hear the word planning and you find yourself rolling your eyes? You picture endless meetings; long PowerPoints slide decks full of buzzwords that would give Siri a headache. You also feel that by the time you finish this whole old process, it will already be obsolete. But here’s the reality: if done properly, it can be a small pain for a lot of gain.

Remember that fantastic plan we made last year? Well, the market may have gone and changed the rules of the game, leaving our carefully laid path feeling a bit outdated. And we may not know it yet, but we will find out later, with a less pleasing nose-dive in performance if we don’t take the time to review some fundamental elements. That’s why we do this planning thing again and again. It’s not because we love a good redo (although it can be fun!), but because it allows us to…

• Customers change: Have their needs, aspirations, and pain points changed? Are we still effectively addressing them?
• Strategic Choices: Do our goals and positioning still resonate with the evolving market? Are there new opportunities to pursue?
• Tactical Implementation: Are our initiatives delivering the intended results? Can we optimize their effectiveness or streamline their execution?
• Performance Evaluation: How did previous campaigns and initiatives fare? What lessons can we glean to inform future decisions?

But remember, there is no need to reinvent the entire engine every time we stop. That’s just exhausting. Instead, we can do a more like a quick pit stop and revisit these critical aspects, so we are not throwing away past efforts. We’re building upon them, refining our course based on valuable insights and ensuring our resources are directed towards what really matters and can make a difference.

This ongoing process serves several crucial purposes:

• Maintains Relevance: As customer insights are the compass of the plan, it is worth checking they have change and whether we are still pointing in the right direction?  Or maybe time for a realignment?
• Maximizes Efficiency: Is our implementation working smoothly or need a tweak? Reviewing our plan allows us to identify and address inefficiencies, optimizing our resource allocation and achieving greater impact.
• Fosters Adaptability: Are we still going for the right targets? A plan review equips us to identify and seize new opportunities, potentially putting us ahead of the competition.
• Encourages Collaboration: Divide and conquer is critical for execution, but when the team disperses, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Going back to the plan for a review engages various stakeholders and re-align them in the shared mission, fostering a sense of ownership and collective accountability.

Ultimately, the essential reassessment should not a chore, but a strategic advantage. It enables us to maintain a clear focus, continuously improve our approach, and navigate the dynamic market with confidence. And if done frequent enough, it can also become more embedded in our normal business practice (more like best practice).

Perhaps is time to take a critical look at your current planning process. Are you engaged in regular, focused reassessments? Are you embracing the opportunity to refine your course and maximize your brand’s potential? Are you asking yourself, more frequent than not…

• What’s working? So you can double down on those winning efforts!
• What’s not? So you can refocus your time and make space for new ideas.
• What can be better? So you can apply what you have learned and improve so you can speed up in the competitive race.

Are you mastering this planning a dynamic conversation? If you are, high five! If you are not, perhaps it is time to review the frequency of your time reviews or your planning process to check that you are striking the balance. We’re here to help. We’re experts in streamlining processes and boosting results. Let’s chat about how we can tailor a solution for your unique needs.