understanding strategies, tactics and measurement
DESCRIPTION
Strategy and tactics are two of the most common terms in the marketing world. Yet, perhaps because they are so common, it’s hard to know what they really mean. The trouble with this is two major challenges. If we don’t know what these things really are, then how can we evaluate them? That is, without an understanding of these tools, how can we recognize, manage, or buy good strategy and good tactics? In addition, without a full understanding of these two things, it’s hard to connect them. As we all know, strategies are all too often shelved or ineffective. And tactics are all too often directionless. That is, strategies are often empty and tactics are often blind. In the end, not fully understanding what these things are and aren’t can easily result in wasted time and money as well as in frustration and indecision. In this presentation, I offer definitions of strategy and tactics. Based on this, I discuss the features of good strategy and good tactics. And I add to this a crucial missing element, often overlooked: measurement.TRANSCRIPT
Understanding Strategies, Tactics and Measurement
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Agenda
• Problems with strategies, tactics, and measurement
• Definitions
• Evaluating strategies, tactics, and measurement
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
PROBLEMS WITH STRATEGIES, TACTICS, AND MEASUREMENT
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Problems
• Recognition
• Evaluation
• Relation
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Strategic Gap
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DEFINITIONS
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Projects vs. operations
• Projects are not ongoing
• Projects improve operations
• Operations has metrics, not projects.
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Projects improve operations
Operations
Operations
Projec
t
4%
8%
Strategy + Tactics
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Project components
• Strategy
• Tactics
• Measurement
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Strategy
A strategy is a framework to establish and evaluate tactics with regard to a goal of improving operations.
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Strategic Goals
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Tactics
Tactics use best practices and strategic direction to improve operations.
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Measurement
• Project metrics vs. strategic metrics
• Qualitative vs. quantitative
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Strategy
Tactics Metrics
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Strategy
Tactics Metrics
Project ProjectProject
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Strategy
Tactics Metrics
Project
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Project ProjectProject
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
EVALUATING STRATEGY, TACTICS, AND MEASUREMENT
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Evaluation—Good Strategy
• Statement of the problem
• Support material
• Statement of the solution
• Tactical project list
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Evaluation—Good Tactics
• Agnostic with respect to goals
• Methodology
• Integration into operations
• Realistic
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Evaluation—Good Measurement
• Quantified
• Simple
• Tied to larger goals
• Trackable in near real-time
• Automatable
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Evaluation—Connectedness
• Overarching goals strategy
• Strategic tactics list tactics
• Strategic goals measurement
• Tactical execution measurement
• Overarching metrics measurement
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
CONCLUSION
© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.
Questions• If strategies guide tactics, does this mean that a strategy never (or shouldn’t
change) during the tactical phase?
• Is a robust project management process, tools, etc. required to even begin strategy or tactics?
• What if we’re already in the middle of all this? Is there a way to get “back on track” without starting over?
• Do we need to staff a strategist on tactical projects?
• Were you serious about that project manager remark?
• Strategies influence tactics. But, is there any way that tactics “influence” strategies?
• I already did, or paid for, a strategy that now I realize isn’t helping me. I can’t go back and redo it, so what should I do?
• What if I have a strategic question during tactics that isn’t answered by the strategy?
• Can you really convert any qualitative goal into a quantitative goal?