The Iterative Planning Model

Jack Welch described his strategy planning as picking a direction and implementing like hell. It’s a funny and memorable way of stating the process. When developing a new site or media initiative, an entirely new one with no existing content, I work on two things:

1. Defining the project’s spine, the reason we’re doing this, our ultimate goal.
2. Drawing a line in the sand in terms of what is an agreed-upon first phase.

By defining the spine, we force clarity on to the project and it suddenly becomes easier to focus our efforts. This is the framework for the rest of the life of the project, so it needs to be flexible and easy to get off the ground. This also helps the team develop specific milestones, which means we can specify a path forward and give the project some momentum.

Use that momentum to get to the agreed-upon first phase and launch. Especially with brand new initiatives, the ideas are so nebulous and there are no specific results to point at yet that things can easily become derailed.

The real benefit of the iterative planning process is that is allows for small failures by compartmentalizing them. A failure at one point is not the death of the project, just the end of moving in that direction. The final result is a stronger product.

The example I read recently was of a worker in a bureaucratic system versus a freelance consultant. The bureaucrat has a steady, reliable paycheck that never changes beyond some moderate increases to adjust for cost of living. The consultant, meanwhile, lives in a world of payday feast or famine. As long as the ends of the spectrum are reasonably controlled, the famines won’t kill him and the feasts won’t drive him insane.

In the event of a downturn, who is more likely to thrive? The consultant. He’s more accustomed to adversity and has been able to develop a better model for dealing with it. The bureaucrat, meanwhile, is blindsided by the loss of his one source of income. He has far less experience figuring out how to get out of the hole he now finds himself in.

The iterative planning model works like the consultant, by incorporating some small, sustainable shocks that can be overcome in order to build a stronger whole.

The tent metaphor

In Coca Cola’s 2020 social media strategy (videos below), there is an offhand comment about a tent strategy comprised of “tent poles” and “tent pegs”. They do not elaborate, but here’s what I think it means:

A tent pole is a guiding principle (the spine) of a project or initiative. Defining those gives us the direction in which to move and the yardstick against which to measure progress.

The tent pegs are the slow variable policies Joshua Ramos discusses in his excellent The Age of the Unthinkable. They are the “get out and speak to the people” portion of General Petreaus’ CION strategy. These are those bedrock fundamentals that we need to be so disciplined about keeping in place, because they are the very thing that will keep the whole tent from blowing away. They’re hard, because they’re easy to forget or to at least procrastinate. Little things like being brave enough to intelligently risk small failures, facing minor confrontations head on and handling them and all the other small factors that can decay a project from the insides.

Finally, we are left with the tent itself, a sturdy ecosystem in which our ideas can thrive and flourish or simply be tested. The poles and pegs are what keep this going.

The Coca Cola 2020 videos are a good watch.

Part One

Part Two

Set priorities. Ask yourself, “What can I or my team realistically do that will have the greatest impact?” Whether on a specific project or the organization as a whole, look for a way to focus on your strengths. Too often, defining priorities is done through a process of “negative empiricism” in which everyone comes out a little demoralized thinking about how great it would have been to do something that would have been unrealistic anyway.

Focusing on what you know that you and your team can accomplish if you aim high creates an unblinking view of what you should be doing. In my current role, the main priority is: “To give Clermont County a voice to the world”. This has repeatedly helped us to make decisions on tough issues.

Limit Priorities. Don’t juggle too much. Do this by delegating everything you can and giving your limited time to the one or two (maybe even three) things that will have the greatest impact.

YOUR priorities are not necessarily THEIR priorities. Involve your superiors, your peers and your direct reports in setting priorities. A little consensus-building goes a long way.

The most important thing I have found here is that humility is terribly important. Sure, you’ll have opinions, but make sure to listen to what others have to say on the matter. You can’t be afraid of being wrong here because – hopefully – you have surrounded yourself with smart people. Take advantage of them. Seek out opinions that differ from your own and see if your thoughts can stand up to theirs.

What Does a Good Priority Look Like?

• It meets your boss’ goals. Don’t bother otherwise.
• Your team feels like they own them. What’s more likely to get you a better result: forcing them to do it your “right way”, or conceding a bit and letting them do it “their way”?
• It inspires you and feels like the right thing to do for the future of the organization.
• It’s not going to be easy. Nothing good ever is. Look to grow.
• It is a basic guideline that allows plenty of room for adaptation.

Stick to your priorities. I’ve learned the hard way that this is the tough part. Regularly review your priorities. Are you committing enough of your time to them? Are the projects you and your team are working on now the best use of time for those priorities? Is this priority still legitimate?

By consistently reminding yourself of where your focus should be, keeping it there is that much easier.