INSIGHT on INSIGHT: Writing a Good Learning Plan
We do a lot of projects that are very surgical in nature. They are designed to address a specific need. And the sooner the project can be wrapped up, the happier the client is to move on with their life.
Surgical projects serve an important purpose, but they are tactical, not strategic, tools.
At the same time, these are the most common type of project to introduce companies to the value of shopper insight to guide decisions.
As companies mature, they discover the value of developing learning plans that anticipate the insight needs across the lifespan of a project or to support the delivery of key objectives or strategies for the coming year.
THE COMPONENTS OF A LEARNING PLAN
Learning plans are strategic tools that create competitive advantage. They require effort and commitment, but the payoff can be significant.
Learning plans can very significantly in scale, scope and design. However, there are some basic stages to help create the skeleton and then flesh out the details.
GATHERING STAGE: Compile the following existing information and needs
Internal strategy documents for the coming year
Key strategies of external partners or customers (i.e. retailers)
A list of all existing or planned internal projects that may utilize insight
Questions, hypotheses, assumptions or speculation from relevant parties
IDENTIFICATION STAGE: Determine where it makes sense to invest in insight
Which specific objectives, strategies or tactics (company projects) involve components or decisions that should be based on data?
How do the questions, hypotheses, assumptions, etc. organize into bigger themes or topics?
What additional questions seem to be relevant based on the bigger themes or topics that are identified?
What themes or topics appear to span multiple components, meaning there could be multiple stakeholders or users of the results?
What types of data could be used to address each component or guide each decision?
PROIORITIZATION STAGE: Establish a preliminary calendar or timeline for the insight work
Reverse engineer a timeline from when each component is due back to when key decisions need to be made back to when information needs to be available to guide decisions back to when insight collection needs to begin.
Rank the relative importance or value of each component. Separate critical need components from less-critical want components.
SKELETON STAGE: Develop the projects, phases and refined calendar
Outline specific insight projects and how they address the needs of each component.
Determine where projects can be done sequentially (and potentially be modified as learning takes place) and which need to be done concurrently (to save time).
Place projects on a calendar to establish the order, including start dates and delivery dates.
BUDGET & SELECTION STAGE: Establish parameters to begin project work
Establish final total budget and begin allocating funding across projects.
Determine the proper sequence of the components.
Reconfirm the proper timeline to start and deliver each project.
Determine how executional partners will be selected and to what degree they will be involved in each project.
DESIGN STAGE: Build the approach
Based on the components included in the overall learning plan, approach designing each to ensure any necessary pooling, merging or comparison across data can be easily accomplished.
Consider how learning from one phase will build on learning from prior phases, including the ability to adapt based on unexpected insight.
Take time to consider the many ways the research objectives can be translated into different research questions. Determine if multiple paths should be taken to provide more than one answer to the most important questions.
EXECUTION STAGE: Capture the data
Maintain enough oversight to make sure costly errors are avoided…or at least noticed soon enough to be quickly corrected.
With qualitative research, watch for opportunities to morph or modify the execution as key questions are answered and new questions are raised.
ANALYSIS STAGE: Translate data into information
Know what sub-groups and what analysis can be used to reveal the insight you are looking for.
Consider including secondary or marginal groups that could reveal unexpected opportunities.
Have quality control components to avoid the introduction of analysis error.
Build in enough time to explore the results and dig deeper into surprising or interesting nuggets.
INTERPRETATION / CONCLUSION STAGE: Translate the information into meaningful insight
Once analysis is done, take time to do a systematic approach to reviewing all the new information before too many conclusions are created.
Do not rush through the data even if you know where to look for answers to your core questions.
Determine if particular people with unique perspective should be involved earlier in the interpretation before conclusions and recommendations are made.
Encourage debate and disagreement regarding what data is most important and what it means.
Be careful not to extrapolate meaning or assume root causes that are not supported within the data.
APPLICATION: Do something with the new insight
Remember that lack of application makes any insight gained from a project little more than academic. It is not through knowing something, but acting on it that value is created.
Realize that insight can be divided and conquered. Reports can be delivered to different areas of the business that can independently take action.
Separate and focus on both the internal application of the insights (better decision-making) and the external application (influencing retailer or third-party decisions).