Background

A mid-size software vendor wanted to increase efficiency of sending products to markets from engineering through to marketing and sales and achieve better alignment of go-to-market efforts with a software roadmap. Marketing was particularly interested in strategic sustainable differentiation and product and target market parameters to reach out to software customers in both business and consumer markets in a programmatic way for lasting results. Client executives asked for a business planning methodology that would coordinate engineering, marketing, sales and finance to develop a long-term strategic business plan and operational marketing plan to run business operations with a new cadence within 3 to 6 months.

​

Analysis and Teamwork
We worked with our client to understand its functional interaction, decision-making map and rhythm-of-business calendar, product portfolio, customer segment groups and historic preferences by segment. Our team developed a segmentation map based on customer assessments and product portfolio analysis, resulting in a prioritized list of target segments assigned to client’s teams.

​

We then worked with executives to develop a business planning flow and calendar, tailored the planning stages to each segment and function, including a decision-making vertical, and a tracking system to control progress. Materials included a book of client’s historical facts and a book with business planning templates reflecting steps and concepts relevant for client’s unique competitive position analysis and further development, executive guidelines with goals, financial projections and other measures of desired state of success.

​

Over 9 weeks, we helped the client kick-off the planning process beginning with agreeing on client’s historical facts in 6 segments across four regions. During the planning process the team participated in meetings every week with functional and regional managers to facilitate and track progress and share best practices.

​

Results
The client developed and agreed upon the description of desired state of success in the long term and for annual milestones. Corporate goals broken down into functional goals with better alignment and increased effectiveness.

​

The client achieved bottom-line impact in key segments during the first fiscal year in which the new planning process was launched, with no significant organizational changes. A consecutive repeating application of the implemented planning process lead by client’s executives followed.