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.

1. Understanding Strategies, Tactics and Measurement

2. Agenda Problems with strategies, tactics, and measurement Definitions Evaluating strategies, tactics, and measurement

3. Problems with Strategies, tactics, and Measurement

4. Problems Recognition Evaluation Relation

5. Strategic Gap

6. Definitions

7. Projects vs. operations Projects are not ongoing Projects improve operations Operations has metrics, not projects.

8. Projects improve operations 8% Operations Project 4% Operations Strategy + Tactics

9. Project components Strategy Tactics Measurement

10. Strategy A strategy is a framework to establish and evaluate tactics with regard to a goal of improving operations.

11. Strategic Goals

12. Tactics Tactics use best practices and strategic direction to improve operations.

13. Measurement Project metrics vs. strategic metrics Qualitative vs. quantitative

14. Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement Strategy Metrics Tactics

15. Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement Project Project Project Strategy Metrics Tactics

16. Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement Project Strategy Metrics Tactics

17. Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement Project Project Project

18. Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement

19. Evaluating Strategy, Tactics, and Measurement

20. Evaluation—Good Strategy Statement of the problem Support material Statement of the solution Tactical project list

21. Evaluation—Good Tactics Agnostic with respect to goals Methodology Integration into operations Realistic

22. Evaluation—Good Measurement Quantified Simple Tied to larger goals Trackable in near real-time Automatable

23. Evaluation—Connectedness Overarching goals  strategy Strategic tactics list  tactics Strategic goals  measurement Tactical execution  measurement Overarching metrics  measurement

24. Conclusion

25. 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?