Planning for the worse

If you work in a large organization like I do, it is easy to get caught up in your own work. After all, timelines are usually tight, you manage more than a handful of projects and of course, there are always emergencies that need to be dealt with right away.

What usually happens is that you lose track of the bigger picture and by the time you realize it, it's too late.

If you are contributing to a larger strategy by planning and executing a particular tactic, it is important to make sure your work is always in line with the end goal - something that may (although shouldn't) change even up to launch. If you don't, this may result in a bad execution, or even worse...a failed tactic.

So, how do you plan for the worse?

1. Have a weekly status with the team to make sure you are still on target with the larger strategy and goal.
2. Make sure your plan or tactic is well rounded. For example, if you are building a website, does the advertising team know it should mention it in their ads. Does your email program direct people to the site. Does the site use the same imagery as the print ads.
3. Make predictions. Based on the larger strategy and other tactics, predict the success or failure of your work. My making a sound prediction, you can raise a red flag if you know your work may result in failure and be able to change the larger strategy to make sure the worse doesn't happen.