Business Strategy and Design Policies

The first item on the agenda when ensuring that the stakeholders adhere to policy is to first identify the stakeholders. It is important to keep track of all stakeholders whether they are key to the project or not. Not only are the project team members, managers, peers, and internal customers relevant, but also government, external customers, suppliers, and contractors. It is important to note that the key stakeholders are definitely on a different priority list than others, but all stakeholders are important. It would be erroneous to assume that “the little people” don’t count. They do and they will shut down your project if they feel indifferent or negatively about the endeavor and are determined enough to do so. “Identify all the relevant stakeholders. Because any of these stakeholders could derail the project, you need to consider their particular interest in the project.” (Opentextbc.ca).

The key to keeping the stakeholders on track is to inform and motivate them to do so. First, make plans and present the plans. Then, hold meetings both in a group and individually with as many stakeholders as possible. Multiple meetings are best. Keep them up to date through in-depth analysis and status reports. Lego does just this. “The process is explained on colourfully illustrated posters and leaflets, and a series of standard templates is used by the development teams to allocate tasks, record progress and present the results of each phase of the design process.” (Design Council). Communication is the main ingredient for success in team projects. To keep the stakeholders on policy, inform them of its importance and what can happen if not on target. Keep scheduling a priority and adhere to deadlines to show the importance of being efficient.

Posting design policies publicly, creating websites or wikis with design policy information is also useful. Again, having frequent meeting where common design policies are discussed, keeps them fresh in the minds of the stakeholders. “Methods of communicating can take many forms, such as written reports, conversations, email, formal status reports, meetings, online databases, online schedules, and project websites. You should consider several factors before deciding what methods you’ll choose to transfer information.” (Opentextbc.ca).

Measuring the success of design integration into the business model can take on many forms. “When reviewing your campaign data, you should be able to measure how much of an increase in revenue and site traffic can be directly tied to the campaigns you are running. Keep in mind that new sales are not the only sign of a campaign’s success. Different campaigns have different focuses. So while a certain marketing campaign might not directly lead to an immediate increase in sales volume, it can still help grow your business through an increase in impressions and brand awareness.” (Digitalistmag.com). One of the main and most obvious metric to use for measuring the success of design is conversion. If you are going to analyze and quantify data, it is somewhat important to choose what data to track and why. “Yes, you need to measure conversions. That means you need to know what you’re trying to convert. It could be sales, revenue, contact form submissions, newsletter signups, whatever. You wouldn’t believe how many businesses simply aren’t tracking conversions. I’ve seen clients with five years of data in Google Analytics and absolutely ZERO goals set up. What’s the point of tracking anything if you aren’t tracking what matters the most?” (Firstscribe.com).

Return of investment is a pretty easy choice of metric to use to really understand your bottom line. It is directly linked with cost and return. This is the bread and butter of most companies and this really should be a “no brainer.” “No matter what type of marketing you’re using, every business owner should be aware of return on investment (ROI). This metric is a measurement of your profits relative to your costs.” (Firstscribe.com). Return on ad spend is relevant but often overlooked. It is essential as a metric for online companies, but other companies may not see the importance of this. “Return on ad spend (ROAS) is a great metric for an ecommerce site. It directly shows how your ads are doing relative to sales on your website. ROAS calculates how much revenue your ads have generated (and Google calculates it for you!).” (Firstscribe.com). Conversion rates, bounce rates, customer satisfaction, and visits are also all essential metrics to use.

In conclusion, It is imperative to identify and satisfy all relevant stakeholders, allowing for the most concession for key stakeholders. How to keep them in line with design policy is to update them on progress and new changes regularly. “Good project management should create regular opportunities for clear and open communication, both with the design team and the client team. This can happen daily through informal conversations and through review meetings, held regularly and frequently, to assess and monitor progress.” (Best, K). Metrics measure outcomes, some of which are conversion, return of investment, and customer satisfaction.

References

Best, Kathryn. (2015). Design management: Managing Design Strategy, Process, and Implementation. 2^nd Ed. New York.

Design Council. Retrieved from: https://myhugo.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-3824184-dt-content-rid-11497847_1/courses/DDG6100SPLV001/04%20ElevenLessons_Design_Council%20_2_%201.pdf

Digitalistmag.com. Retrieved from: http://www.digitalistmag.com/customer-experience/2017/10/26/measure-marketing-campaign-effectiveness-05453168.

Firstscribe.com. Retrieved from: https://www.firstscribe.com/what-metrics-should-i-use-to-measure-success/.

Opentextbc.ca. Retrieved from: https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/chapter/chapter-5-project-stakeholders-project-management/; https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/chapter/chapter-15-communication-planning-project-management/.