work/digital business planning

turning objectives & opportunities into strategy

colaboratively defining ideas based on business objectives, and turning them into an executable path forward is the core of what digital business planning is. no project is the same but the activities on this page outline a consistant foundation for project planning.

setup & definition

launching an engagement with a client involves gathering as much context into the what, why, who, where, and other forces that are the motivation for us to be working together. this activity helps to identify as many knowns as unknowns, and what risks are at play too.

research & discovery

research activities can vary vastly, but the most important part of this phase is talking to people. interviews with customers and stakeholders, and workshops can help to identify everything from hopes and fears, to customer journeys, and deep dives into data and analytics. the purpose of these activities is to synthesize findings in order to arm teams with insights they need for planning.

workshopping with clients © engine digital

isolation of needs & opportunties

initial skethces, flows, ideas, design explorations, and service designs are all best done in a workshop environment, either virtually or in person if possible. the purpose is to create artifacts for the experience design phase to lean on. roadmapping is also involved so stakeholders understand the impact of a project on their timeline and budget.

roadmapping required work

roadmapping is the high level planning of projects that come out of the planning phase in order for stakeholders to priortize and plan for the projects that they want to take action on, and when. roadmaps should be revisitied often, and constantly reviewed and adjusted because a project's twists and turns can take you to unexpected places.

playbook for ecommerce site © engine digital

documentation & outputs

the end of digital business planning is signalled with the delivery of a playbook. this document gives stakeholders and clients a guide for the future. a playbook includes a synthesis of all the research completed and activities performed, and concepts created. sometimes my engagement with a client can end here, or continue, depending on their needs.

next: brand activation

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