INBOX INSIGHTS, June 19, 2024: Keeping Projects on the Rails, Overcoming Analysis Paralysis with AI - Trust Insights Marketing Analytics Consulting

INBOX INSIGHTS: Keeping Projects on the Rails, Overcoming Analysis Paralysis with AI (6/19) :: View in browser

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Preventing Your Projects from Being Derailed

I’m in the middle of a kitchen renovation. If you’ve ever been through one, you know the experience can be stressful. Your level of involvement is likely tied to just how stressful it gets. I’ll be honest, I’m not handy. I’m a menace with sharp objects, or even blunt ones. But those who know me know that I am excellent at bossing people around, getting answers, and making sure things get done.

So here I am, knee-deep in construction, shocked to find out that not once, but twice, I’m the bottleneck in the process. The first time was when I was told the project could not move forward until I physically showed up somewhere to approve materials. The second time was when I hadn’t paid the outstanding balance.

Both of these things seem like easy fixes, right? Sure. They were. Except for the fact that I wasn’t aware these were things that needed to be done. Let me clarify: Yes, I knew I needed to pick and approve materials. And yes, I knew I needed to pay the balance. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was how the process was unfolding and the lack of clarity and instruction. Not knowing what my role was, or assuming I didn’t have one, has held up the project from moving forward. In the first instance, I had already chosen the materials. I wasn’t told until the time came that, despite already choosing the materials and having it detailed on the work order, I needed to re-choose materials. In the second instance, I incorrectly assumed that when my credit card was charged initially, it would be charged when the next payment was due. So here I was, looking at a zero balance on my card and holding the work order with the chosen materials, scratching my head trying to figure out how I had screwed this all up.

I tell you this because having a clearly defined process is the key to success for any project. Generative AI is still dominating the conversation. Marketers are being asked every single day to figure out how to integrate it into their workflow. We’re being asked to move faster, create more, and save money. It’s a big ask, but it’s not impossible. You can do it with good process development.

Why do we struggle with process? In my experience, process is a dirty word. To document it, to explain what you’re doing, takes too long. It’s faster just to do it. Chris, for example, is someone who moves very fast. He’ll get an idea and start to hammer away at it on his computer until he gets results. He’ll show us the results, and when we get excited to start using the new thing, the bottom drops out. He doesn’t remember what he did or how to replicate it. Womp. Womp.

In this instance, it’s just Chris, and he can retrace his steps to document a process. When you start to include more people, larger teams, and lots of technology, it becomes increasingly difficult to retrace and replicate. This is why process development is essential from the start.

If your company is undergoing a digital transformation, the steps can be murky. Think about introducing tech like generative AI into your workflow. There are a lot of moving pieces and likely a lot of questions to answer. People want to know where they fit in and what they’ll be doing. You’ll want to know what the existing processes are and where generative AI fits in. You’ll need to evaluate what tools you’re currently using and if generative AI will replace those. You’ll need to have a grasp on the existing process so you can adjust them for the new technology. Digital transformation often goes wrong because the emphasis is on the outcome and the technology. The focus, however, should be on the people and process. More often, projects go sideways when the emphasis is on the platform.

The good news is that the 5P Framework can help you out. The 5Ps are Purpose, People, Process, Platform, and Performance. Not only do you want to know what the process is, but who is involved, what tools you need, and how to measure success.

In my case, my purpose is a renovated kitchen that includes new cabinets and counters. When I get to people and process, these are the pieces of the project that have been the least defined, and where we’ve run into roadblocks. I was talking to a customer support person last week as I was trying to resolve some of the blocks. She said, “I wish they would just write out a checklist for the homeowner that told them step by step what would happen and what they were responsible for.” I couldn’t agree more. Because the process was missing, the whole project could have fallen apart and been delayed.

While my example is small potatoes, it could have gone very wrong. Aside from me, there are four other vendors involved that I’m coordinating. Finding the point of failure in the process could have been really challenging. At a larger company, there are more people, more moving pieces, and more points of failure. You might have a difficult time determining where things are stuck and who is the bottleneck. This results in a waste of time, money, and resources.

If you’re in the midst of a project that seems to not be moving forward, check your process. Is it clear? Look at your people. Do they know what they’re responsible for? A lack of understanding of responsibility can seriously derail things, and many times the person doing the derailing isn’t even aware. It can cause frustration all around. Especially if the person who plays a vital role, and isn’t aware, is being asked to do big things with no notice.

Take a moment to run through the 5Ps, even if you’ve already started a project.

Purpose: Do you have a specific problem you’re trying to solve?
People: Do all the involved parties know what their responsibilities are?
Process: Are all the steps of the project defined and communicated?
Platform: Are all the tools and materials chosen and approved?
Performance: Is there a clear measure of success?

Use the 5Ps as a quick gut check to see if there are any sticking points. It’s never too late to adjust a project, especially if there are parts that need better transparency.

Are you confident with your process development? Reach out and tell me, or come join the conversation in our Free Slack Group, Analytics for Marketers.

– Katie Robbert, CEO

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In this episode of In-Ear Insights, the Trust Insights podcast, Katie and Chris tackle the challenge of using generative AI for sales, both B2B and B2C. Discover how generative AI helps you analyze customer data and identify pain points to improve your selling approach. Learn how this technology can bridge the gap between sales, marketing, and product development for a more collaborative and effective strategy. Katie and Chris emphasize the importance of understanding customer needs and aligning your products or services accordingly, highlighting the limitations of AI when it comes to human judgment and decision-making.

Watch/listen to this episode of In-Ear Insights here »

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In this week’s Data Diaries, let’s showcase one incredibly powerful, overlooked, underused application of generative AI, specifically large language models. Anyone who’s worked in analytics for more than a few minutes has heard of or even confronted that most dreaded of phenomena:

Analysis paralysis.

Yes, it’s organizational overthinking, the classic “don’t let best be the enemy of good”, waiting for the perfect plan or the perfect piece of data to take action. Analysis paralysis does exactly what the label says: it paralyzes organizations into inaction, letting critical opportunities pass you by.

Why does it occur? Mainly because of risk. If you work in an organization that doesn’t reward risk (and let’s face it, that’s most places nowadays) then it’s safer for your individual career to let an opportunity go by than it is to take a chance with “pretty good” information. There’s a clear neck to choke if you take a chance and it doesn’t pan out. There’s a collective shifting of blame when no one can be held accountable for not taking action.

So, how does generative AI play a role here? By being a second opinion. By offering a neutral third party’s opinion that, if you allow it, can nudge you into action OR tell you that standing pat is the right choice.

Okay, that sounds great. How do we bring this to life? Unsurprisingly, we’ll use the Trust Insights 5P Framework: purpose, people, process, platform, performance.

Purpose: What is the decision we’re trying to make? What is the purpose of it?
People: Who are the people involved? Critically, what role do they play in the consequences of the decision?
Process: How do we normally make decisions of this nature? (And are those processes any good?)
Platform: Where do we get information to make these kinds of decisions?
Performance: And of course, was the decision the right choice?

Let’s look at how we would bring this to life. We’d start a session with the generative AI tool of choice, and start with the Trust Insights RACE Framework with a role that’s appropriate to the situation. Let’s say we are debating investing in ads on LinkedIn. We know it works for some folks, and we also know it costs far more than other kinds of advertising.

Role: You’re an expert B2B digital marketing manager skilled at lead generation from both paid and unpaid marketing channels.
Action: Evaluate the following circumstances and help make a decision about whether or not to advertise on LinkedIn.
Context:
- Purpose: We need to make a decision whether to advertise on LinkedIn or not for the purposes of lead generation for our sales pipeline.
- People: I’m the digital marketing manager of Trust Insights, and I would need the CEO’s approval for this program, but building a case for or against LinkedIn ads is my responsibility.
- Process: We’ve tried LinkedIn ads in the past, along with other digital ads channels. For this particular decision, we have an overall advertising budget of $500.
- Platform: I’ll include some past results for LinkedIn, both paid and unpaid. I’ve also included Google Analytics data by source/medium so you can see what’s driving traffic and conversions already.
- Performance: Help me make a decision.
Execute:
- If you have enough information to make a decision about whether or not we should buy ads on LinkedIn for lead generation, then please talk through step by step your decision-making process, then return your final decision.
- If you do not have enough information to make a decision, please ask me followup questions to obtain that information.

What are the results of this?

Gemini rendered a verdict of no-go: we shouldn’t advertise on LinkedIn, given past performance. Instead, it recommends investing our limited budget in SEO or email marketing, while trying to figure out a working formula for LinkedIn with organic content first.

This is a useful technique to overcome analysis paralysis. Combining the Trust Insights RACE and 5P frameworks gives us a solid prompt to start making a decision; we could augment this with an ideal customer profile or more specifics, but if we just need a second opinion on something we’re already debating, generative AI can provide it.

How are you using generative AI to overcome analysis paralysis?

Here’s a roundup of who’s hiring, based on positions shared in the Analytics for Marketers Slack group and other communities.

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