Design Thinking in Marketing - Learning Launch

Challenge:

I am a member of my organization’s online marketing department and my/our challenge is to improve the workflow  (activities and projects) within the department in order to increase sales in the online channel and to spend marketing  budgets on the right campaigns. The project scope includes the online marketing department composed of ten  employees, as well as the larger marketing department and IT department, with whom we work closely. The project  is limited to internal resources (i.e., budget and employee time). The project should not exceed 30 business days and  the solution should include an even distribution of working hours amongst the team members. We will focus on trying  to uncover what our team members, as well as key stakeholders within the larger marketing department and IT  department, consider to be ineffective or problematic with regard to the workflow.

Selection:

Our team has already gone through several design thinking activities/tools, so we are ready to try the learning launch  tool. Broadly speaking, the learning launch is an experiment meant to quickly test an idea and prototype.

Application:

For our first learning launch, we focused on the structure/execution of our online marketing tasks. In particular, we  wanted to see if we could structure our tasks, projects, and processes to adapt the methods of Scrum project  management for our work (e.g., time boxed, daily, specific meetings, reviews, etc.) in an effort to become more agile.  This tested our assumption that the structure and execution were the main causes of our workflow challenge.

Our team went through a two-day training with a Scrum project management coach. Next, we went through five  workshops to structure our tasks and processes in a more agile way. These two sessions occurred within in a three- week timeframe. We expected to produce a document with a clear description of our new, more agile  processes/workflow.

For our second learning launch, we focused on gaining clarity about our tasks and priorities. This tested our assumption  that our prioritization of tasks was the main cause of our workflow challenge. Our team completed an anonymous  survey. Additionally, five key stakeholders from the larger marketing department and IT department also completed  an anonymous survey.

The surveys included questions about our new, proposed process, understanding the process and the prioritization of  tasks, and feelings about the change, and were conducted within a one-week timeframe.

Insight:

By applying the learning launch tool, our team identified our assumptions and designed launches to test these  assumptions. Additionally, we thought through anticipated results, expecting to find that a more agile approach would  improve our workflow, and that both our team and the key stakeholders would be fairly open to the new prioritization  of tasks and process. Our actual results were slightly different from what we anticipated: while our team was open to  the prioritization of tasks and process, the key stakeholders in the larger marketing department and IT department  expressed some concerns. Moving forward, our team will review this insight and incorporate it into future launch  designs. The ongoing incorporation of insight is particularly important at this stage, as launches come before a full  rollout in the design thinking timeline.

Approach:

Given that our team has already gone through several design thinking activities/tools and are at this stage in the  timeline, the learning launch is the appropriate tool. As previously mentioned, our team needs to review the insight  gained from our first two launches and incorporate this insight into future launch designs. Future launch designs should  reflect insight gained, progress made, and come closer to a compelling solution ready for full rollout.


Design Thinking in Marketing - Learning Launch Challenge : I am a member of my organization ’s online marketing department and my / our challenge is to improve the workflow ( activities and projects ) within the department in order to increase sales in the online channel and to spend marketing budgets on the right campaigns . The project scope includes the online marketing department composed of ten employees , as well as the larger marketing department and IT department , with whom we work closely . The project is limited to internal resources ( i.e. , budget and employee time ) . The project should not exceed 30 business days and the solution should include an even distribution of working hours amongst the team members . We will focus on trying to uncover what our team members , as well as key stakeholders within the larger marketing department and IT department , consider to be ineffective or problematic with regard to the workflow . Selection : Our team has already gone through several design thinking activities / tools , so we are ready to try the learning launch tool . Broadly speaking , the learning launch is an experiment meant to quickly test an idea and prototype . Application : For our first learning launch , we focused on the structure / execution of our online marketing tasks . In particular , we wanted to see if we could structure our tasks , projects , and processes to adapt the methods of Scrum project management for our work ( e.g. , time boxed , daily , specific meetings , reviews , etc . ) in an effort to become more agile . This tested our assumption that the structure and execution were the main causes of our workflow challenge . Our team went through a two - day training with a Scrum project management coach . Next , we went through five workshops to structure our tasks and processes in a more agile way . These two sessions occurred within in a three- week timeframe . We expected to produce a document with a clear description of our new , more agile processes / workflow . For our second learning launch , we focused on gaining clarity about our tasks and priorities . This tested our assumption that our prioritization of tasks was the main cause of our workflow challenge . Our team completed an anonymous survey . Additionally , five key stakeholders from the larger marketing department and IT department also completed an anonymous survey . The surveys included questions about our new , proposed process , understanding the process and the prioritization of tasks , and feelings about the change , and were conducted within a one - week timeframe . Insight : By applying the learning launch tool , our team identified our assumptions and designed launches to test these assumptions . Additionally , we thought through anticipated results , expecting to find that a more agile approach would improve our workflow , and that both our team and the key stakeholders would be fairly open to the new prioritization of tasks and process . Our actual results were slightly different from what we anticipated : while our team was open to the prioritization of tasks and process , the key stakeholders in the larger marketing department and IT department expressed some concerns . Moving forward , our team will review this insight and incorporate it into future launch designs . The ongoing incorporation of insight is particularly important at this stage , as launches come before a full rollout in the design thinking timeline . Approach : Given that our team has already gone through several design thinking activities / tools and are at this stage in the timeline , the learning launch is the appropriate tool . As previously mentioned , our team needs to review the insight gained from our first two launches and incorporate this insight into future launch designs . Future launch designs should reflect insight gained , progress made , and come closer to a compelling solution ready for full rollout .