Resource allocation and planning can be both organisation-wide or time-based as well as specific to strategic communications programmes, campaigns or projects.
Resource allocation and trade-offs organisation-wide are components that corporate or organisation-wide strategy has to contend with. This is important for organisations that choose to set business goals by reverse engineering their way to desired outcomes.
Keeping to the rationale, if an organisation is choosing to allocate resources by determining areas and outcomes that are important to its success, and if communications and marketing is always in support of business goals; then it makes sense for resource allocation to also be done at the programme, campaign and project level.
We argue that this is different from simply setting a ‘cap’ or limit on the communications or marketing budget, especially if there is no direct connection to the business goal or outcome supporting the lower or higher resource range.
For example, we see this commonly with media relations projects where there is an arbitrary dollar value attached to the project because 5 years ago some study benchmarked the average or media cost of such projects. There is little or no consideration of the trade-offs set by the budget, or connection to a business outcome apart from securing coverage.
How to incorporate effective resource allocation during the strategic communications planning stage?
Firstly, organisations have to adopt the mindset that resource allocation is meant to make programmes (used interchangeably with campaign or project) more efficient and productive. Resources available to use go beyond just budget or costs and include time spent as well as talent deployed to the programme.
Secondly, programme managers and teams should have a clear and transparent process for evaluating and distributing resources amongst the various programmes. The allocation process will align with the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the programme and cater to the various stages and steps along the way. It is recommended to allocate in ranges whether time or money, to provide some flexibility as changes occur later, without needing to re-allocate.
Thirdly, the allocation component should have triggers built-in to handle unexpected situations or when there is a need to re-prioritise based on meeting a critical or urgent situation. These triggers should be discussed and agreed upon during the strategic communications planning stage, and not left to be handled reactively.
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Balancing resources between inhouse and external support teams
One of the key challenges of resource allocation we come across is how organisations think about and try to balance a resource budget between their inhouse teams and external support teams (e.g. communications partners, execution contractors, etc).
Everyone recognises that almost every inhouse team is lean and works with limited resources, whether as a result of organisation-wide resource planning or because the team is trying to run many programmes to optimise their existing budgets. We believe limited resources can serve to empower communications and marketing teams by getting the team to focus on what is achievable and realistic, as well as to work on where they have strengths instead of spreading their attention everywhere.
For programme managers, here are some suggestions to help with the resource balancing:
Outsource to external partners: This step recognises that the inhouse team can benefit from the capabilities of an external partner who will be able to use less resources but achieve the outcome required. The outsourcing works best when the strategic communications plan has been set, and the partner can align and work together collaboratively as part of the team. Another scenario is when the team has a skills gap perhaps due to a gap in middle management, and can benefit from a partner coming in to guide and coach the team.
Always count the total resource cost and not just the money component: Do not be penny wise and time foolish. Many programme managers look to set small or unrealistic outcomes based on the money costs but forget that this might be a trade-off where the inhouse team (i.e. time/talent costs) have to step-in to handle more of the scope. If the money cost is higher but it frees up or provides a net benefit to the inhouse team in terms of time savings (perhaps to work on other projects) or helps with talent management and upskilling, it might be worthwhile to pay the higher cost.
Be realistic with balancing resources: Start with what the strategic communications plan requires in order to achieve successful outcomes. The point of allocations and trade-offs is to benefit the organisation and brand, and not to become the ‘best saver’. If there are stretch goals involved, think in terms of ranges for allocation and view the goals or outcomes on a curve and not a black or white line.
We are Brand Utility is a strategic communication and business consultancy business consultancy. We work with brands in the corporate, professional services, retail, travel and technology spaces.
We offer strategy and tactics to support growth outcomes - revenue, scale, regional expansion and market entry – for our clients.
Areas of support include:
Strategic communications: Approach to market, brand concept and map, positioning, messaging, story and narrative, thought leadership
Marketing: Campaign/programme planning, story-based marketing execution, digital marketing, community amplification, content planning and production, go-to-market execution
Lead generation and growth marketing: Digital advertising, social media advertising, social commerce, e-commerce
Integration of marketing with business operations: We plan and execute as a marketing and/or PR lead for your brand
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