Failure to Plan

If any of you follow me on twitter and have seen my hashtag #failuretoplan, you might have an inkling of what this post is about…

We have had one of the wettest, coldest and generally miserable winters (and springs!) on record. I think Seattle has had fewer than 5 days above 60 degrees since something like October. So, when the sun is out we embrace it like a long lost friend, soaking up copious amounts of Vitamin D and generally acting like goofy children.

Sunny days are also perfect for scooter riding. Rainy days are not. So, my little scooter has been wintering in our garage hooked up to a trickle battery charger waiting for weather more conducive to riding than sliding. And, lo and behold, we have had a few such wonderful days lately…oh joy!

But, we are also in the midst of our last large (read: expensive) home improvement project. Without going into a lot of detail, we are replacing the retaining walls that border our driveway…one of those projects where the end result is very unsatisfying visually, but structurally necessary.

Thus my #failuretoplan begins…driveway gets torn up, walls get taken down and suddenly, no access to the garage. Argh. If I had planned ahead, my scooter would be happily parked on the street and I would have gotten at least 4 days of riding in.

The same thing is true for most industries, including market research. Planning ahead can make all the difference in a project that comes in on-time and on-budget. Taking that little bit of extra time in the beginning can make all the difference in questionnaire/discussion guide design, fielding contingencies, and analysis. I’ve found projects that have that extra time built in tend to be the ones that are most successful–or at least run into the least amount of ‘bumps in the road’…or torn up driveways.

And the proverbial scooter isn’t left in the garage!