Scheduling Strategies for Creating Impact: Road Block, Day or Day part

Road Block

Marketing roadblocks are used to eliminate competitors from the playing field by placing an obstruction before them. The obstruction typically takes the form of overwhelming ad buys that leave no recourse for the competitor to even make an attempt at keeping up. Marketing roadblocks are often the tool of large corporations who have the buying power to carry them out, although they can take place in smaller form across all markets.

Broadcast

There are several ways to create a marketing roadblock when it comes to broadcast advertising. Some companies may choose to purchase all or most of the airtime during a given show or event. This eliminates the competition from making an appearance during the show that is deemed most watched by its target audience. Other companies may aim to dominate an entire network or time slot regardless of programming. Still others may opt for a less all-consuming tactic, by purchasing all the slots leading into and out of commercial breaks. These are considered the most desirable spots, because the viewer is most likely to see them while watching a given show. Such domination of prime ad real estate is an effective targeted roadblocking method.

Print

Print advertising is difficult to roadblock, because magazines or newspapers can just add more pages if there is a need. Where a print ad roadblock can be effective is in the case of an exclusive advertising space deal. For example, if company X is able to secure a contract that eliminates competitors from advertising in a specific print publication, the roadblock technique is in effect. You can find this practice commonly among sports teams who sign up an “official car company” who from that point onward is the only car brand that will appear inside the stadium or on any team paraphernalia.

Internet

Internet advertising combines elements of both broadcast and print advertising, and the roadblocking techniques used take advantage of the best of both media. For example, a company may purchase all the banner ads on a given site for a given period so that no one else can get a foothold. Internet advertising roadblocks can also take place when a company sponsors sites or events with an online presence. The logo of the sponsor company is often integrated with the site and no other company can take part. E-commerce roadblocks are similar to broadcast roadblocks in that they take place over a specific period of time on a specific site and are open to all viewers. They are similar to print roadblocks in that they are non-linear and remain present for the entire allotted period without interruption.

Signage

Marketing roadblocks can literally take place on the road in certain circumstances. Let’s say a local business wants to attract travelers passing through on the interstate. When the business buys up all the existing billboards for 20 miles in either direction so that no competitors can edge in, a marketing roadblock has taken place. Such a technique is particularly effective with transient consumers who do not know enough about the immediate area to understand that competitors may exist. They instead head for the only game in town, according to the ads they’ve seen, and bypass any other options.

Problems

Expense is the No. 1 problem for companies engaging in marketing roadblock techniques. For major corporations, the cost is often gladly absorbed in exchange for the exposure. For small and mid-size businesses, the tactic can prove prohibitively expensive. The development of ad wars is also a factor when two companies battle using roadblocks. For example, if a magazine knows that two rivals are trying to play a game of exclusion or generally outdo one another, the rates tend to rise quickly for both. Companies can defeat themselves by spending on ads just to eliminate their competition with less return than a simple and straight-forward campaign would have brought.

Day or Day part

This established phrase expresses an obvious goal for every project – to be completed on time, according to plan and within the allocated budget.  Of course, there’s a lot that goes into realizing that goal.  Even the best plans change and there is no guarantee that the “project” you start with is the “project” you will end up with.  That’s why it’s so important to have a scheduling strategy that is appropriately comprehensive, consistent and flexible.  That’s what strategic project scheduling is all about.

Depending upon the nature of the project, and related management directives, different approaches can be taken to project sizing and scheduling.  Scheduling strategies are driven by the scheduling trigger (the circumstance driving the scheduling approach). Based on individual needs and circumstances, scheduling triggers demand either a forwards or backwards planning approach.

Working with Scheduling Strategies

Forwards Planning:

Forwards planning strategies are used when no specific project deadline is set, and the tasks are used to determine the schedule, and related completion deadlines. In this case, you start at the beginning of the project and work forward. The project timeline is determined by the total estimated duration of all anticipated tasks. Factoring in dependencies and prerequisites, these durations are added together to form an overall project schedule.

When you are involved in the forward planning scenario, it is a good idea to look at each task at multiple timing levels, based on known, realistic planning assumptions:

• Shortest Completion Time (assuming everything else goes as planned).
• Likely Completion Time (assuming that some problems and changes will occur).
• Longest Completion Time (assuming that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong).

Backwards Planning:

Backwards planning strategies are used when the completion deadline is pre-determined and the project must be managed and scheduled to meet that deadline. In this case, planning starts with the completion date and works backwards, analyzing and organizing tasks and events by their individual end dates in an “if – then” fashion, until a start date is identified.   (Also Read:  Managing Project Milestones)

Key Variables for Schedule Estimating

The first step in the schedule estimating process is to identify your scheduling trigger. In all likelihood, projects will require both approaches based on organizational structure (phases) and task complexity. Regardless of the scheduling trigger, you will need to factor the following elements into your timing estimate:

• Task Durations: The estimated length of time that it will take to complete a task using available resources.
• Parallel Tasks: The tasks that can be completed concurrently.
• Predecessor Tasks: The tasks that must be completed before other, dependent tasks can begin.
• Dependent Tasks: The tasks that cannot begin until predecessor tasks are complete.
• Slack/Float Time: The slack or float exists whenever task completion can extend beyond initial completion dates without delaying the start of subsequent tasks.
• Critical Path: The series of tasks that must occur as scheduled for a project to be completed on time. There is no slack or float time along the critical path, if any tasks on the critical path are delayed, the project will be delayed.