Goals are central to any successful onboarding project. If you’ve been meeting with our commercial team, you’ve probably already shared your goals. But during the first few onboarding meetings, we like to dig even deeper into your goals so we can better recommend a solution.
For this discussion, we use this three-tier framework:
- Strategic level goals
- Commercial level goals
- Operational level goals
At Cloudinary, each tier is closely connected, so we’d recommend thinking about how a strategic goal would influence your commercial and operational goals.
An online retailer example might look like this: In 2024, the retailer wants to open physical storefronts in core European countries and increase their EMEA footprint. In order to have the funds to make this investment, they need to increase their cart conversions by 24% by decreasing time to market, as they’ve noticed significantly higher conversions on their website when showcasing “New [Product] Arrivals” weekly.
If we break down this example and apply our framework, it would look like this:
- Strategic goal. By 2024, the retailer wants to open physical storefronts in Europe.
- Commercial goal. Increase cart conversions by 24%.
- Operational goal. Decrease product time to market consistently from one month to one week.
Before rushing into implementation, it’s crucial to delve deeper and uncover the “why” behind these numbers and confirm that these goals are viable and not just arbitrary figures.
By understanding the rationale behind these metrics, we can better appreciate the impact they’ll have and, more importantly, tie them back to the true return on investment (ROI). This process will help us prioritize and define what’s within the scope of the project. It’s a strategic move because it allows us to maintain focus and put our efforts into the tasks that bring the most value.
During implementation, unforeseen requirements often emerge. However, by employing the initial goals as our guiding charter to govern the project’s scope, we empower ourselves to ask, “Does this new requirement align within our original priorities and overarching goal?” This, in turn, equips us to make well-informed decisions.
This approach also opens up the door to broader discussions that reveal the larger context. Armed with this knowledge, we can better tailor our solutions or recommendations, ensuring they align more appropriately with your overall objectives.
So, when discussing specific target metrics, expect our team to ask “why” in order to see the bigger picture — leading to a more successful and meaningful outcome for both parties.
