Guide · C11
Gather the data needed for the marketing plan
Which data must be gathered before building the plan?
Direct answer
The minimum covers the baseline, results, costs, workload, constraints, commitments, dependencies and source quality.
01Separate indispensable data from useful but non-blocking information.
02The rule, the evidence and the next review date stay visible.
How to use this
Move from the question to the deliverable.
Which data must be gathered before building the plan?
Separate indispensable data from useful but non-blocking information.
Data inventory
Calculation · SQ-19
Calculate a data readiness index
Not every missing item of data blocks the plan. The index weights availability, quality, freshness and ownership according to the decision supported.
Illustrative assessment of five data sets before building the annual plan.
- 01Prioritise
Weight the data sets according to the decisions they condition.
- 02Score
Assess availability, quality, freshness and ownership from 0 to 5.
- 03Calculate
Convert the scores into weighted points.
- 04Block
Distinguish blocking gaps from improvements that can wait.
Readiness index: 67/100
The capacity measure gets the lowest score and directly conditions feasibility.
DRI = Σ [(average of the 4 criteria ÷ 5) × dataset weight]| Dataset | Weight | Available | Quality | Freshness | Owner | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales performance | 25 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 23.8 |
| Marketing costs | 20 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 16.0 |
| Capacity by role | 25 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 11.3 |
| Channel performance | 20 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 16.0 |
| Product dependencies | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5.0 |
01The gross total of 72.1 is brought down to 67 after a 5-point penalty for a blocking data set below 50%.
02Capacity by role must be made reliable before budget validation.
03Product dependencies can stay estimated if they are declared as assumptions and dated.
Illustrative method. The weights must reflect the decisions of the plan, not how easy the data is to obtain.
Coherence controls
Minimum conditions before validation.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
Usable deliverable
Data inventory
Explore the decision further with an interactive control, or start from a structured template to produce your deliverable.