10 actionable steps to achieve your goal with Maximum Impact Limited Expenditure m
What is it?
The 10 MILE Action Plan framework is used at The Idea to efficiently and effectively deliver results to clients by stress-testing all given recommendations and listing them in order of most impact using the least amount of expenditure.
What does MILE stand for?
Most Impact, Least Expenditure - This is the meat of the report; detailing to clients what needs to be done first. The goal of this report is that any person executing the recommendations can understand and perform the task or implement the recommendations without any concern of which steps happen first.
Why does it work so well?
Our consulting method casts a broader net of solutions whilst concisely resolving problems for two reasons:
All suggestions are on the table. Our “no-nos” policy is in full effect to stop criticisms and ‘Inside-the-box’ thinking we all commonly see in meetings.
This is harder than it sounds as people (especially clients) are inclined to deliver criticisms quickly and ineffectively leading to ‘in-the-box’ thinking - part of the reason why we are engaged
You need an experienced and skillful facilitator to curb brainstorms back to topic if solutions become too far fetched
Secondly, we begin with an approach of high-energy resourceful thinking. Many of the criticisms heard in ineffective meetings prevent true innovation from occurring because they get plastered with age old excuses: ‘there’s not enough money’, ‘there’s not enough time’, or ‘I don’t know how to do it’
Tony Robbins says it best when he consults people with failing businesses and motivation:
“It’s not about your resources, it’s about your resourcefulness”
We also don’t believe in burning cash to start a fire, a spark from an electrifying brainstorm instead might be what you need.
Why 10 actions?
They keep recommendations concise, pragmatic and simple. 10 is a non-threatening number to take into account the problem with executing consultation; the ever-present human flaws of forgetfulness and procrastination.
10 items forces you to prioritize and be realistic regarding resources, especially the most overlooked resource: time. Ie) if you had 1 hour and had 2 X 1 hour tasks, which would benefit you the most while costing the least?
10 items forces us to stress-test one recommendation over another - this is where they get sharpened before being served in our report
And most importantly, 10 items on your checklist is both easier to remember and much less daunting than 100 items, this sounds like common sense but is rarely done. Do remember that projects with less barriers to complete are much more likely to be completed.
“How does it work?”
Here’s the simple form, we include it in our standard research format at the beginning and end. There is much more to this due to intentional delegation, short alignments and frameworks occuring throughout the process but here’s the gist:
Understand the brief and ensure alignment on project expectations and scope for the team and client
Individual Desk Research - this is where all the messy notes and silly amounts of clutter happen
Design consulting tools ie) surveys and catchment documents for information and data
Initial MILE sprint on proposed hypotheses and solutions
Deep Dive #1 - Heads down, bums up.
Team Sprint #1 - Consolidation of information and refining consulting tools
Check-in with client on direction and data
Deep Dive #2 - Typically a bit shorter, depending on the project we may be stress-testing solutions here
Team Sprint #2 - Consolidation for Reporting
MILE Sprint for report- Stress Testing Recommendations
Report - typically delivered as a full report and presentation with the 10 MILE Action Plan at the end
What is the consulting format typically used for?
Currently we apply this method in all of our projects, here are some examples of how we used it in different industries:
Marketing & Events (Healthcare industry)
What happens when you get given a limited budget and a silly-high KPI? You get the first Tuol Tom Pong Street Festival. We were given a $1,200 budget to run a grand opening for a pharmacy. We had 2 problems:
The budget was small and we needed to attract a 400 people in the community
No one goes to a pharmacy opening
We hosted the event as a Community Street Festival right outside the pharmacy and invited local anchors (businesses) which had a customer base of 200+ each and asked them to chip in for the cost!
We found ourselves with nearly 1,000 people walking through our 42 meter festival in the space of 3 hours for under $1,000! You can see the Facebook event here
Business Strategy (Auto industry)
What happens when your boss tells you to double your market share by the following year and you have no idea where to start? You join a food festival. Yamaha sponsored Slaprea, Cambodia’s biggest food festival and together with The Idea, were able to pinpoint their next moves. Click HERE for the article.
Behaviour Change (Littering and Waste Management - Public Services)
Water Festival 2016 was a tipping point in Cambodia when viral photos of a trash filled riverside which covered over 60,000 square meters showed street workers sweeping rubbish into the Mekong River.
We were able to reduce litter by over 60% in the first year based on litter coverage per square meter in 2016.
You can find out more HERE
“How can I make my own 10 MILE Action Plan?”
Good question - follow the methodology above and/or send us a message to see how we can help. And if you have successfully implemented a 10 MILE Action Plan please do share your wisdom and findings if possible. We’ve been able to help some of the most vulnerable communities and pressing issues in Cambodia through this method and by simply teaching others like yourself to effectively instigate change. You never know who could do with your help!
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