On Oct. 5, 2015, Jack Dorsey was named chief executive of Twitter. A week later, he announced a significant downsizing in Twitter’s workforce — a decision attributed to the company’s new roadmap.
In a letter to Twitter employees, Dorsey said:
“The team has been working around the clock to produce [a] streamlined roadmap for Twitter, Vine, and Periscope, and they are shaping up to be strong … The roadmap is also a plan to change how we work, and what we need to do that work … The world needs a strong Twitter, and this is another step to get there.”
Anyone who has read my book, RoadMap: A Guide to a Successful Strategic Marketing Plan, knows that I am a firm believer in basing business decisions on a comprehensive, carefully thought out plan. But, my experience developing “RoadMaps” for numerous clients has also proven that the conclusions identified by a strategic plan are not always easy to hear.
Sometimes, the smartest decision for your company might come with a larger price tag than you’d hoped. Or, it might mean parting with outdated, but comfortable, strategies and practices. And, as in the case of Twitter, it might even require making the difficult choice to let a significant number of staff members go. For that reason, developing and sticking to a roadmap requires a certain amount of courage — and I commend Twitter for facing the challenge.
Without seeing Twitter’s roadmap or conducting the extensive research necessary to develop a strategic plan, I can’t predict the ultimate effects these new changes will have on the company. Certainly, Twitter is taking the risk of downsizing by making adjustments to its business model and laying off employees, which brings with it potential PR consequences. But, there is also much to be gained by improving efficiency and reducing unnecessary expenses.
Of course, it is also likely that this change will only be a single step in an ongoing process. If Twitter’s perspective on strategic planning is anything like mine, the company will continually measure the results of its approach — and carefully monitor the ever-evolving social media landscape — to keep its roadmap responsive to shifts in market conditions and make the adjustments necessary to ensure the greatest possible success.
As a fellow strategic-planning aficionado, I congratulate Twitter on developing and implementing a roadmap. And, I strongly encourage every other company to do the same.
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