Below is an article I wrote about a year ago. Keep in mind that I'm a fucktard and take the information below or leave it as you see fit.
Building Your Business, Military Style
I want to share with you all a nifty little planning tool I picked up some years ago while in the military.
Whether you are an experienced pro or a newbie just starting out, the touch points in this guide can be a valuable addition to your webmaster toolbox. The following steps will seem obvious to many. However, in the fast pace of this business we often find ourselves skipping or glossing over a step here and there in the rush to bring new projects to completion and get that next paycheck. Keeping the steps in mind will help to ensure you stay focused and organized. In the end, you will find that this methodical approach will actually save you time.
This guide is called BAMCIS. Yes, another acronym. But trust me, it is far from FUBAR...
Begin The Plan:
Before we begin, let us make sure we know what we are about to begin. It is essential that we conceptualize and define the project parameters. For example, "I just finished reviewing my affiliate program statistics and there is one BDSM sponsor program that is performing poorly. I want to switch out this program for another that will be more profitable to my business." Now we have a vague direction of where we are going. What is next?
Arrange Reconnisance:
Huh? What? Recon? In business terms this means research. This is the first of two phases. Here we identify what needs to be researched: What resources are available (people, hardware, software, finances, etc.)? What is already on our plate? What priority is this project going to take in relation to the myriad other things in the lives of the project team? If you do not know where you stand today, you can not predict where you will be tomorrow or next week.
To continue our example, we would identify as many BDSM sponsors as possible in as short a time as feasible, probably no more than a couple days effort. We are not reviewing here, merely identifying. No evaluation should take place in this phase. Get the affiliate's URL and move on to the next one.
Make Reconnisance:
No, we are not donning our cammies and weapons belts, locking and loading for a pre-dawn patrol. We are going to perform the first active task at getting this job done. We know what we have to work with, we know who is going to do it and when it is going to be done. Go get the tasks completed. Compile and organize the information as it rolls in. Do not let it pile up and then try to sift through it. Compile it gradually, categorize and/or discard as appropriate. Note: this is the least fun part of the entire process.
We have our list of URL's to review; now we start the reviewing process. We pour over the sites. We contact the sales and support staff and get a feel for their responsiveness. We evaluate their payouts and whom they use for payouts, etc.
Complete The Plan:
This is where all the loose ends get tied together. We now have all the information we could possibly want to get the ball rolling. We evaluate everything, listing pros and cons of each bit of data. Based upon the results of our evaluations we decide the direction we are going; in this example case we decide on what BDSM sponsor will replace our old one. Now we finalize our plan of action. Make sure each detail listed is clearly defined so as to avoid confusion.
Now we have a list of, for giggles here, ten BDSM sponsors that we didn't discard right out of the gate. We compare payment schedules and percentages, what kind of program they offer, the quality of content in relation to the specific flavor of our site(s) they offer. And with all this wonderful information we make an informed choice of with whom to establish a relationship.
Issue Orders:
"Take That Hill!", so to speak. So far, we have defined the scope of our task; we have researched, categorized and evaluated all the available information we can stomach. We now have a clear picture of our objectives, right? But who is doing what? Here is where we figure that out. Again clearly defined tasks with finite deliverables are assigned. Everyone, even if it is just you the lone webmaster, has the instructions and tools they need to get the job done. So it has come time to Release The Hounds! And this is where it all gets "fun"...
We now setup our new account with this wonderful - we hope - BDSM sponsor; get our affiliate codes, banners, etc. and replace our existing links on our sites to the new sponsor. This includes any marketing text we may have had, and possibly adding or replacing some content on our site(s).
Supervise:
Monitor, without interfering with progress. This is also where modifications to the plan will be made. NOTE: Every plan changes, not just some but ALL successful plans will encounter some form of change - sometimes drastic changes requiring you to roll back the project to the "Arrange Reconnisance" phase. When this happens it does not mean there is a failure anywhere, merely that undesirable results were obtained.
So, we have updated our site(s) and uploaded them to the server. Now what? Now we take a week or two and see how things go. We may (read WILL) need to resubmit our sites to the various LinkLists, TGPs, TopLists as apply to our site(s). And we watch what happens. If this new sponsor doesn't produce after a reasonable amount of time, guess what? It is time to go back to the Complete the Plan phase and re-evaluate for a new sponsor, and finish out the remaining steps again. (We have kept our original research, RIGHT?!)
That is basically all there is to BAMCIS. Typically, after a project is completed some form of debriefing takes place. Depending on the size of your project, that may be as simple as hitting a local pub and celebrating with some frosty mugs of good beer.
How you choose to use this tool, or not use it, is completely up to you. There are no hard and fast rules here. It is a guide and not every project will require as much attention to each of the steps. However, this tool has worked for the USMC for many many decades.
I would love to say that I use this planning tool to the degree that I should, rather than running off rough shod, hell bent for leather, but I can not. I hope that through writing this piece that I can both help myself to get back into the groove and perhaps provide readers with another tool to strap on their belt.