It can be frustrating to put a business, marketing or promotional plan together that seems like such a great idea and then, post-promotion, scratching your head wishing you had thought out "that glitch" beforehand.

One of the disciplines I've appreciated most is sharing my draft plan with the team before we syndicate it through the organization -- a key step. Here we make sure we've solved each of the business, communication and logistical needs from each and every angle.

Jab. Poke. Rip. Tear. Hang it in the firing range. It has to be bullet proof before it leaves your hard-drive.

While not the exhaustive list, these are some things I think about when creating a plan or promotion...

Brand

• Does this strengthen the brand?
  
• Does it fit with us?
  

Customer

• Does this promotion make sense to our customers?
  
• Will they care? Is it engaging and relevant?
  
• Are we talking to ourselves?
  

Business Needs

• Will this help us achieve our stated sales goals?
  
• Is this something that offers us long-term benefits, or just a short-term blip?
  
• Is the investment worth the potential risks of this idea? What's the ROI?
  

Operations/Logistics

• How do the special promotional tasks we are asking to have implemented affect everyday workflow?
  
• Are we asking too much of the store employee, the person working the sales floor? Are we being realistic?
  
• Will store employees find the promotion exciting and engaging?
  

It's tempting to ignore one of these questions when your idea seems to answer the majority "oh so well." Yes, you could let operations solve for the labor challenge or you could ignore that it is complicated for the customer. Don't give in!

Your idea should only be acceptable if it's bullet proof. It's what make the job very challenging at times. It's what makes the job really fun.

So, what questions or processes do you use at your company to ensure your programs are Kevlar strong before they move to implementation stage?

Fire away.