Have you heard of the 5W2H method? This tool was developed in Japan by automotive industry professionals. Its aim was to help in creating action plans.
In practice, the method allows for the analysis of different strategic aspects for a project. Each acronym of the term has a meaning and represents an analysis.
What will be done, why, by whom, when, where, how and how much it will cost. All these questions are answered by applying the method that we will show in this content.
Marketing , sales , product development, projects and even daily activities are areas that can exploit the 5W2H method so that the company can better define its strategies and have more significant effectiveness.
If you also want to study this method and apply it to your business, check out this special content!
What is the 5W2H methodology?
To understand what the 5W2H methodology is, we new zealand telegram data must first define the term project. It can be assigned to any action plan that has steps, responsibilities and deadlines.
That said, we can think that in our company we develop several projects. An advertising campaign on Google Adwords , for example.
Plan your investment, define the values, communication channels, the person responsible for the actions and other activities. In other words, you create a project and you need to track its management.
In creating this project, there are different points that need to be analyzed, like a real checklist.
So, to standardize these points of analysis in project management , the 5W2H method was created , which acts as a checklist to validate your action plan.
You will understand better by analyzing the following topic!
What are the main elements of 5w2h?
Each element of the acronym has a share of disability-free life years of women meaning. The 5Ws stand for “What”, “Why”, “Who”, “When” and “Where”, while the 2Hs stand for “How” and “How Much”.
To make all the meanings clearer, let’s create an example. Imagine that your company wants to increase sales and has identified that it can achieve this by purchasing marketing automation software . Let’s see how the 5W2H method could be applied.
What: What will be done?
The first W stands for “What”, translated into Spanish. What do you want or need to do?
Following our example, you could fill out this field with the following wording: I want to hire a service/ software to automate marketing strategies, such as creating email marketing automation flows!
Why: Why will it be done?
The second W stands for “Why” in Spanish. Here b2b sale lead you need to determine why you want to do it , why it is necessary, and why it is relevant.
In our example, the reason for investing in the software would be to map out a purchasing journey and guide potential customers through to order closure.
Who: Who will it be done by?
The third W refers to who will take the determined action . This point is important to designate the responsible people .
If it is the case of a multi-activity and multi-stakeholder action plan, everything must be well described so that there are no errors.
Following our example, let’s assume that you yourself are responsible for evaluating and contracting the software, right?
When: When will it be done?
Now, in the fourth W, let’s determine when the action should be carried out . Here, we are talking about the deadline and this is crucial in any project. After all, an action plan without deadlines and steps will certainly not happen as expected.
Let’s say that in our example, the strategy must be applied within a week, with a specific date for hiring.
Where: Where will it be held?
The fifth and final W refers to the place where the action must take place . In some cases, depending on the project, this place can be interpreted as the point at which action will be taken.
In our example, we can define here which company will be hired to provide the software.
How: How will it be done?
The first H stands for “How.” In practice, this field is saved so that you specify how the action plan will be taken .
How is extremely important as it is more detailed. It can include more information, even some that is already populated in other fields.
Following our example, we can fill in this field as follows: software will be hired that allows marketing automation , with automatic email marketing for potential customers who register on a form or landing page .
How much: How much will it cost?
The last letter, that is, the second H, is relative to the cost of the action. What are the values involved in that project?
To finish our example, in this field, we must complete the values related to the software contract.
What are the advantages of using this method?
Now that you know what 5W2H is, let’s take a look at the key benefits this method can bring to your business.
Guarantee of deadlines and tasks
With the method applied, all tasks, deadlines and people in charge will be clearly and easily described to the entire team. This ensures that actions will be taken at the right time, adding time assurance .
Complete analysis of the action plan
Using 5W2H as a checklist, you will analyze your action plan very thoroughly, with all the points that should be highlighted.
Responsibilities, deadlines, actions, values, location, all will be clearly described and completed for everyone .
Ease of creating action plans
Creating a project is not an easy task, especially when this action plan involves many people, activities, deadlines and a high value.
Imagine a building, for example. Many professionals involved, supplies, machinery, equipment, companies. All of this must be mapped so that planning and execution go hand in hand.
To facilitate the management and description of all the points required in the plan, the 5W2H method adds more ease as there are specific fields for each definition.
Simplifying problem analysis
Methodology can also add predictability to defects and errors . This future review of your action plan can correct mistakes before they are made.