What can you do to enable quality thinking in our fast-changing and uncertain world? I have talked previously about creating the right work environment and making the most of different perspectives (the consumption chain perspective, the industry expert, the person who knows nothing about the category, and people in other functions). But there is a third consideration – process. Great thinking requires a certain sharpness and the occasional leap of the imagination, and that can make it seem hard to plan for. In fact, the opposite is true. Process helps deliver great quality thinking.

First, use the right people at the right times. That often means one or two quality strategic thinkers up front, a very small working team through a project, and a bigger group of stakeholders for intermittent check-ins. Don’t try and do all the thinking by committee – people get bored and frustrated.

Second, run time efficient thinking sessions. This can comfortably include virtual meetings (though ideally not when kicking off a project). For those who like to reflect, offer a pre-read before a session. Keep sessions short and sharp – most Retailer and Sales people recoil in disgust at the idea of a Strategy Awayday.

Third, build in time to reflect on and then test the thinking. Don’t slavishly write up as gospel every throwaway comment from the last meeting. Instead, sleep on an issue and turn it over in your mind for a few days, then summarise the key ideas and actions. Your thinking will benefit from early and regular check-ins with different stakeholders in and around your organisation. Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance and Supply Chain people will have significantly different concerns and priorities. Listen to them in time, so you get the thinking right for them and don’t get tripped up later.

Fourth, hold fire on the PowerPoint. The issue is not the tool, but the way it is used. Fiddling around changing the colours on slide 57, is guaranteed to curtail quality thinking. Save the PowerPoint for last. The last few hours, not days. Buyers and other decision makers in our industry are totally jaded with PowerPoint anyway. So when you do finally capture the essence of your thinking, make sure it is only a few slides. Starting PowerPoint too early is like adding the icing before the cake is baked – it doesn’t turn out well.

So four process points as you strive for quality thinking – right people at the right time, time efficient working sessions, time to reflect on the thinking, and holding fire on PowerPoint. Get the process right, and the quality thinking is much more likely to emerge. Then you’ll be well set to survive and even flourish in the volatile world we are working in.