The Planning and Marketing Life Cycle

In this paper we examine classical and fundamental processes of business planning and marketing. As a result we define a five-phase process model for planning and marketing and we examine the relationship of planning and marketing to both the acquisition cycle and the research, development, test, and evaluation cycle. We construct a product life cycle—an abstraction that is a familiar part of marketing in general and product management in particular—and note its relationship to the acquisition life cycle. We describe ISO 14000—the international standard that specifically addresses environmental management systems—and its relationship to ISO 9000, as part of an overall strategy to provide competitive advantage to organizations that choose to make the investment. We characterize strategic planning as a system activity that focuses on the interface between planning and marketing and research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E), providing strategic direction to the organization. A five-phase strategic planning life cycle is constructed from basic principles of organizational leadership and is discussed in the context of organizational mission, goals, approach, plans, and metrics. In conclusion, life cycles are essential tools of management, which are necessary to provide a system level view of vital, organic, business processes. These tools can be used not only to estimate cost and schedule through the partitioning of resources, but also to predict likely outcomes by which a manager can understand current events and circumstances. Life cycles are a fundamental element of systems engineering.