vSente's Campaign Manual

The first step is to background, research and determine the most effective approach for your campaign. We call this rationalizing the campaign.

There are four fundamental questions and issues you need to rationalize and answer in order to optimize the potential success of your campaign. They are:

1. The identity and description of your adversary's critical vulnerability.

2. The identity and description of your center of gravity (strength) that will neutralize your adversary's critical vulnerability.

3. The identity and description of attack signals that support the critical vulnerability of your adversary.

4. Any attack signals you might be indicating that will identify your critical vulnerability to your adversary.

Record the answers in the 1-Page Plan of Campaign. If you're unsure of the answers or want to do a more in-depth analysis then proceed with the exercise below which utilizes the Campaign Worksheet.

The following exercise will take you through a detailed examination of you and your competitors relative to your customers needs.

1. Survey, evaluate and identify credible attack signals for challenger and leader.

Worksheet: Use the list in column "J" as examples.

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: A new union contract with uncompetitive wages is an example of an attack signal.

2. Relate attack signals to competitive vulnerabilities for challenger and leader.

Worksheet: Review the list of vulnerabilities in column "F". Vulnerabilities are critical requirements that are vulnerable to competitor attacks that either on it's own or in concert with other vulnerabilities can lead to the neutralization of a competing center of gravity. Rank importance of vulnerability relative to customer need. Use columns "G", "H" and "I" to rank relative vulnerability. Use a scale of 1-3 with three being important in column "I" to rate customer value.

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Focus on vulnerabilities like poor quality that directly impact the customer.

3. Determine adversary's critical vulnerability.

Worksheet: Select adversary's most exploitable vulnerability using customer rankings in column "I" as a guide.

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Uncompetitive cost structure is an example of an exploitable vulnerability.

4. Determine your critical vulnerabilities that are subject to neutralization by your adversary's center of gravity.

Worksheet: Select your most exploitable vulnerability and enter it in cell "F14".

Example: Lack of capital could be your most exploitable vulnerability.

5. Relate competitor vulnerabilities to critical requirements for challenger and leader.

Worksheet: Review critical requirements in column "E" that line up with vulnerabilities in column "F".

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Critical requirements are conditions, resources, policies, or access needed in order for a critical capability to succeed.

6. Determine adversary's critical requirements.

Workbook: Select adversary's most critical requirement and enter it in cell "E13"

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Efficient plant and equipment is an example of a critical requirement

7. Determine your critical requirements that will neutralize your adversary's critical requirements.

Workbook: Select your critical requirement that will neutralize adversary and enter it in cell "J7"

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Access to lenders is an example of your critical requirement.

8. Relate critical requirements to critical capabilities for challenger and leader.

Workbook: Review critical requirements in column "E" and relate them to critical capabilities in column "D".

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: These are primary capabilities that enable a center of gravity to strike or resist a competitive center of gravity.

9. Determine adversary's critical capabilities.

Workbook: Select adversary's critical capability and enter it in cell "D13"

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: The ability to produce at a cost less than the market price is a critical capability supporting a cost center of gravity.

10. Determine your critical capabilities that will neutralize your adversary's critical capabilities.

Workbook: Select your critical capability and enter it in cell "D14".

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Finance execution (ability to capitalize) is an example of your critical capability.

11. Relate critical capabilities to potential COG's for challenger and leader.

Workbook: Review critical capabilities in column "D" and relate them to potential centers of gravity in column "C"

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: A Center of Gravity is the primary strengths of the enterprise. It is essential. It is a dominant characteristic. Everything depends on it. It is a hub of all power. It resists attack. It strikes. It is a competitive target.

12 Determine adversary's center of gravity vulnerable to attack.

Workbook: Select adversary center of gravity and enter it in cell "C13".

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Cost is an example of an adversary center of gravity.

13. Determine your center of gravity that will neutralize your adversary's critical vulnerability.

Workbook: Select your center of gravity and enter it in cell "C14".

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Execution is an example of your center of gravity that will neutralize your adversary's center of gravity.

14. Review and understand potential interaction and isolation forces.

Workbook: Review interaction and isolation examples indicated in column "L" which relate to your adversary's center of gravity.

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: The effective execution of strategy is dependent upon properly balancing and orchestrating the campaign forces of interaction and isolation. The overriding effort is to increase our interaction with the customer while denying or isolating our competition. Interaction and isolation forces can be thought of as catalysts which drive strategy.

15. Review potential strategies to attack leader center of gravity.

Workbook: Once you have determined the critical vulnerability that will allow you to neutralize the center of gravity the next step is to begin to determine how to attack the vulnerabilities. Review strategies and tactics indicated in columns "L" - "O".

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: There are many strategies one can deploy in order to create interaction and isolation which we have organized into categories for each of the four major centers of gravity (cost, infrastructure, relationships, execution). Each strategy has a one line description, an explanation of the strategy, the basis for the strategy and a potential application of the strategy.

16. Determine which generic attack strategy neutralize adversary's center of gravity.

Workbook: Select strategy and enter it into cell "K14"

Planner: Enter answer in cell F4

Example: Challenger attacking with low prices in tandem with superior quality, thereby forcing adversary to incur greater losses is an example of a potential strategy.




	04.07.00 STEP 1: Rationalizing the campaign.
		The first step is to background, research and determine the most effective approach for your campaign. We call this rationalizing the campaign. There are four fundamental questions and issues you need to rationalize and answer in order to optimize the potential success of your campaign. They are: 1. The identity and description of your adversary's critical vulnerability. 2. The identity and description of your center of gravity (strength) that will neutralize your adversary's critical vulnerability. 3. The identity and description of attack signals that support the critical vulnerability of your adversary. 4. Any attack signals you might be indicating that will identify your critical vulnerability to your adversary. Record the answers in the 1-Page Plan of Campaign. If you're unsure of the answers or want to do a more in-depth analysis then proceed with the exercise below which utilizes the Campaign Worksheet. The following exercise will take you through a detailed examination of you and your competitors relative to your customers needs. 1. Survey, evaluate and identify credible attack signals for challenger and leader. Worksheet: Use the list in column "J" as examples. Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: A new union contract with uncompetitive wages is an example of an attack signal. 2. Relate attack signals to competitive vulnerabilities for challenger and leader. Worksheet: Review the list of vulnerabilities in column "F". Vulnerabilities are critical requirements that are vulnerable to competitor attacks that either on it's own or in concert with other vulnerabilities can lead to the neutralization of a competing center of gravity. Rank importance of vulnerability relative to customer need. Use columns "G", "H" and "I" to rank relative vulnerability. Use a scale of 1-3 with three being important in column "I" to rate customer value. Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Focus on vulnerabilities like poor quality that directly impact the customer. 3. Determine adversary's critical vulnerability. Worksheet: Select adversary's most exploitable vulnerability using customer rankings in column "I" as a guide. Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Uncompetitive cost structure is an example of an exploitable vulnerability. 4. Determine your critical vulnerabilities that are subject to neutralization by your adversary's center of gravity. Worksheet: Select your most exploitable vulnerability and enter it in cell "F14". Example: Lack of capital could be your most exploitable vulnerability. 5. Relate competitor vulnerabilities to critical requirements for challenger and leader. Worksheet: Review critical requirements in column "E" that line up with vulnerabilities in column "F". Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Critical requirements are conditions, resources, policies, or access needed in order for a critical capability to succeed. 6. Determine adversary's critical requirements. Workbook: Select adversary's most critical requirement and enter it in cell "E13" Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Efficient plant and equipment is an example of a critical requirement 7. Determine your critical requirements that will neutralize your adversary's critical requirements. Workbook: Select your critical requirement that will neutralize adversary and enter it in cell "J7" Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Access to lenders is an example of your critical requirement. 8. Relate critical requirements to critical capabilities for challenger and leader. Workbook: Review critical requirements in column "E" and relate them to critical capabilities in column "D". Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: These are primary capabilities that enable a center of gravity to strike or resist a competitive center of gravity. 9. Determine adversary's critical capabilities. Workbook: Select adversary's critical capability and enter it in cell "D13" Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: The ability to produce at a cost less than the market price is a critical capability supporting a cost center of gravity. 10. Determine your critical capabilities that will neutralize your adversary's critical capabilities. Workbook: Select your critical capability and enter it in cell "D14". Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Finance execution (ability to capitalize) is an example of your critical capability. 11. Relate critical capabilities to potential COG's for challenger and leader. Workbook: Review critical capabilities in column "D" and relate them to potential centers of gravity in column "C" Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: A Center of Gravity is the primary strengths of the enterprise. It is essential. It is a dominant characteristic. Everything depends on it. It is a hub of all power. It resists attack. It strikes. It is a competitive target. 12 Determine adversary's center of gravity vulnerable to attack. Workbook: Select adversary center of gravity and enter it in cell "C13". Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Cost is an example of an adversary center of gravity. 13. Determine your center of gravity that will neutralize your adversary's critical vulnerability. Workbook: Select your center of gravity and enter it in cell "C14". Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Execution is an example of your center of gravity that will neutralize your adversary's center of gravity. 14. Review and understand potential interaction and isolation forces. Workbook: Review interaction and isolation examples indicated in column "L" which relate to your adversary's center of gravity. Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: The effective execution of strategy is dependent upon properly balancing and orchestrating the campaign forces of interaction and isolation. The overriding effort is to increase our interaction with the customer while denying or isolating our competition. Interaction and isolation forces can be thought of as catalysts which drive strategy. 15. Review potential strategies to attack leader center of gravity. Workbook: Once you have determined the critical vulnerability that will allow you to neutralize the center of gravity the next step is to begin to determine how to attack the vulnerabilities. Review strategies and tactics indicated in columns "L" - "O". Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: There are many strategies one can deploy in order to create interaction and isolation which we have organized into categories for each of the four major centers of gravity (cost, infrastructure, relationships, execution). Each strategy has a one line description, an explanation of the strategy, the basis for the strategy and a potential application of the strategy. 16. Determine which generic attack strategy neutralize adversary's center of gravity. Workbook: Select strategy and enter it into cell "K14" Planner: Enter answer in cell F4 Example: Challenger attacking with low prices in tandem with superior quality, thereby forcing adversary to incur greater losses is an example of a potential strategy.