Avoiding POA Chaos, Part II: Planning Best Practices

Famous general and former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." The same is true for POA meetings. Good planning is the difference between a chaotic scramble and a smoothly executed event.

Building on the governance framework discussed in Part I, here are five planning best practices that will set your team up for success.

1. Start Early with an Adequate Timeline

Allow sufficient runway — 90 to 120 days minimum, not 60. Work backward from the meeting date to establish key milestones, and account for Medical, Regulatory, and Legal (MRL) review processes in your timeline.

2. Conduct a Needs Assessment

Define business objectives, behavioral objectives, and learning objectives. Approach your POA systematically like any L&D curriculum. Differentiate between simple refreshes versus complex product launches, and leverage existing stakeholder engagement and business reviews.

3. Align Resources

Identify resource gaps early. Explore outsourcing options when necessary. Engage Field Trainers, District Managers, and other personnel as supplementary support. Secure additional funding from Marketing if the scope requires it.

4. Begin Work with Draft Materials

Start training program development before Marketing finalizes materials. Tweaking an 80% complete program beats building from scratch under time pressure. Establish contingency plans for unreasonable last-minute requests.

5. Institutionalize Best Practices

Document and standardize your POA planning processes. Apply consistent approaches across all POA events, and ensure your practices survive personnel transitions in the L&D department.