In a recent internal planning session for Corval, our new cloud-based commercialization planning platform, we debated whether the term “Freedom to Lead” would resonate with our audience of early- to mid-stage biopharma companies.
Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised that I am an advocate for the concept, having seen so many talented people bogged down in fragmented planning processes, with inadequate tools, and no bandwidth to even engage colleagues to help, let alone lead in a consistent and meaningful way.
Still, we were initially unsure. What does commercialization planning software have to do with providing “Freedom to Lead?”
To answer that question, it might make sense to start with another: “What are the challenges that early- to mid-stage companies face when striving to conduct their commercialization planning long before they have clear proof that their treatment will achieve the clinical goals intended?”
Some of those challenges include:
- Constraints galore — lack of experience, information, resources, infrastructure
- Multiple silos — a constant struggle for alignment and transparency
- Inadequate structure — too much time spent cobbling together resources and consultants to deliver a plan
- Overwhelming needs — scarce resources that must be prioritized at every turn
- Limited commercialization experience — a need to educate the company on all things commercial
- Too many trees, not enough forest — little time to strategize
In other words, how do the stakeholders in early- to mid-stage companies handle all these challenges (and more) effectively and efficiently so that they can get out from under the day-to-day tangle and unending pace — aka, so that they have the “Freedom to Lead?”
Different Models for Different Situations
Of course, early- to mid-stage biopharma companies have turned to consultants for help with the challenges noted above (and more) for years. Today, however, how that help is delivered is changing.
Inc. magazine summarized today’s shift in management consulting in this way:
- Consulting Services Stratification. Strategic consulting remains valuable, especially in times of uncertainty. But basic, implementation-oriented tasks shift to lower-cost resources as knowledge becomes commoditized.
- Digital Delivery. Consulting offerings become more digitized across industries, especially in global, hybrid working models.
- Scalable Business Models. The development of “best practice processes” that deliver value far beyond the original engagement.
The challenge, then, is in evolving the standard consulting model (one that is ripe for disruption), first, by actively seeking predictive technology solutions and collaborative productivity tools. Second, by continuing to ensure that human consulting is focused on strategic complexity and ways of working that only people can address.
Corval delivers on the first of these two. As I shared in December, Corval provides a scalable expert digital platform — built on the deep commercialization knowledge that we at The NemetzGroup have developed — creating the roadmap and resource plan (people and dollars) that will allow early- and mid-stage companies to define the path to market.
We have done this work many, many times as hands-on consultants. And, I dare say, we have the commercialization planning approach down cold. We understand how to extract key knowledge from the client team to create a plan, a budget, and a workforce roadmap.
Corval guides users to complete in just a few days (or hours) a 3-5-year planning process that would typically take weeks or months to complete with multiple stakeholders involved. It also adapts as new information becomes available. Along the way, all team members are working from a single source of truth that everyone can see and follow.
Taken together, it all comes back to having the Freedom to Lead, which, as you’ve no doubt now guessed, is a phrase that we feel resonates quite well!
For an overview of Corval, click here or on the image below to watch a brief video (2:20 minutes) or request a demo!
