Many ambitious go-to-market (GTM) transformations fail because they prioritize speed over strategy, leading to disjointed systems and poor adoption. The pressure to “move fast” often results in moving in the wrong direction. But what if the key to going faster was to slow down first?
In a recent episode of The Go-to-Market Podcast, Amy Osmond Cook, Co-Founder & CMO at Fullcast, sat down with Nicole Farina, Senior Director of GTM Strategy & Transformation at Synopsys Inc / Ansys, to discuss this very challenge. Nicole shares her “planned agile” framework: a strategic approach that emphasizes building a North Star vision before executing incremental changes.
This article breaks down her approach for leading successful transformations that deliver lasting results by focusing on process, people, and patience.
“We have evolved… to what is called go to market transformation and strategy now, which really guides our business through transformational change and how we leverage systems with a focus on process first.” – Nicole Farina
The Foundation of Transformation: Why a ‘Process-First’ Mindset Is Non-Negotiable
A successful GTM transformation starts with defining your process, not with buying new technology. Successful transformation begins not with a new tool, but with a new mindset. Too many organizations fall into the trap of implementing new software, believing that a shiny new system will magically solve their GTM challenges.
Nicole Farina argues for a more deliberate, process-oriented approach that lays a strategic foundation before a single piece of software is implemented.
From Chasing Shiny Tools to Defining Your North Star
The pressure to innovate often leads to reactive decision making, where teams implement technology without a clear, long-term vision. This results in a disconnected tech stack and siloed operations that require costly rework later.
According to Nicole, this is a fundamental mistake. “You have to move as fast as the business, but you can only move somewhere if you know where you’re going,” she explains. Before accelerating, leaders must first define their “North Star”: a clear, future-state vision for the entire GTM engine.
This vision ensures that every incremental change, every new tool, and every process update serves a larger strategic purpose. It prevents teams from simply connecting disparate tools and hoping they eventually meet in the middle.
Introducing ‘Planned Agile’: Balance Long-Term Strategy With Short-Term Wins
To bring this North Star vision to life, Nicole advocates for a hybrid model she calls “planned agile.” This framework blends the strategic foresight of waterfall-style planning with the iterative speed of agile delivery.
This is not a “willy-nilly” approach. It involves a rigorous upfront process to define the overarching strategy before breaking it down into smaller, manageable releases.
“Before we move fast, let’s talk about what the North Star is,” Nicole advises. This model allows teams to deliver value to the business quickly through short-term wins while ensuring each step is a deliberate move toward the long-term goal. It’s a disciplined methodology that forms the basis of a continuous GTM planning motion.
The Four Pillars of a Holistic GTM Framework: People, Process, Systems, and Data
To build a comprehensive North Star vision, transformation must be viewed through four critical lenses: people, process, systems, and data. While many leaders group systems and data under “technology,” Nicole emphasizes that experienced RevOps professionals treat them as distinct pillars:
- People
- Process
- Systems
- Data
By analyzing the entire customer journey from marketing through sales and customer service with these four components in mind, leaders can design a truly integrated operation. This holistic perspective is the key to building a robust GTM ops framework that supports scalable growth.
Executing Your GTM Transformation
Effective execution requires strategic thinkers who prioritize process over tools and use automation to scale the plan. With a foundational philosophy in place, the focus shifts to execution.
This requires more than just project management; it demands strategic thinking, a deep understanding of the entire revenue engine, and the right operational practices to make the vision a reality.
Why You Must Look Beyond the Initial Ask
Effective transformation depends on having the right people at the helm. Nicole highlights the importance of hiring and developing “process architects”: strategic thinkers who can see the entire GTM engine, not just a single function. “They are big thinkers and they understand how the whole engine works,” she notes.
These leaders don’t just fulfill requests. They guide the business by analyzing the downstream impacts of every decision. When a stakeholder asks for a change, a process architect looks beyond the immediate need to understand how it will affect other teams, systems, and data. This broad perspective is essential for designing scalable solutions and is a core component of effective sales GTM planning.
Aligning Your Tech Stack With Your GTM Motion, Not the Other Way Around
Once your processes are clearly defined, you can select and implement technology that serves your strategy. The “process-first” mindset ensures that you choose tools to support your GTM motion, rather than forcing your motion to conform to the limitations of a tool.
For instance, instead of relying on cumbersome spreadsheets for territory and quota planning, a purpose-built platform like Fullcast Plan can be implemented to support a well-defined, collaborative planning process. This strategic alignment of technology to process can save hundreds of hours and significantly improves a team’s ability to respond to change, as demonstrated by companies like Udemy that have slashed planning time from months to weeks.
Automating Your GTM Operations for Greater RevOps Efficiency
With clear processes and aligned systems, automation becomes a powerful tool for efficiency. Automating the rules of engagement for critical functions like lead routing, account ownership, and territory management ensures that day-to-day execution remains perfectly aligned with the strategic plan.
This represents a crucial shift from reactive, manual decisions to proactive, rule-based operations. When you automate GTM operations, you create an efficient and predictable revenue engine, which is a key outcome of any successful transformation.
The Human Element
The success of any transformation depends on a patient and proactive change management strategy that earns leadership support and employee adoption. The most carefully designed transformation will fail if the people it affects don’t embrace it. The human element is often the most challenging aspect of change, requiring patience, empathy, and a deliberate, well-executed change management strategy.
Prioritize Patience: Why Transformation Takes Time
“When you are transforming a company… it is not overnight,” Nicole cautions. Leaders must be comfortable playing the long game. This means giving teams adequate time to learn, adapt, and internalize new processes before introducing the next initiative. Stacking initiatives too quickly leads to burnout and poor adoption.
Patience also involves “meeting the business where they are.” Sometimes, an organization may not be culturally or operationally ready for a change, even if it’s part of the North Star vision.
Recognizing this and adjusting the timeline is a sign of strong leadership. A patient, well-managed implementation ultimately leads to significant, lasting efficiency gains, as seen with companies like Collibra.
Build an Integrated Change Plan That Starts Months in Advance
Successful adoption doesn’t happen by accident; it requires a proactive and integrated change plan. Nicole recommends a tactical blueprint for managing major rollouts:
- Start Early: Begin communications at least six months prior to launch to prepare people for what’s coming.
- Use Multiple Channels: Reach employees through various methods, from company-wide announcements to direct shadowing and interviews.
- Acknowledge Differences: Recognize that people absorb information differently, and tailor your approach for global regions and diverse learning styles.
A structured approach, supported by resources like a Change Management Toolkit, is critical for guiding teams through uncertainty.
Secure Leadership Support
Perhaps the most critical factor in change management is leadership support. Transformation cannot be driven by the RevOps team alone. “It is much better received when their sales manager is sitting down with them having the discussion,” Nicole stresses.
When frontline managers and senior leaders actively champion a change and consistently explain the “why” behind it, adoption rates improve significantly. This top-down reinforcement turns a new process from a RevOps mandate into a shared business priority. An effective GTM plan rollout depends on leaders who don’t just announce change but actively lead their teams through it.
Lasting GTM transformation is a long-term commitment, not a short-term project. The journey requires abandoning the rush for short-term solutions in favor of a more deliberate, strategic approach.
As Nicole Farina reminds us, this level of leadership also demands personal sustainability. Creating separation from work through practices like meditation and travel is not a luxury; it is a necessity for bringing the fresh perspective and groundedness required to guide teams through complex change.
Understanding the current state of your GTM operations is the first step toward building that future. See how your team compares to the best in the industry by downloading the latest 2025 Benchmarks Report to gain critical insights into trends, quota attainment, and ICP efficiency.
