Planning for Success: What Sport Strategy Can Teach Us About Research Impact Planning

Research impact rarely happens by accident. While high-quality research is essential, it is not enough on its own. Meaningful impact requires intent, structure, capability, and the discipline to plan beyond the immediate research output.

One of the most common weaknesses in impact practice is not a lack of ambition, but a lack of strategy. Impact is often approached opportunistically, added late to a project, or assumed to emerge organically. In reality, impact follows the same principles as success in other high-performance domains: clear goals, deliberate planning, the right support, and the ability to adapt when things do not go to plan.

Sport provides a powerful and practical parallel.

As a four-time Ironman triathlon finisher and a PhD holder, I am often asked how I manage time, sustain effort, and deliver on long-term goals. The answer is not motivation or talent; it is strategy. Over time, structured planning becomes habitual, and its value is easy to underestimate.

The same principles apply directly to research impact planning.

Why Research Impact Needs Strategic Planning

Impact is not a single activity or endpoint. It is a process that unfolds over time and across multiple settings. Without clear planning, impact efforts can become fragmented, under-resourced, or unrealistic.

Effective impact planning helps to:

• Clarify what success looks like and for whom

• Identify the actions required beyond producing research outputs

• Allocate time and resources appropriately

• Build the right mix of skills and partnerships

• Track progress and adapt when conditions change

These are not optional considerations. They are essential components of credible impact practice.

Set a Clear Impact Goal

An Ironman triathlon consists of a 4 km swim, a 180 km bike, and a 42.2 km run, all completed within a 17-hour cutoff. The goal is explicit. Finish within the limit.

Committing to a goal of this scale is daunting, particularly when personal constraints exist. However, clarity matters. Once the goal is fixed, everything else becomes a question of how, not whether.

Impact planning works in exactly the same way. Vague aspirations to influence policy, improve practice, or benefit communities are not goals. Effective impact planning requires explicit statements about:

• The intended change

• The people or systems affected

• The timeframe over which change is expected

Without this clarity, effort is easily dissipated, and success becomes difficult to evidence.

Develop an Impact Strategy, Not Just a List of Activities

No one completes an Ironman without a structured training plan. That plan includes multiple interdependent elements, each of which must be considered early and reviewed regularly.

Time and sequencing

Training for an endurance event requires sustained effort over many months. This only works if time commitments are planned realistically alongside work and personal responsibilities.

Impact activities similarly require dedicated time. Engagement, translation, implementation, and follow-up cannot simply be absorbed into existing workloads. Planning must account for when impact activities can realistically occur and how they align with the research lifecycle.

Activities that lead to change

Training sessions are purposeful and sequenced to build capacity over time. Each activity contributes to the overall outcome.

Impact planning requires the same discipline. Outputs alone are not impact activities. Engagement, communication, co-production, dissemination, and implementation actions must be clearly identified and aligned to intended outcomes.

Context and settings

Training environments matter. Variety reduces fatigue and improves performance. Routes, locations, and training partners are chosen deliberately.

Impact does not occur in the abstract. It occurs in specific policy environments, service settings, communities, and organisations. Effective impact planning considers where change is intended to occur and under what conditions.

Support, skills, and partnerships

No Ironman is completed alone. Coaches, health professionals, training partners, and technical support all play a role.

Impact similarly requires a team. This may include partners, intermediaries, end users, knowledge brokers, or institutional support. Assuming a single researcher can deliver impact is rarely realistic.

Measures of progress and success

Performance is monitored throughout training to ensure progress and identify issues early.

Impact planning also requires intermediate milestones and indicators. Waiting until the end of a project to assess impact is too late. Progress, contribution, and learning should be tracked across the life of the work.

Plan for Uncertainty and Adapt When Needed

Even the best plans encounter disruption. Injury, equipment failure, and environmental conditions are inherent to endurance sports.

Two weeks before my first Ironman, I was diagnosed with severe shin splints. Running was no longer possible. Rather than abandoning the goal, the strategy was adapted. Training shifted to water running, and during the race, I power walked the marathon. The goal remained unchanged. The pathway adjusted.

Impact work is no different. Policy windows close. Stakeholders move on. Implementation stalls. These challenges do not signal failure. They reflect the complexity of real-world systems.

Robust impact plans anticipate uncertainty and allow for adaptation rather than abandonment. Flexibility is a strength of good planning, not a weakness.

Applying High-Performance Thinking to Research Impact

Whether training for an endurance event or planning for research impact, the fundamentals are consistent:

• Set a clear goal

• Develop a structured and realistic strategy

• Build the right team and support

• Monitor progress and adapt when required

Impact is not an optional extra. It is a long-term endeavour that rewards preparation, persistence, and strategic thinking.

For researchers and research support professionals seeking to strengthen their impact practice, structured planning tools and frameworks can help translate these principles into action. The key is to treat impact with the same seriousness and discipline as any other major professional goal.

Need more help and guidance? Check out our KT planning cheat sheet.