Market Expansion RAID Log
This is a practical guide to building a raid log for a market expansion project — a consolidated log of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies, adapted to the realities of entering a new market or geography.
What a RAID Log is
A raid log is a consolidated log of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies. For the full concept and how it works in general, see RAID Log. On a market expansion project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Market Expansion project
Market Expansion projects live or die on entering a new market or geography. A well-built raid log gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how market expansion projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Risks
- Assumptions
- Issues
- Dependencies
- Owners and status
Market Expansion-specific considerations
Tailor the raid log to the risks that most often derail market expansion projects:
- Local regulation and culture
- Go-to-market uncertainty
- Operational setup
Example
On a real market expansion project, the raid log would be shaped by entering a new market or geography. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — local regulation and culture, go-to-market uncertainty, operational setup — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.