At the IMC People, we define issue management as an anticipatory, strategic management process that helps brands detect and respond appropriately to emerging trends or changes in the socio-political environment over time. We look at the four functions of issue management which are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling to save on reaction time to control the narrative in case of an issue.

We create an issue management team that is supported by research to create knowledge and credibility around issues that may arise by identifying and recording issues, determining impact and prioritizing of issues and finally creating and executing plans to resolve issues whilst reporting on status along the way. By use of our issue tracking systems, we can advice on areas where issues may arise and tackle them beforehand.