When managing a number of martech tasks, it may be tempting to mix efforts if there are overlapping duties or shared objectives. However doing so comes with dangers. Earlier than deciding to combine tasks, it’s crucial to totally assess the implications.
Combining martech initiatives could seem environment friendly on the floor. However in actuality, intertwining tasks will increase the probabilities that points with one effort will cascade into the opposite. What may have been one delayed challenge now turns into two.
As martech and MOps professionals, we should information challenge sponsors on the professionals and cons. Beneath are key questions it is best to ask to uncover the potential downstream results of mixing martech tasks.
1. What are the dependencies upon every challenge?
Every challenge has many issues which might be dependent upon them, and a great place to begin when answering this query is to go to the affected stakeholders.
For example, does the paid search workforce have a big marketing campaign prepared for a vacation or particular occasion with important dependencies upon one or each tasks? Does the workforce want to gather particular data? Does the marketing campaign want to tug knowledge from a brand new or present supply in an effort to goal particular audiences?
Some necessary stakeholders embody finance and authorized. Maybe one or each of the tasks are essential to convey the group into compliance with new laws which might be taking impact quickly.
You will need to concentrate on the programs interactions wanted to satisfy these enterprise objectives. There’s an opportunity that somebody could level out that there’s a greater strategy than what’s proposed by combining tasks. That will permit the group to proceed with the tasks independently.
2. Why are these programs built-in like they’re?
That is definitely a primary query, and the enterprise stakeholders are very doubtless going to assist reply this query. Treating this as a merely technical query is a mistake.
The enterprise stakeholders can assist clarify why issues had been arrange as they’re. For example, they might need a buyer who bought one thing to have instant entry to sure data and performance after finishing a transaction. With that expectation, the technical stakeholders made crucial choices relating to integrations and cadence of information flows.
Enterprise necessities have doubtless modified, which means the present and future states require one thing completely different than prior to now. Granted, the enterprise stakeholders are doubtless not within the technical weeds, however their necessities dictate what happens within the weeds.
Preserving the enterprise perspective in thoughts can assist make clear the necessity to mix or separate tasks. Technical choices relating to tasks ought to all the time incorporate the general enterprise wants.
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3. Is there a extra agile/iterative method to strategy the challenge overlaps?
Killing two birds with one stone is definitely interesting. Nonetheless, what could appear to be a fast or environment friendly determination could lead a company to chunk off greater than it will probably chew.
That’s the place an agile strategy could make extra sense. Taking an iterative strategy is crucial to the Agile challenge administration philosophy. As an alternative of setting giant objectives, how about breaking issues down into smaller tasks? That manner, delivering worth extra regularly and adjusting as wanted is less complicated.
An iterative strategy definitely has virtues for complicated tasks that may take a very long time to finish. As an alternative of mixing two giant tasks right into a mega-sized challenge, think about the virtues of a number of smaller tasks.
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4. Do the challenge overlaps name consideration to pointless system or course of overlaps?
Giant tasks are nice instances to ask questions concerning the present state of your martech stack and processes. This often occurs in the course of the discovery and planning phases, if you assess the place issues are and the place you need them to be. It’s an amazing probability to make enhancements.
For instance, the tasks at hand could current a chance to decouple programs or processes which have overlaps that aren’t environment friendly. When a system will get knowledge from one other system, maybe there’s a extra environment friendly knowledge stream that may get rid of dependency upon one of many programs.
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5. What’s at stake if one or each tasks are delayed?
Whereas the dependencies query is necessary to scope out system interactions, this query higher fleshes out the prices and dangers. This query is essential but difficult to reply.
I’ve seen on a number of events one challenge derail after which careen into one other challenge and derail that. Sadly, asking this query earlier than tasks begin doesn’t get rid of this danger. Nonetheless, it’s useful to reply this query prematurely.
Enterprise stakeholders are very doubtless finest outfitted to reply such a query. Possibly advertising has a cool and significant marketing campaign that it must launch. Maybe authorized has recognized a brand new regulation that the corporate must adjust to by a sure date. Then there’s product launches, mergers, new audiences, and many others.
Additional, what are a number of the different prices of delays? For example, how far more will distributors and consultants cost for scope and schedule modifications?
A larger danger doesn’t essentially translate right into a larger reward. Failing to adjust to a brand new regulation or delaying a product launch, for example, could be very pricey. I doubt short-term efficiencies will sufficiently recoup any prices or misplaced alternatives.
An artwork, not a science
Making such choices is tough, and you will need to acknowledge that. No single article or column can present stable steering for each scenario. Nonetheless, holding this angle and answering associated questions can assist mitigate dangers.
Martech and MOps practitioners are regularly concerned in choices on whether or not to mix tasks. They’re additionally uniquely outfitted to judge the potential dangers and positive aspects. You will need to rigorously weigh the choices and shine by serving to the group excel.
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