Agile Practices: The Marketing Team Tries Sprints, Part II

Previously… The Hunch

As with any team, the Marketing team had their share of challenges.  They decided one way to mitigate some of the pain-points they were experiencing was to conduct a trial run of sprints; where by identifying and coordinating work ahead of time, they would measurably improve their individual and overall performance.

Analysis

Having data and real-life outcomes from the past three months – three sprints – the Management and Marketing teams discussed the results related to the goals they set at the beginning of the trial; increase the number of people they reach, improve the quality of internal communication and minimize issues.

Using an average of 34 completed deliverables per sprint as the basis for discussion, the group reviewed the following table:

From this, the group assumed if the Marketing team continued the sprint process and changed nothing, on average, they would complete roughly 8 social media posts, 10 recipes, 8 articles and 3 newsletters monthly.  One-off items would stay steady at 1 per sprint, however, wild card items – as their title would indicate – would fluctuate between 3 and 6 from month to month.  This is the team’s established baseline of monthly deliverables.

The Marketing team provided details on people visiting and using the site, newsletter readership and overall engagement numbers. During the 3-month period, site visits stayed consistent with a gradual uptick in the number of articles people were reading.  Tracking showed people were staying on article pages longer as compared to the same time-period the year prior.  Open rates on the newsletter stayed consistent while the number of people signing up to receive it increased by 3%.  The number of likes and shares on social media posts continued to be strong.

The team showed by applying some of the agile practices associated with sprints, they changed preexisting perceptions and were achieving their goals.  They increased the number of people consuming their content and engaging with the site.  By the third sprint, they and the management team had a clear idea of what the team would produce and the anticipated outcomes.  Communication improved and everyone expressed a general sense of being happy with how things were planned and carried out.

Summary

Working closely with the Marketing team, the agile expert provided guidance and coaching support for the group to identify and define their work.  Together they were able to create a sense of predictability with deliverables and establish baselines, clarifying expectations with other stakeholders.

Using the this process and knowing what will be worked on and when it’s going to be completed, provides context for everyone involved; allowing people to focus their effort toward a common goal while improving communication with team-members and colleagues.

Stay tuned for a dive into the numbers and suggestions on how the team should proceed after the trial…

Agile Practices: The Marketing Team Tries Sprints, Part III