Objective

Learn to apply agile methodologies to marketing by planning a complete sprint cycle with clear goals, tasks, roles, and measurement criteria.

Instructions

1. Form Marketing Squads

Divide into small teams of 4-6 people to act as "marketing squads." Each squad will plan a sprint for a specific campaign or project.

Example Campaign Options:

• Promoting a new feature release
• Running a seasonal promotion
• Launching a content series
• Executing an ABM campaign
• Product launch campaign

2. Define Sprint Goal

What specific outcome will you deliver by the end of 2 weeks?

Format:

"By the end of this sprint, we will [deliverable] in order to [business outcome]."

Good Examples:

• "Launch a landing page and email drip for Feature X with initial conversion data"
• "Publish 4 blog posts and 12 social posts for our Q2 content campaign with engagement metrics"
• "Execute ABM campaign to 25 target accounts with 50% engagement rate"

Avoid vague goals:

• "Work on the website" (not specific)
• "Do marketing stuff" (no clear deliverable)

3. Create Sprint Backlog

List all tasks needed to achieve your sprint goal.

Task breakdown example for "Launch Feature X landing page and email campaign":

Week 1:

• Research target audience pain points (4 hours)
• Write landing page copy (6 hours)
• Design landing page mockup (8 hours)
• Write 5-email drip sequence (6 hours)
• Create social media assets (4 hours)
• Set up tracking and analytics (3 hours)

Week 2:

• Build landing page in CMS (6 hours)
• Set up email automation (4 hours)
• QA test all links and forms (2 hours)
• Launch campaign (1 hour)
• Monitor first 48 hours, gather data (4 hours)
• Sprint review and retrospective (2 hours)

Estimation tips:

• Use t-shirt sizes (S/M/L) or story points if hours feel too precise
• Include buffer time for revisions
• Account for dependencies (can't build page until copy is written)

4. Assign Roles & Owners

Determine who will handle each task.

Example role assignments:

• Content Writer: Landing page copy, email sequences
• Designer: Page mockup, social graphics
• Marketing Ops: Email setup, tracking implementation
• Product Marketer: Messaging guidance, review approvals
• Growth Lead: Overall coordination, remove blockers

Cross-functional needs:

• Need developer for 1 day to implement tracking code
• Need product manager input on feature details
• Need sales enablement materials ready by Day 10

5. Plan Sprint Schedule

Create a calendar with key milestones and ceremonies.

Sprint Schedule Template:

Day 1 (Monday): Sprint Planning Meeting (1 hour)

• Review sprint goal
• Commit to sprint backlog
• Assign tasks

Days 2-5: Execution

• Daily stand-up at 9:30am (15 min)
• Focus on Week 1 deliverables

Day 5 (Friday): Mid-Sprint Review (30 min)

• Show progress on landing page copy and design
• Adjust if needed

Days 6-9: Execution

• Daily stand-ups continue
• Focus on Week 2 deliverables

Day 10 (Friday): Sprint Review & Retrospective (90 min)

• Review (45 min): Demo completed work, share initial metrics
• Retro (45 min): What went well? What to improve?

6. Define Success Metrics

How will you know if the sprint was successful?

Sprint-level metrics:

• Did we complete all committed tasks? (% completion)
• Did we deliver the sprint goal on time?
• Quality of deliverables (passed QA, no major revisions needed)

Campaign-level metrics (may take longer to measure):

• Landing page conversion rate: Target 5%+
• Email open rate: Target 25%+
• Email click-through rate: Target 3%+
• Total leads generated: Target 50 in first week

7. Plan Feedback Loops

How will you gather feedback during the sprint?

Examples:

• Mid-sprint review of landing page mockup with sales team (Day 5)
• User test landing page with 3 colleagues before launch (Day 8)
• Quick survey to trial users after receiving first email (Day 11)
• Sales feedback on lead quality after first 20 leads (Day 12)

8. Identify Dependencies & Risks

Dependencies:

• Design needs copy finalized by Day 4
• Email setup needs landing page URL by Day 8
• Developer availability on Day 6 for tracking code

Risks:

• Risk: Designer gets pulled into urgent rebrand project
  • Mitigation: Have backup freelance designer on standby
• Risk: Feature launch date moves, making our timeline wrong
  • Mitigation: Daily check-in with product team, keep content flexible
• Risk: Email platform has technical issues
  • Mitigation: Test email flows early (Day 7 vs Day 10)

Deliverable

Create a Sprint Plan Document (2-3 pages or Kanban board) including:

1. Sprint goal statement
2. Backlog of tasks with estimates and owners
3. Sprint calendar with ceremonies
4. Success metrics
5. Dependencies and risk mitigation

Presentation:

Each squad briefs presents their sprint plan (5 minutes).

Discuss as a group:

• Are goals achievable in two weeks?
• Did teams plan for iteration and feedback?
• Are tasks broken down enough?
• Are dependencies and blockers addressed?

Example Sprint Plan

SPRINT PLAN: Feature X Launch Campaign

Sprint Goal: Launch landing page and 5-email nurture sequence for Feature X release, generating 50+ trial signups in first week.

Duration: March 1-14, 2025 (2 weeks)

Squad Members:

• Sarah (Growth Marketer) - Sprint Lead
• Mike (Content Writer)
• Priya (Designer)
• Alex (Marketing Ops)

Sprint Backlog:

Task	Owner	Est. Time	Status
Write landing page copy	Mike	6h	To Do
Design landing page	Priya	8h	To Do
Write email sequence (5 emails)	Mike	6h	To Do
Build landing page in Webflow	Alex	6h	To Do
Set up email automation in HubSpot	Alex	4h	To Do
Create social graphics (5 posts)	Priya	4h	To Do
Set up tracking & analytics	Alex	3h	To Do
QA testing	Sarah	2h	To Do
Launch	All	1h	To Do
Monitor & report first 48h	Sarah	4h	To Do

Sprint Schedule:

• Daily stand-ups: 9:30am (15 min)
• Mid-sprint review: March 7 at 2pm
• Sprint review & retro: March 14 at 3pm

Success Metrics:

• All tasks complete by March 14: ✅
• Landing page live by March 12: ✅
• Target 50 trial signups in first week
• Landing page CVR 5%+
• Email open rate 25%+

Dependencies:

• Need product manager input on feature details by March 2
• Need dev support for tracking code on March 6

Risks:

• Feature launch might slip → Mitigation: Keep messaging flexible, don't reference specific launch date

Outcome

You'll practice scoping work into an agile cadence, thinking cross-functionally, and planning with realistic constraints.

The sprint plan you create can be used as a template for real marketing sprints in your organization.

Note: Capstone Save Point

Save your sprint plan template for Section 11 (Team & Operating Model) of your Module 22 plan.