Checklist · Campaign readiness

What must be clear before campaign work begins

Check objective, audience, offer, content, data, timing, approvals, measurement, and ownership before incomplete requests create rework.

7-minute checklist

Intake quality is an operating control

A campaign request is ready when the team has enough reliable information to make the next decisions without guessing. A long form does not guarantee quality, and a short form is not automatically agile. The test is whether missing information will create avoidable clarification, rework, approval delay, or launch risk.

Use the checklist at the point where a request moves from idea to committed work. Requirements can evolve, but material unknowns should be visible and owned rather than silently transferred to delivery teams.

Business objective and audience

  • Decision or behavior

    The request states what the audience should understand, decide, or do.

  • Business outcome

    The intended contribution is named without treating a channel metric as the final objective.

  • Audience definition

    Inclusion, exclusion, geography, language, eligibility, and suppression rules are understood.

  • Evidence

    The audience need or opportunity is supported by an approved insight, strategy, or business decision.

  • Priority

    The request has a clear reason to enter the queue now and can be compared with competing work.

Offer, content, and channel readiness

  • Value exchange

    The offer or message is clear, approved in principle, and relevant to the intended audience.

  • Terms and constraints

    Eligibility, dates, inventory, fulfilment, pricing, and required legal terms are known where applicable.

  • Content scope

    Required assets, variants, languages, formats, and accessibility needs are identified.

  • Channel role

    Each requested channel has a defined purpose in the experience, not simply a copied deliverable list.

  • Rights and expiry

    Usage rights, review dates, and content expiry are understood before production begins.

Data, technology, and measurement

  • Data availability

    Required attributes, consent, identifiers, and activation dates are confirmed with the responsible owner.

  • Platform path

    The systems that create, approve, activate, and measure the work are known.

  • Dependencies

    Feeds, integrations, agency inputs, landing experiences, and external decisions have owners and dates.

  • Success measure

    The primary measure, supporting diagnostics, baseline, and reporting owner are defined.

  • Learning plan

    The request states what the team expects to learn and how that learning will influence later work.

Ownership, approvals, and timing

  • Business owner

    One person is accountable for the objective, priority, and material trade-offs.

  • Decision makers

    Creative, legal, privacy, data, brand, channel, and executive approvals are identified where required.

  • Real deadline

    The launch date is tied to a business event or decision, and internal review time is included.

  • Exception authority

    The person who can accept scope, timing, quality, or risk trade-offs is known.

  • Working team

    The teams expected to deliver have acknowledged the request and surfaced material constraints.

Assign a readiness decision

Campaign intake readiness states
StateMeaningAction
Ready to planMaterial requirements and owners are clearCommit the work and confirm the delivery plan
Needs clarificationA bounded set of questions remainsAssign each question, owner, and decision date
BlockedA critical dependency, approval, or feasibility issue prevents responsible commitmentKeep the request visible but do not start hidden production work
Not prioritizedThe request may be valid but does not currently justify capacityRecord the decision and revisit through the normal prioritization cadence