How a Global Marketing Ops Team Reduced Campaign Backlogs With Marketo Request Governance

Client Overview — A Global Marketing Ops Team Drowning in Requests

A global marketing operations team supported dozens of business units across regions. Every week, hundreds of campaign requests flowed in — from small email blasts to multi-channel launches. Without a clear intake process, requests piled up, deadlines slipped, and stakeholders grew frustrated.

Challenges — No Structure, Constant Firefighting

• Unclear Priorities: Urgent but low-value requests often pushed aside high-impact campaigns.
  
• Backlogged Projects: Campaign queues grew unmanageable, delaying launches by weeks.
  
• Inconsistent Quality: Rushed timelines led to mistakes and missed requirements.
  
• Burned-Out Teams: Ops staff felt constantly reactive, with little time for strategic projects.

Solution — Standardized Request Intake and Prioritization in Marketo

Xgrid helped the client implement a governance model to streamline campaign intake, set clear priorities, and reduce backlog chaos.

• Centralized Request Portal: Built a standardized request form capturing all required campaign details.
  
• Scoring Model for Prioritization: Assigned points based on campaign impact, complexity, and audience size.
  
• Tiered SLAs: Established clear timelines for low-, medium-, and high-priority campaigns.
  
• Ops Triage Meetings: Introduced weekly review sessions to allocate resources effectively.
  
• Transparent Communication: Gave stakeholders visibility into request status and timelines via dashboards.

Results — Faster Campaign Delivery and Happier Stakeholders

• 50% Reduction in Backlogs: Standardized intake streamlined workflows and reduced bottlenecks.
  
• 25% Faster Turnaround Time: Clear SLAs ensured campaigns launched on schedule.
  
• Higher Campaign Impact: Prioritization ensured the most valuable campaigns got delivered first.
  
• Improved Stakeholder Satisfaction: Transparent timelines reduced friction with business units.
  
• Healthier Ops Teams: Staff spent less time firefighting and more time optimizing campaigns.

Want to cut campaign backlogs by 50% and keep stakeholders happy? Get started with Xgrid’s Marketo Consulting Services to implement governance models that streamline requests and accelerate delivery.

Key Takeaways — Intake and Prioritization Keep Ops Scalable

• Structure Creates Focus: A standardized intake process prevents chaos and missed requirements.
  
• Prioritization Protects Value: Scoring models ensure high-impact campaigns get delivered first.
  
• Transparency Builds Trust: Dashboards and SLAs align stakeholders and reduce friction.

Conclusion — From Reactive Firefighting to Proactive Delivery

By establishing a request intake and prioritization framework, the client cut campaign backlogs in half, improved stakeholder trust, and freed marketing ops to focus on strategic growth initiatives instead of putting out fires.