Why Upfront Planning Isn’t Just Busywork

You’ve got a vision. A campaign to launch. A brand to build. A website to overhaul. The excitement to start executing projects right away is normal, but here’s the truth: the most successful projects don’t begin with doing. They begin by defining.

In marketing, the term “scope” refers to the boundaries and extent of a marketing project or campaign. It’s the blueprint that ensures your project isn’t just done, it’s done right. When you rush past that phase to “save time,” it almost always backfires. Missed deadlines. Blown budgets. Stakeholders who aren’t on the same page.

No matter the industry—financial services navigating compliance, nonprofits balancing mission with budget, or higher ed coordinating various levels of stakeholders—scoping is one of the most strategic things you can do for the health of your project. It’s where you set the guardrails, define success, and protect your time and investment.

Here are six ways you can expect better scoping to give you better results.

1. Sets Clear Expectations From the Start

What does “launch-ready” mean? What are the key milestones of the project? How many rounds of revisions are we folding in? Who signs off? What counts as a deliverable?

Scoping defines those expectations before anyone starts writing, designing, or coding. It makes sure everyone’s speaking the same language and understands what’s being delivered, when, and by whom. If deliverables need to change midstream because goals change or new priorities arise, there’s always an option for amendments. Keeping a scope broad ends up wasting more time and costing more money. With clarity upfront, there’s less scrambling later.

Result: Less confusion, fewer surprises, and smoother collaboration across teams.

2. Protects Your Timeline and Budget

A loosely scoped project is a magnet for “scope creep.” In other words, when there’s no clear plan for resources, budget, deliverables, and timelines, unplanned extras tend to sneak in. And while an extra deliverable might sound like a bonus, it usually comes with a revised price tag and a pushed-back timeline. To avoid transactional back-and-forth or a game of musical chairs with everyone’s schedule, it’s best to define—up front and in writing—what’s in and what’s out.

That said, project goals sometimes change in the middle of the project. When that happens, there should already be room built in to adapt through a clear and intentional amendment process. A well-defined scope not only keeps teams focused on the original objectives, but it also makes pivots easier when they’re truly necessary.

Result: No last-minute budget increase, no endless extensions, and a schedule you can trust.

CASE STUDY: How Scoping Helped A University Client Stay on Track

Let’s take our higher-ed client, University A, as an example. In the middle of a campaign, University A underwent a leadership turnover. With our original point of contact no longer in place, we made it a point to proactively reach out to the new team. Here, we not only walked through the scope already in progress and outlined key milestones, but we also presented the work that had been done so far – ensuring they could get bought in on the direction by hearing from us about the rationale behind each decision. Rather than leaving the new team to interpret work without context, we gave them the full picture, reestablishing alignment and building confidence in the process. 

Why did we go to them first? We not only prevented delays by being the first to introduce ourselves, but we also avoided misaligned or uninformed conversations down the line. By explaining the “why” behind what we were doing, we reconfirmed the value of the work being done. The project stayed on track because we prioritized clarity during the transition, kept everyone up to speed, and addressed any concerns early.

3. Drives Strategic Alignment Early

Scoping isn’t just about logistics. It’s the phase where the big questions get answered:

• What are we solving for?
• Who is the audience?
• What does success look like—and how will we measure it?
• What are our benchmarks?

One of the things that sets Frankel apart from other agencies is how we approach partnerships with our clients, starting with strategic alignment. We ask questions about your business, not solely from a customer standpoint, but from an internal goal perspective. In those first few years of marketing, we aim to accomplish what you want to achieve for your business and look toward the long term. Build awareness? Grow and sell? Merge and acquire?

Our strategic consultation gets to the real root of the project, avoiding competing priorities, conflicting feedback loops, or hidden assumptions. Better to address gray areas now than in the middle of production and tacking on extra cost. The scoping process helps bring those conversations forward so your team starts the initial project aligned rather than splintered off in different directions.

Result: A shared north star that keeps strategy, creative, and leadership all pulling in the same direction.

4. Minimizes Rework (and Maximizes Creative Impact)

Defining a clear scope starts at the beginning of the project so that project management teams can accurately estimate the cost, time, and resources needed to complete it. After scoping, there’s a rhythm of early execution, client review, refinement, and feedback. That means we’re not just delivering something at the very end; we’re working alongside you with built-in checkpoints to keep things on track.

Without this initial work, the execution of the project suffers, from the campaigns we run to the strategy behind it. And if creative teams are forced to guess expectations, they’ll often hear, “this isn’t quite what we meant,” leading to rework, wasted effort, and unnecessary tension. A well-scoped project provides the creative team with the necessary context to solve the right problems with the right ideas. It doesn’t box creativity in; it sharpens it. Similarly, the project management side of marketing can increase its focus, reduce rework, and maximize ROI by focusing on the agreed-upon outcomes.

Result: Less backtracking, more powerful work, and teams that stay energized instead of drained.

5. Prioritizes What Matters Most

Improved planning doesn’t mean checking off boxes. It’s about spending time and money on the elements that matter most, whether it’s designing a new website that will later stand as a pivotal touchpoint to a rebranding campaign or creating a brand anthem video far enough in advance for revisions before a national conference.

When the scope is clear, you can dedicate your people, budget, and energy to the highest-impact work. You know what needs to happen first, and what can wait. You build momentum with intention, not chaos.

Result: The right work gets done at the right time—and it moves the needle.

6. Builds Trust Across Teams

Strong scoping isn’t just about deliverables, it’s about relationships. When teams have a shared plan, everyone can show up with confidence. Scoping sets the tone for accountability, transparency, and mutual respect. Whether you’re working with an internal team, an agency partner, or both, that trust is everything. As we saw with University A, strong scoping is what carries a project through the unexpected—starting with a strong first impression and continuing that discipline all the way through to deliverance.

Result: Stronger partnerships, better communication, and long-term collaboration that works.

Scoping Isn’t What Slows You Down; It’s What Keeps You On Track

Think of scoping as guardrails, not roadblocks. It’s how you define success, prevent headaches, and protect your investment.

At Frankel, we work with our clients in the capacities they need or want, from a vendor who executes their vision and strategy to serving as a fractional CMO and full marketing team that drives the strategy. We take full ownership of the guidance that comes with initiating marketing efforts, explaining the creative, and presenting it to leadership or the board. That way, momentum isn’t lost, should transitions occur.

So the next time you’re tempted to rush ahead and figure it out as you go, pause. Ask the right questions. Set the right boundaries. Get clear on the why, the what, and the when. Great outcomes don’t happen by accident. They happen on purpose—and it all starts with the scope.

Curious What Better Scoping Might Look Like for Your Next Project?

Start a conversation with us. We’ll walk you through how we tailor the process to fit your goals, budget, and timeline.