How to Do Marketing Enablement & PMO

Also - What ops professionals are saying about layoffs and reorgs

In this edition:

1. How to Do Marketing Enablement and PMO

2. What Ops Pros Are Saying About Layoffs & Reorgs

3. A Framework To Easily Create Your Martech Roadmap

4. Exclusive For Paid Subscribers: Darrell Explains in Detail The New Marketing Ops Maturity Model

5. Reminder! Marketing Ops AI Agent Launch This Week! Join Us To See What All the Hype Is About!

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The 2025 AI and Marketing Performance Index

Marketing teams are under pressure to deliver faster results with fewer resources.

AI is supposed to help. But there’s a gap between the promise of AI and what teams are actually experiencing on the ground.

A new study from GrowthLoop and Ascend2 surveyed 300+ senior marketers. The data shows:

• 89% say pressure to perform has grown significantly

• Only 22% believe their current strategies are driving fast growth

This report breaks down how high-performing teams are using AI to drive results, not just talk about it.

You’ll learn:

• How real teams are using AI to grow revenue

• Where AI fits in the day-to-day marketing cycle

• What’s working, what’s not, and what to watch for

• How leaders are integrating AI into existing systems without slowing down

No fluff. Just insight on how marketing teams are actually using AI to perform.

Read the full report.

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The Map of Marketing Enablement and PMO

This is one of the most undervalued and underinvested areas of marketing.

But it’s also one of the most important. It can define how effectively your team operates and whether your strategy actually gets executed.

This is the Map of Marketing Enablement & PMO.

It’s a framework for how modern marketing teams plan, deliver, and scale execution.

Campaign & Program Enablement
Marketing shouldn't feel like you're reinventing the wheel every month. You need repeatable programs and scalable templates that evolve over time. Think toolkits, QA checklists, playbooks, and campaign calendars that make every launch smoother and smarter.

People, Process & Change Management
Every transformation in marketing requires people. That means clear communication, strong ownership, and well-managed change. Without this structure, even the best ideas stall. With it, teams stay aligned and engaged, even through complex initiatives.

Marketing Project Management (PMO)
If you level up project management, you level up your marketing. Most work in marketing is project-based. It involves deadlines, dependencies, and ownership. Strong PMO practices enhance visibility, minimize chaos, and enable teams to execute more efficiently.

Execution Insights & Optimization
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. This involves tracking the duration of campaigns, identifying bottlenecks, and assessing whether tools and processes are effective. Ops leaders should be thinking in terms of velocity, adoption, and team efficiency.

Enablement Systems & Tooling
Modern project management relies on platforms like Asana, Workfront, and Monday. But having the tools isn't enough. Are they configured to support your workflow? Are your teams trained and confident using them? Tools should help people do better work, not slow them down.

AI is starting to influence all of this. From generating briefs to forecasting timelines to improving retrospectives, it is helping teams work smarter and more efficiently.

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What Ops Pros Are Saying About Layoffs & Reorgs

Here were the responses to the polls during marketing ops town hall where we discussed layoffs and reorgs.

Question: What’s the Hardest Part About Working Through Big Changes Like Layoffs and Reorgs?

“Staying motivated” — 33 responses (40%)
The most common challenge. Motivation is often hindered by suffering, likely due to burnout, a lack of clarity, or emotional fatigue during uncertain times.

“Managing up while supporting the team” — 30 responses (36.6%)
A significant proportion of responses highlighted the burden of being caught between leadership expectations and team needs.

“Prioritizing what actually matters” — 16 responses (19.5%)
Respondents expressed frustration with shifting goals and a lack of clarity on what deserves their time and energy.

“Not knowing what’s coming next” — 1 response (1.2%)
Only one person explicitly identified uncertainty about the future as their top challenge in this dataset.

Takeaways:
The biggest challenge people are facing is staying motivated, especially while juggling expectations from both leadership and their teams. Many also shared that it’s hard to know what really matters day to day—while few mentioned uncertainty about the future directly, it’s likely still weighing on them.

Question: What Helps Teams Stay Grounded During Change?

Open and honest communication — 48 responses (70%)
The overwhelming top response. Transparent, consistent dialogue is the anchor for most teams navigating uncertainty.

A shared sense of humor — 10 responses (15%)
A healthy dose of laughter helps teams cope and stay human, even when things get chaotic.

Clear prioritization or focus areas — 6 responses (9%)
Clarity on what actually matters cuts through noise and helps teams move forward with purpose.

Small wins or moments of stability — 4 responses (6%)
Celebrating quick wins and creating small routines provides a sense of control and progress.

Takeaways:
In times of change, communication is everything. Nearly three out of four respondents credited open dialogue as their number one stabilizing force. But culture and clarity matter too—humor keeps things light, and clear priorities keep them focused. It’s a reminder that leading through change isn’t just strategic—it’s deeply human.

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Framework to Easily Create Your Martech Roadmap

Here’s a framework you can use to create your Martech roadmap.

It’s called the P.A.P.E.R. Framework, and it comes from The Customer Engagement Book by MoEngage, shared by Mirala Ciala, Director at Equinox.

It’s practical, straightforward, and helps turn strategy into action.

🟢 Plan: Start with business goals. Identify key Martech capabilities you actually need—like personalization, lead routing, or reporting.

🔍 Audit: Map your existing tools, integrations, and data flows. Look at adoption and gaps in your current stack.

📊 Prioritize: Focus on projects that deliver value. Think platform upgrades, automation, and workflow improvements.

🚀 Execute: Roll out changes in phases—starting with foundational fixes like data hygiene, followed by enhancements like AI-powered personalization.

🔁 Refine: Review performance, retire unused tools, and update your roadmap as business priorities evolve.

This is one of the best ways I’ve seen to get Martech strategy out of a doc and into practice.

PS: This framework is just the tip of the iceberg of the Customer Engagement Book, make sure to get your free copy.