5 ways MOps can stop order-taking and start driving strategy

MOps professionals are the backbone of modern marketing. But somewhere between the constant pings, last-minute quick asks and dashboard emergencies, it’s far too easy to slide into a role that feels more like a help desk than a strategic partner.

It’s not that MOps pros don’t want to be strategic. It’s that we’re buried. And if we don’t take deliberate steps to create space for innovation and strategic thinking, we risk becoming order-takers. 

The risk of staying reactive

When you’re in execution mode all the time, a few things happen:

• You don’t have time to zoom out and challenge whether what you’re building still makes sense.
• You can’t test new tools, frameworks or ideas that could improve your work (not just faster).
• You miss the opportunity to advise the business because you’re too busy fulfilling requests from it.

This happened to me while working on a presentation for HubSpot’s upcoming INBOUND conference. Our team is doing a workflow-building session, and I devised a fun workflow and automation based on the Parks and Rec show (Amy Poehler will be there after all!). 

Dig deeper: Strong MOps is how marketing runs on time and at scale

But in doing this, I realized the number of new things that HubSpot rolled out recently and thought, “Why aren’t we using these in our real marketing?”

It’s because I haven’t had time to review it, think about it and experiment to put it into practice. 

While we recognize this, how do you make time to be innovative? To drive strategy and find new opportunities to drive change? 

Practical ways to make time for strategy in MOps

I have suggestions from several industry professionals (plus a few of my own) to create a list of practices that help MOps pros worldwide reclaim strategic breathing room.

1. Block time for future ops

Dedicate 1-2 hours a week as future ops time — no meetings, no tickets. Just space to think, test or sketch. Put it on your calendar and protect it.

Things that you may do in that future ops block include: 

• Looking at product releases for the tech stack you support.
• Review call recordings for pain points or friction patterns that deserve more attention.
• Review reports and ask deeper why questions.

2. Create a strategic ideas backlog

As a product team has a roadmap and backlog, so should MOps. Use Notion, Asana, OneNote, whatever. But don’t let good ideas die because you can’t get to them now.

I find some of my best backlog contains content and ideas from places like: 

• LinkedIn bookmarks.
• Webinar screenshots.
• Ideas from one-on-one calls.
• Reddit threads.

Some marketing communities, such as MarketingOps.com, have amazing Slack forums that have more ideas than you know what to do with. Review those and select a few to add to your backlog. 

Dig deeper: Why the future of marketing depends on a smarter MOps function

3. Start a test-and-learn track

Designate 5%-10% of your capacity to small experiments. Try a new lifecycle stage model. Test AI-generated email personalization. Build a proof-of-concept integration. 

These test and learn experiments should start by answering these questions: 

• What if we (insert the blank)?
• What would happen if we stopped (insert the blank)?
• How might we (insert outcome here)?

4. Do an energy audit

Inspired by “Make Time” by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, this boils down to recognizing what drains you vs. what energizes you. In the MOps realm, that can be the difference between a job you love and one you can’t wait to leave. 

What repetitive tasks can be:

• Automated with workflows or tools?
• Delegated to someone else on the team?
• Eliminated if no longer necessary?

Dig deeper: 3 MOps bottlenecks killing your campaign velocity

5. Schedule a show and tell

I love learning from other people — and it also helps open up the realm of “things you didn’t know you didn’t know”.

I recognize this every time I attend a HubSpot User Group. I see this in our team when I ask for feedback on a workflow. I am amazed when I ask another MOps leader to walk through their lead qualification automation. 

Don’t wait for this to happen accidentally. Reach out to peers and see if they’d be open to a show-and-tell session where you show something you’re working on and vice versa. You’ll be excited to see what strategies and high-level insights emerge. 

Remember: Strategy doesn’t show up on a ticket or ops request

If you’re always doing what someone else asks, it’s hard to be seen as a leader. 

As Debbie Qaqish writes in “From Backroom to the Boardroom: Earn Your Seat with Strategic Marketing Operations,” effective marketing leadership requires the integration of business acumen, marketing experience and the power of the digital age. 

What’s your next strategic move? Block that time. Start that backlog. Give yourself permission. Then watch what happens when you lead from strategy, not just service.