Using Planning Tasks in Dynamics CRM Campaigns

Louise Alderton, 18 September 2010

To carry on with the quest of becoming Dynamics CRM Campaign experts I will continue to look at the features within a Campaign that will help drive it and make it a success. In this post I will explain the Planning Tasks feature, how to use it and the benefits you can gain from it.

Planning tasks are those tasks you will need to complete before launching the Campaign. In other words, and as the name suggests, they are in the ‘planning’ phase of the Campaign and they must be performed prior to distributing the Campaign Activities (more on these next week). For example, if your Campaign was launching a new product, planning tasks might include preparing and printing marketing collateral, securing advertising space or purchasing a marketing list of people to target for your Campaign from an independent vendor.

As each Planning Task is completed the Campaign will start to take shape and you will soon be in a position to launch. Generally any task that does not have costs or a marketing list associated with it will be considered a Planning Task. Otherwise it should be considered a Campaign Activity and tracked.

Planning Tasks can be created within a Campaign. You will need to enter the following information:

• Subject – This is a concise description of the task. Here, include any details about how the task should be completed.

• Owner – Assign the task to the appropriate person. This person will be responsible for completing the task.

• Duration – Define a timeframe in which you expect the task to be completed. 

• Due – State the deadline date for when the task must be completed by.

A successful Campaign has a lot to do with proper and appropriate planning. The Planning Tasks feature within a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Campaign assists you in organising those things that need to be completed in order to launch and operate a Campaign. The major benefit of Planning Tasks is that they act as a centralised “to do” list for all those team members involved in the Campaign. Having this centralised task list gives visibility across the organisation and the Campaign allowing for better communication, more informed decision making and overall greater productivity. In completing the Planning Tasks you will be in a very prepared position to launch a successful and profitable Campaign. Next week - Campaign Activities.