We’ve all been there. A pipeline full of ideas instead of actual execution.

You ask a report or team member how a campaign is going. They say, “It’s in the works.” But when you check in a week later, still in the works. And before long, that phrase becomes a catch-all for anything stuck in feedback, missing assets, half-approved ideas, or “waiting on one more thing.”

At Smartt, we’ve supported clients from both sides of the table (as vCMOs building strategy and as execution partners shipping the work). And one pattern we’ve seen repeatedly is that too many marketing teams operate like idea factories with no shipping dock.

Here’s how to shift from “in the works” to “in the market” without chaos, burnout, or blaming the team.

1. Get Honest About What’s Actually Moving

The first step is visibility. Not necessarily a giant complicated Gantt chart, but a clear view of what’s launched, what’s stuck, and what’s not even started. Without this, it’s easy to think you’re progressing when you’re actually just circling the runway.

How to do it

• Create a simple weekly heatmap or Kanban board showing campaign status: Not Started, In Build, Blocked, Launched.
• Use a team check-in to ask: “What’s the one thing we shipped this week?”
• Define “shipped” clearly. Is the landing page live? Email sent? Ads running?

Once the team sees what’s really moving (and what’s not), it creates accountability without micromanagement.

2. Cut the Idea Debt

Many marketing teams have more ideas than they can handle. When every new tactic or campaign gets added to a backlog without being evaluated, you build up “idea debt” that drags down clarity.

How to do it

• Once a month, hold a campaign backlog review and delete or delay anything not aligned to current goals.
• Score ideas using Impact × Effort × Confidence, and only move forward with the top few.
• Ask: “What would we do if we could only launch three things this quarter?”

This clears mental space and keeps your team focused on high-leverage moves instead of chasing every shiny object. Cutting instead of adding helps everyone stay focused and less stressed.

3. Build with a Countdown Mentality

Parkinson’s Law is real: work expands to fill the time you give it. That’s why it helps to set a go-live date before the work starts, not after everything is scoped and resourced.

How to do it

• Use short sprints with fixed deadlines: “We go live in 3 weeks. What’s the version we can ship by then?”
• Work backwards: Week 1 copy, Week 2 build, Week 3 QA and launch.
• Flag blockers early, not at the end when you’re up against the clock.

This builds the habit of shipping so it becomes the default rather than the exception.

4. Assign a Shipper, Not Just a Strategist

Every campaign needs a “shipper.” This person doesn’t need to be senior, but they do need the authority to pull the trigger and call it done. That way, someone is accountable for execution when the “visionaries” have ideated.

How to do it

• For each campaign, assign someone as the launch lead. We call that person a “single, wringable neck” at Smartt.
• Give them the tools and autonomy to push things live (or escalate when blocked).
• Define “done” up front so they’re not chasing moving goalposts.

This small shift creates real momentum. Strategy is now paired with velocity.

5. Supplement Execution Before Bottlenecks Happen

Sometimes campaigns get stuck simply because your team is at capacity. Not because the idea is flawed, but because no one has the bandwidth to build the landing page, test the ads, or QA the email flows.

The best teams don’t wait for that bottleneck to show up. They plan for it.

How to do it

• Decide in advance what work is internal vs. external (copy, design, web, tracking). In other words, what’s core and what’s flexible.
• Use a service like FlexHours to handle the “build” side of the loop while your team focuses on strategy and priorities.
• Don’t wait until people are burning out to ask for help.

Shipping consistently requires capacity. Without it, “in the works” becomes your default, even for the best ideas.

Final Word

If your campaign board is full of things “in the works,” it’s time for a new rhythm. Simplify what you’re tracking. Score what’s worth doing. Commit to go-live dates. And make sure someone owns the launch instead of the plan.

At Smartt, that’s what we help teams do with FlexHours: create systems that don’t just generate ideas, but get them into market on time, on message, and without bottlenecks. Get unstuck with FlexHours today!