Agile Planning & Prioritization:
How Does Cost Of Delay Apply To Marketing Work?
Applying Cost of Delay (CoD) to marketing connects prioritization to value loss. It helps teams quantify how much impact they lose for every week a campaign or project is delayed—turning planning into an economic decision, not a guessing game.
Cost of Delay brings financial clarity to marketing prioritization. By assigning a dollar or impact value to each week of delay, leaders can see which initiatives generate—or waste—the most value over time. The higher the CoD, the sooner that work should be done.
Core Principles of Cost of Delay in Marketing
The Marketing Cost of Delay Workflow
A six-step process for calculating and using CoD in agile marketing decisions.
Step-by-Step
- Estimate business value — Quantify potential gain: revenue, pipeline, or engagement uplift.
- Identify time sensitivity — Define when the value decays (seasonal offers, campaign windows, etc.).
- Calculate delay cost — Divide lost value by time period (e.g., $10K per week delayed).
- Determine effort or duration — Estimate delivery time in weeks or story points.
- Compute WSJF score — CoD ÷ Effort = Priority. Highest scores move first in the backlog.
- Reassess per sprint — Re-evaluate values and decay rates as market conditions evolve.
Sample Cost of Delay Comparison
| Initiative | Estimated Value ($) | Cost of Delay per Week ($) | Duration (Weeks) | WSJF Score (Priority) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Launch Campaign | $200,000 | $8,000 | 4 | 2,000 |
| SEO Content Series | $80,000 | $2,000 | 6 | 333 |
| Paid Media Optimization | $120,000 | $4,000 | 3 | 1,333 |
Client Snapshot: Quantifying Delay in Action
A B2B software company applied Cost of Delay to their campaign backlog. By prioritizing two high-value initiatives with top WSJF scores, they accelerated launch by three weeks, gaining an additional $60K in pipeline and cutting planning friction by 30%.
Incorporating CoD into sprint planning transforms marketing work from activity management to value management—ensuring that every week counts.
FAQ: Understanding Cost of Delay
Key insights for marketers adopting time-based prioritization.
Prioritize What Delivers Fastest
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