Fractional CMO Scoping Doc
Lock the engagement before it starts. The 18 questions every fractional CMO and client should answer in week one.
Why this exists
Fractional CMO engagements fail at the scoping stage 80% of the time. The CMO arrives, the founder expected one thing, the CMO is doing another, both blame each other 90 days in. The 18 questions in this doc force the conversation BEFORE the engagement starts. Who owns budget decisions, who hires, who fires, what the success metric is at 90/180/365 days, what the kill criteria are.
Most fractional CMO engagements end badly because they started badly. No clarity on goals, no agreed KPIs, no decision authority, no exit ramp. This scoping doc walks 18 questions across 5 areas. Run it as a 90-minute joint working session in week one. Lock it. Refer back monthly.
Area 1: Goals and metrics (4 questions)
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What is the single most important business outcome the next 90 days?
Pipeline creation? Pricing model launch? Hiring a head of marketing? Pick one primary.
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What are the 2-3 secondary outcomes?
These can advance in parallel but never at the cost of the primary.
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What KPIs define success at the 30 / 60 / 90 day check-ins?
Specific numbers. not 'improve pipeline' but 'add 200K USD in qualified pipeline.'
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What is the must-not-happen list?
What cannot break during the engagement? Existing customer LTV, brand consistency, Q1 launch deadline?
Area 2: Engagement model (4 questions)
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Days per week of fractional CMO time?
1 day, 2 days, 3 days. Below 1 day is advisory. Above 3 days is full-time disguised as fractional.
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Onsite / hybrid / fully remote. what is required vs preferred?
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Fixed-term or open-ended? What is the minimum commitment from both sides?
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What is the exit ramp. both for natural completion and early termination?
Area 3: Team and decision authority (4 questions)
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Who reports into the fractional CMO?
Direct reports, dotted-line, or cross-functional only? Is the marketing manager being managed or partnered with?
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What decisions can the fractional CMO make unilaterally?
Spend allocation under X USD, vendor selection for tier-2 tools, hiring within team budget. Be specific.
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What decisions need founder approval?
Major budget shifts, hiring tier-1 roles, pricing changes, brand pivots, new market entry.
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What's the founder's involvement cadence?
Weekly 1:1, joint exec meeting, async only? Mismatch here kills engagements.
Area 4: Reporting and rhythm (3 questions)
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What does the weekly / monthly / quarterly report contain?
Define the template now. Pipeline numbers, what shipped, what's blocked, what's next.
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Where does the work live?
ClickUp, Linear, Notion, Asana. pick one. The fractional CMO operates inside it, not next to it.
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What's the response-time expectation?
On-engagement-day responses within 4 hours? Off-day async with 24-hour SLA? Define it now.
Area 5: Vendor oversight and budget (3 questions)
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Who owns existing vendor relationships?
Agency, freelancers, contractors. Does the fractional CMO take over, replace, or coordinate?
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What's the marketing budget. both committed and discretionary?
Committed: existing tools and contracts. Discretionary: what the fractional CMO can deploy.
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What's the approval process for new vendors or tools?
Limit, approval flow, timeline. 'Anything under 5K USD with founder OK' beats 'we'll decide as we go.'
Skip area 3 (decision authority) and you create a CMO who consults but cannot ship. Skip area 4 (reporting rhythm) and the engagement drifts into vibes-based check-ins. These are the two highest-friction areas.
30 / 60 / 90 day milestone template
| Day | Founder expectation | CMO deliverable |
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| 30 | Discovery complete, working plan | Audit report, 90-day roadmap, top 3 priorities |
| 60 | First major shipped output | Either a launch, a hire, a vendor decision, or measurable lift |
| 90 | Decision on continuation, scope-down, or scale-up | Quarterly review, results vs goals, recommended next 90 |
How to use it well
Run the doc as a 90-minute working session with the founder/CEO present (not just HR or finance). Sign the answers. Actual signatures, not Slack thumbs-up. Re-run the doc at 90 days as a checkpoint. If 3+ answers have shifted, the engagement is drifting and needs a re-scope. Do not take an engagement where the founder refuses to answer the kill-criteria question.
What good looks like
Three answers from a signed scoping doc for a real Series B SaaS engagement.
Q4: Who owns the marketing budget?
A: Fractional CMO has signing authority up to $25K per month without founder approval. Above $25K requires founder sign-off in writing within 48 hours.
Q8: What is the success metric at 90 days?
A: Pipeline created (sourced + influenced) of $1.2M minimum, MQL→SQL conversion at or above 35%, paid CAC blended under $4,200.
Q12: Kill criteria?
A: If pipeline is under $600K at day 90 OR if MQL→SQL is under 22% OR if blended CAC exceeds $7,000, founder may terminate with 14-day notice. Fractional CMO may terminate with 14-day notice if founder refuses 2+ recommended hires within a 60-day window.FAQ
How much should a fractional CMO cost?
Engagement-dependent. Day rates vary widely with seniority and market. The right comparison is value created. pipeline, lift, hires, vendor savings. A fractional CMO that adds 500K USD in pipeline justifies any reasonable retainer. One that ships nothing in 90 days is too expensive at any rate.
When should a founder NOT hire a fractional CMO?
Pre-PMF. Below 500K ARR. When the founder hasn't run paid acquisition or content for at least 6 months. A fractional CMO accelerates an existing motion. they don't invent the motion from zero. Hire a contractor or agency for early-stage execution; bring in a CMO when you need leadership above existing function.
How long should a fractional CMO engagement run?
Minimum 90 days, typical 6-12 months. Under 90 days is consulting, not leadership. Past 12 months, evaluate whether the right move is converting to full-time, scaling down to advisory, or transitioning to a different operator. The exit ramp should be discussed every quarterly review.
Can a fractional CMO replace a marketing agency?
No. Different functions. Agencies execute paid, creative, content. Fractional CMO sets strategy, hires the team, oversees vendors, reports to the board. Most clients run both: fractional CMO oversight + agency execution. The CMO owns the relationship with the agency, not the day-to-day work.