A Strong Working Process for User Acquisition Teams

Katie Van
Mar 23
2 min read

To avoid chaos, or at least manage it with resilience, UA teams need a clear and structured working process to collaborate effectively with both internal teams and external stakeholders.

Clear Objectives

Team leaders must ensure everyone is aligned toward the same goal. A clear objective acts like a lighthouse, guiding the team in the right direction.

Objectives should be simple, clear, and measurable. If people need to guess what the goal means, it is no longer a lighthouse but a risk. In business, unclear goals can lead to wasted time, money, and resources.

Once objectives are set, they should be translated into key results. These define what actions are needed and how each team contributes to reaching the goal.

Key results should also be simple and measurable, such as improving a metric, mastering a skill within a timeframe, or testing specific hypotheses.

Communication

An objective has no value if people are not aware of it. However, not every team needs the same level of understanding. Each team should know how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

What to communicate: Translate objectives into actionable and measurable tasks for each team
How to communicate: Mindset matters more than message
- Be transparent
- Be open
- Be honest
Tools
- Use one main platform for daily communication
- Use meetings for deeper discussions, always starting with clear objectives

Agreements

Agreements act as protection against misalignment and conflict. Before starting any project, teams should align on:

Timelines and deadlines
Feedback cycles
Priorities
Decision ownership
Performance metrics
Communication tools

Tracking Systems

Tracking systems vary by function but should provide clear visibility of progress and performance.

Product teams: performance dashboards and task tracking (priorities, workload, ownership)
Creative teams: task dashboards (ideas, storyboards, owners, deadlines) and performance metrics (installs, IPM per creative)

Mindset: Flexibility and Adaptability

Change is constant, especially in UA. A strong process allows teams to adapt quickly to new realities.

Priorities may shift, processes may evolve, and even objectives may change. Teams that embrace flexibility will perform more effectively in dynamic environments.