Attribution Mapping

Communicate Track — Step 4 of 4. Validates the system — every initiative and content piece connects to a KPI, with action items for every gap.

Inputs Required

KPIs from .agents/mkt/targets.md or existing OKRs
Initiatives from .agents/mkt/prioritized-initiatives.md
Content from .agents/mkt/imc-plan.md or .agents/mkt/content/

Output

.agents/mkt/attribution.md

Quality Gate

Before delivering, verify:

[ ] Every KPI has ≥1 initiative mapped or is explicitly flagged with an action item
[ ] Every initiative maps to a KPI or has a "Kill" recommendation with reason
[ ] Every recommendation is a verb (Create / Kill / Rebalance / Test) — not an observation ("this seems low")
[ ] Review date is set (~4 weeks from today)

Chain Position

Previous: mkt-content-create | Next: Monthly review (re-run this skill)

Before Starting

Step 0: Product Context

Check for .agents/mkt/product-context.md. If available, read for product context.

Required Artifacts

None — can build from scratch by interviewing.

Optional Artifacts

| Artifact | Source | Benefit | |----------|--------|---------| | targets.md | mkt-funnel-planner | KPI baselines | | prioritized-initiatives.md | mkt-initiative-prioritize | Initiative list to map | | imc-plan.md | mkt-imc | Content plan to audit | | Previous attribution.md | mkt-attribution | Check progress on prior action items |

Read upstream files if they exist: .agents/mkt/targets.md, .agents/mkt/prioritized-initiatives.md, .agents/mkt/imc-plan.md. If previous .agents/mkt/attribution.md exists, read it — check progress on prior action items before building new map.

If no upstream files exist, build from scratch by interviewing:

"What's your North Star metric?"
"What are your 3-5 primary KPIs?"
"What initiatives are you running or planning?"
"What content are you producing?"

Step 1: KPI Hierarchy

North Star: [metric] — [current] → [target]
├── KPI 1: [metric] — [current] → [target] — Owner: [person]
├── KPI 2: [metric] — [current] → [target] — Owner: [person]
└── KPI 3: [metric] — [current] → [target] — Owner: [person]

Step 2: Map Initiatives → KPIs

| Initiative | Primary KPI | Contribution | Confidence | |------------|-------------|-------------|------------| | [Name] | [KPI] | ~X% of target | H/M/L |

Unknown contributions: If you can't estimate contribution, mark "Unknown" and add action item: "Run mkt-experiment to measure actual impact."

Flag Orphans

| Orphan Initiative | Action | |-------------------|--------| | [Name] | Kill — no KPI connection / Reframe — target [KPI] / Test — run experiment |

Step 3: Map Content → Initiatives

| Content | Initiative | Type | Channel | |---------|-----------|------|---------| | [Piece] | [Initiative] | Reach / Trust / Conversion | [Channel] |

Flag Orphan Content

| Orphan Content | Action | |----------------|--------| | [Piece] | Assign to [initiative] / Repurpose for [initiative] / Sunset |

Step 4: Gap Analysis → Action Items

This is the core deliverable. Every gap produces a specific action.

| Gap | Action | Owner | Deadline | |-----|--------|-------|----------| | [KPI X uncovered] | Create: Run mkt-initiative-generate targeting this KPI | [Who] | [When] | | [Initiative Y orphaned] | Kill: Archive, remove from roster | [Who] | Now | | [Content Z unassigned] | Rebalance: Redirect to support [initiative] | [Who] | [When] | | [Contribution unknown] | Test: Design experiment via mkt-experiment | [Who] | [When] | | [Stage imbalanced] | Rebalance: Shift X% effort from [over] to [under] | [Who] | [When] |

Re-Run Protocol

Attribution maps should be reviewed and refreshed regularly:

Monthly review cycle: Set review date ~4 weeks from creation
On re-run:
- Read previous .agents/mkt/attribution.md
- Check status of each prior action item (Done / In Progress / Blocked / Dropped)
- Rename previous file to attribution.v[N].md
- Rebuild map with current state
- Compare: Did action items move the needle? Which KPIs improved?
Escalation: If same gaps persist across 2+ reviews, escalate from "Rebalance" to "Kill" or "Create"

Artifact Template

---
skill: mkt-attribution
version: 1
date: [today's date]
status: draft
---

# Attribution Map

**Date:** [today]
**Skill:** mkt-attribution
**Review date:** [today + 4 weeks]

## KPI Hierarchy

```
North Star: [metric] — [current] → [target]
├── KPI 1: [metric] — [current] → [target] — Owner: [person]
├── KPI 2: ...
└── KPI 3: ...
```

## Initiative → KPI Mapping

| Initiative | KPI | Contribution | Confidence |
|------------|-----|-------------|------------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Orphan Initiatives
| Initiative | Action |
|------------|--------|
| ... | ... |

## Content → Initiative Mapping

| Content | Initiative | Type | Channel |
|---------|-----------|------|---------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Orphan Content
| Content | Action |
|---------|--------|
| ... | ... |

## Action Items

| # | Gap | Action | Owner | Deadline |
|---|-----|--------|-------|----------|
| 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Previous Review Progress
[If re-running: status of prior action items]

> On re-run: rename existing artifact to `attribution.v[N].md` and create new with incremented version.

Worked Example

# Attribution Map

**Date:** 2026-03-13
**Skill:** mkt-attribution
**Review date:** 2026-04-10

## KPI Hierarchy

```
North Star: Weekly Signups — 200 → 350
├── KPI 1: Paid signup rate — 1.2% → 3.0% — Owner: Sarah
├── KPI 2: Homepage bounce rate — 52% → 40% — Owner: James
└── KPI 3: Organic signups — 80/wk → 120/wk — Owner: (unassigned)
```

## Initiative → KPI Mapping

| Initiative | KPI | Contribution | Confidence |
|------------|-----|-------------|------------|
| Restore Paid Targeting | Paid signup rate | ~55% of total gap | H |
| Restore Social Proof | Homepage bounce | ~35% of total gap | M |

### Orphan Initiatives
None — both initiatives map to KPIs.

## Content → Initiative Mapping

| Content | Initiative | Type | Channel |
|---------|-----------|------|---------|
| Status Update Carousel | (none — brand awareness) | Reach | LinkedIn |

### Orphan Content
| Content | Action |
|---------|--------|
| Status Update Carousel | **Rebalance:** Add CTA linking to product page, reframe as supporting Paid Targeting initiative |

## Action Items

| # | Gap | Action | Owner | Deadline |
|---|-----|--------|-------|----------|
| 1 | KPI 3 (organic) uncovered | **Create:** Run `mkt-diagnosis` on organic traffic stagnation | James | 2026-03-20 |
| 2 | KPI 3 has no owner | **Assign:** Name an owner for organic signups KPI | Marketing lead | 2026-03-14 |
| 3 | Carousel content orphaned | **Rebalance:** Add product CTA to carousel, track as Paid Targeting support | Content lead | 2026-03-17 |

References

references/attribution-examples.md — Worked examples across business types