How and when to use campaigns

Teams new to OpsLevel often ask what the difference between a check and a campaign is, and when each should be used. Here, we’ll walk you through when and why to use a campaign along with common examples so you can start running your own campaigns.

What are OpsLevel campaigns and how do they work?

A campaign is a limited initiative that helps you roll out changes across your organization on a set deadline or to target only impacted services. For example, you may want to upgrade a library version or enact a one-time Kubernetes migration. Unlike checks, campaigns aren't a permanent part of your rubric, but you can transform a campaign into a check or vice versa if needed.

To create a campaign, use a filter to define which services fall under the campaign’s scope (e.g., only Ruby services) and set the deadline. Service owners will get notified, and admins can check how they’re progressing against the timeline and send reminders as needed.

Campaign components

Each campaign is comprised of:

• Project brief outlining the goals, scope, and timeline
• A check and filters to define the end result for the services impacted
• Notifications that service owners can receive via email or Slack
• Reporting with a burn-up chart to monitor progress

When to run a campaign

Though there are plenty of scenarios where a campaign is appropriate, here are some of the most common:

1. One-time initiatives

If you’re deprecating services, switching service providers, or addressing a Java file that got corrupted, a campaign is appropriate because these are one-time events. Once everyone has completed the work, you don't need it to be part of the rubric or think about it again. 

2. Introducing a net-new check

If you have a brand new check, instead of immediately adding it to the Rubric and watching every service drop from your highest service maturity level down to your lowest, a campaign allows you to give teams time to actually implement the change, monitor progress, send reminders, and bring attention to the check so teammates understand what’s being requested and why before it’s added to the rubric.

3. Other initiatives during OpsLevel onboarding

If you’re still fully rolling out OpsLevel, it’s important to stay focused on getting all your services added and ensuring that teammates are getting them up to bronze. But if you have additional maturity initiatives to drive, we recommend adding those as campaigns so your implementation doesn’t take a back seat.

4. Bring attention to a check/incremental improvements

Let’s say your CTO is focused on reliability this quarter, so you look at your rubric in OpsLevel to see where improvements can be made. The perfect check to improve reliability already exists, but you want to bring attention to it and raise the percentage of services passing it. A campaign allows you to notify service owners, give them a deadline, and share progress with leadership in the meantime.

By allowing you to define the scope, set a deadline, and monitor progress, campaigns are an excellent tool for rolling out changes to your services and rubric with consistency and priority.  If you're considering running a campaign, follow our technical walkthrough doc to get it set up!

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