Introduction to MSDM Culminating Experience Project

Informational Session

Dr. Jae Min Jung

Program Director, MS in Digital Marketing
Cal Poly Pomona

2026-07-09

Welcome

The MSDM Culminating Experience Project (CEP)

  • The capstone of your graduate journey — a year-long applied project where you put everything you have learned to work on a real digital marketing challenge.

This session covers what you need to know before the project begins.

Today’s agenda: What is the CEP → Timeline → Proposals → Choosing a project → PO vs. AO → Individual accountability → Project management → Pitfalls to avoid

What Is the CEP?

  • Spans one full academic year — Fall, Spring, Summer
  • Groups of 4–6 students per project
  • One Faculty Lead (committee chair) per project
  • Produces: analysis, insights, a digital marketing plan, and campaign execution
  • Assessed against MSDM Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Two completion pathways

  • 2-year roadmap: CEP begins Fall of Year 2
  • 1-year accelerated: CEP begins Fall of Year 1

MSDM Student Learning Outcomes

SLO Description
SLO 1 Translate a marketing problem into Analytics Objectives that drive the project
SLO 2 Evaluate consumer psychology principles relevant to the marketing problem
SLO 3 Build a model appropriate for addressing the analytics objectives
SLO 4a Make data-informed recommendations on marketing strategy
SLO 4b Develop an effective digital marketing plan based on data insights
SLO 5a Effectively communicate components orally
SLO 5b Effectively communicate components in writing

Timeline & Deliverables

A one-year arc — Fall → Spring → Summer

The Big Picture

FALLProposal
Ch. 1–3
WINTERFeedback &
Data Prep
SPRINGAnalysis &
DM Plan
SUMMERExecute &
Reflect

  • Each semester has major milestones with written reports and presentations.

  • Missing a milestone can result in a temporary grade and delay graduation.

Fall Semester Milestones

Week Milestone Deliverables
W04 Project Kickoff Day First meeting with Faculty Lead & Client; project plan
W09 Initial Proposal Presentation Written report (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3) + PPT; Survey instrument (if applicable)
W10–W12 Data Collection Begins IRB application; GA4 setup; data integrity confirmation
W15 Final Proposal Defense Ch1–Ch3 written report + PPT; IRB letter; link to data in OneDrive

  • IBM 6500 hosts Ch1 (Introduction), Ch2 (Business Background), and Ch3 (Methodology).

  • IBM 6200 hosts Research Forum, Team Formation, Ch2 (Literature Review).

Students without solid data by W15 will receive a temporary grade and must complete data collection during winter break before proceeding to spring.

Spring Semester Milestones

Week Milestone Deliverables
W01 Data Analysis Begins — Day 1 Data wrangling, visualization, descriptive statistics
W06 Data Analysis & Results Presentation Chapter 4 written report + PPT (Ch1–Ch4)
W13 Final Analysis & Recommendations Ch4 final + Part of Ch5 (recommendations); written report + PPT
W16 Digital Marketing Plan Presentation Concrete DM plan; campaign starts immediately

  • IBM 6800 hosts Ch4 analysis.

  • IBM 6400 hosts the concrete DM plan in W16.

Summer Semester Milestones

Week Milestone Deliverables
W01 Campaign Execution Continues Present approved DM plan on Day 1; Ch5 updates
W05 Execution Progress Presentation Ch5 update — written report + PPT (cumulative Ch1–Ch5)
W09 Final Presentation Complete Ch5 + front-end sections; DM performance assessment
W10 Final Edits Complete written report; electronic committee signatures via Adobe Docu
W11 Paperwork RCE submission; Abstract/ICS to library; full report to instructor

Failure to complete the W09 final presentation = inability to graduate at the end of summer. Plan accordingly.

Call for Project Proposals

Who proposes, what topics, what’s required

Who Can Propose a Project?

Faculty

  • Projects aligned with research interests or industry connections
  • Already have domain expertise to guide students

Students

  • Projects tied to your employer or industry connections
  • Must identify a faculty lead who commits to overseeing the project

Businesses and organizations can be involved as clients, but the proposal must be submitted by a faculty member or a student with a committed faculty lead.

Project Categories

  1. Faculty-initiated, applied project for a client — most common; faculty leads, client provides data and context
  2. Faculty-initiated, applied project — no external client; faculty defines the scope
  3. Student-initiated project for a client — student brings the idea and client connection; faculty lead required

Projects involving a client are preferred — but projects without a client are welcome as long as they meet all other requirements.

What Topics Can Be Proposed?

  • Social media campaign analysis
  • Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Customer lifetime value modeling
  • Marketing budget allocation
  • Customer segmentation & targeting
  • Product development & management
  • Pricing strategy & optimization
  • Online/offline channel optimization
  • Integrated marketing communications
  • Consumer behavior analysis
  • Retail strategy & ecommerce
  • Sales performance evaluation
  • Customer service & experience

Proposal Deadlines

Date Event
Su W01 (Jun 1) Call for Project Proposals opens
Su W06 (Jul 6) MSDM CEP Informational Session (today)
FA W00 (Aug 17) Proposal submission deadline
FA W01 (Aug 24) Feedback provided to proposers
FA W02 (Aug 31) Project Forum — Elevator Pitch + Q&A + Preference Form
FA W03 (Sep 8) Project-Group Assignment completed
FA W04 (Sep 15) Project Kickoff Day

Proposal Content

What goes in a 2-page proposal

11 Required Elements

  • Project title
  • Project description & scope
  • Proposed project objectives
  • Data plan (primary or secondary)
  • Methods & analytical approach
  • Marketing plan & implementation
  • Proposed timeline
  • Expected skills students will gain
  • Targeted job roles
  • Preferred student skills (groups of 4–6)
  • Confirmation of additional funding

No more than 3 pages. Submit to the Program Coordinator by FA W00 (Aug 17).

Data Requirements

  • Data must be secured by FA W15 (Week 14 at latest) — without it, spring analysis cannot begin
  • GA4 data: confirm you have access to the property; perform a data integrity audit in fall
  • Survey research: provide IRB timeline, participant type, and collection plan in the proposal
  • Secondary data: confirm data has all variables needed for your analytics objectives

Data must be ready on Day 1 of Spring. No data = no analysis = no graduation on time.

The Digital Marketing Plan Requirement

Every project — with or without a client — must include a digital marketing plan creation and execution component.

This is not optional. It directly supports MSDM’s learning outcome of data-driven digital marketing strategy (SLO 4b).

Timeline Activity
Spring W13–W16 Create the concrete digital marketing plan based on data insights
Spring W16 Present plan to client; campaign starts immediately
Summer W01–W09 Execute plan, track KPIs, assess performance

How to Choose a Project

Make an informed decision you won’t regret

Key Decision Dimensions

Nature & Sponsor

  • Basic research vs. applied research
  • Faculty-sponsored vs. student-initiated
  • Level of structure and guidance you prefer

Data & Analytics

  • Data availability and access
  • Primary vs. secondary data
  • Sophistication and volume of data
  • Exploratory vs. confirmatory objectives

Most important: Choose a project aligned with your career objective:

  • Digital Marketing Strategy vs. 
  • Technological and Performance vs. 
  • Marketing Analytics/Data Science.

Career Alignment Guide

Digital Marketing Strategy Marketing Analytics / Data Science
Focus Planning, content creation, campaign execution Modeling, segmentation, predictive analytics
Data GA4, Google Ads dashboards, social metrics Large structured datasets, CRM, BigQuery
Analytics Descriptive; exploratory sufficient Confirmatory; inferential & predictive required
DM Plan Central deliverable — must execute a campaign Important but not the primary focus
Portfolio Campaign artifacts, content, results Analytical models, dashboards, code

Project Objectives vs. Analytics Objectives

The most important distinction in the entire CEP process

Why This Distinction Matters

  • Clients express their needs as business goals — things they want to achieve. These are Project Objectives (PO).
  • But the CEP requires data analysis — and analysis requires objectives that are directly tied to data. These are Analytics Objectives (AO).

Students who cannot tell the difference will not make informed decisions — and may discover in Spring that they have nothing to analyze in Chapter 4.

PO vs. AO — The Core Test

Ask yourself two diagnostic questions:

  1. “Is there data associated with this objective?” — If no, it is a PO, not an AO.
  2. “What statistical method would I use to address this in Chapter 3?” — If you cannot name a method, it is a PO.

Example

“Design an effective website that will promote the new service and generate leads.”

Is there a statistical method required to design a website? No — designing a website is a project activity. Thus, this is a PO.

How to Convert PO to AO

Ask the guiding question:

“What information do I need, and where can I find it, in order to achieve the project objectives?”

PO1: Design a website to engage potential clients and increase conversion rates.

↓ Collect GA4 data: bounce rate, session duration, conversion rate, visitors

↓ Ask: what does the data tell us? What improves engagement?

AO1a: Explore ways in which the website can be optimized for potential customers.

AO1b: Generate insights from GA4 and Google Ads data for website optimization.

AO1c: Generate insights from GA4 and Google Ads data to increase visitor engagement and conversions.

Choose the AO statement that is clearest and most concrete. AO1c wins here.

One AO Per Person

  • Each group member (4–6 students) owns exactly one Analytics Objective — from proposal through data collection, analysis, and report writing.
  • This is what makes individual performance measurable in a group project.
Group size Number of AOs
4 students 4 AOs (one each)
5 students 5 AOs (one each)
6 students 6 AOs (one each)

Your AO is your analytical responsibility — you design the method, collect the data, run the analysis, and write Chapter 4 for it.

Individual Accountability

How individual performance is documented and graded

How Individual Contributions Are Tracked

  1. One AO per person — each student is individually responsible for their analytics objective throughout the year
  2. Shared cloud folder with subfolders per person — each member has their own named subfolder in OneDrive, creating transparent, documented contributions
  3. Individual Contribution Statement (ICS) — required at the end of the project; each student writes their own, submitted to the library as part of graduation paperwork
  4. Faculty Lead assessment at each milestone — your faculty lead formally evaluates individual performance at W09, W15, and again in Spring and Summer; course instructors use those evaluations for grades

The Individual Contribution Statement

The ICS is submitted at the end of Summer (W10) as part of the final paperwork package.

It documents:

  • What specific work you personally contributed to the project
  • Which AO was yours and how you addressed it
  • Your role in data collection, analysis, writing, and presentation

The ICS is not a group document. Each member writes their own and it is submitted individually to the library via Bronco ScholarWorks.

Project Management

Collaboration expectations with your group, faculty lead, and client

Working with Your Group

  • Create a shared OneDrive folder — give edit access to all members and your faculty lead (the whole folder, not just selected files)
  • Use a shared agenda for meetings — Google Docs or Word with Navigation Pane; update it before each meeting
  • Create subfolders with each person’s name — transparency prevents free-riding and reduces conflict
  • Establish Zotero Web Library for group for literature review — share references and notes; faculty lead can see your progress
  • Create GitHub Repository for code and output — share code, scripts, and results; group members and faculty lead can see your progress
  • Hold a group meeting before each faculty meeting — align internally, assign tasks, prepare questions
  • Use a project management tool — Notion is recommended; helps track tasks, milestones, and deadlines

Meeting Frequency — Faculty Lead

  • Meet with your faculty lead once every other week — unless there is no agenda
  • Share written agenda before the meeting — especially if you want the faculty lead to prepare
  • Send a calendar invitation to all attendees for every meeting
  • Use a recurring invite with a shared cloud document for agendas — update it before each meeting
  • If skipping a week, send a brief update email instead

When faculty engagement is highest

Faculty leads need at least one hour per every other week to review your work and provide technical guidance. Their involvement is most critical during data collection and data analysis.

Meeting Frequency — Client

  • Client meetings are less frequent than faculty meetings
  • Invite the client only when their input is genuinely required:
    • Company background or data not publicly available
    • Approval, resources, or cooperation requests
    • All major required presentations (Fall W09, W15; Spring W06, W13, W16; Summer W05, W09)

Do not invite the client to every meeting with the faculty lead. They are busy. They do not need to observe your internal working sessions with your faculty lead. This is a consulting project, not an internship — present your best work.

Best Scheduling Practices

  • Use a recurring calendar invite for biweekly faculty meetings
  • Include the meeting agenda (or link to it) in the invite
  • If the agenda changes, update the shared cloud document — not the invite itself
  • Cancel or reschedule only the specific instance, not the entire series
  • Always notify participants through the calendar system

Recommended tools

  • Agenda management: Google Docs tabs or Word with Navigation Pane
  • Project tracking: Notion
  • File sharing: OneDrive (Cal Poly Pomona supported)
  • Scheduling: Outlook calendar with recurring invite
  • Code sharing: GitHub
  • Reference management: Zotero Web Library
  • Report Writing: Quarto or Word
  • Presentation: Quarto or PowerPoint

Pitfalls to Avoid

Six common mistakes that derail CEP projects

Pitfall 1 — Confusing PO with AO

This is the most common and most consequential mistake. Students who cannot tell the difference design a project they cannot analyze.

If your AO is actually a PO, you will arrive at Chapter 4 with nothing to analyze — and Chapter 4 is the entire Spring semester.

Check every objective using the two diagnostic questions:

  1. Is there data associated with this objective?
  2. What statistical method would I use in Chapter 3?

If you cannot answer both — it is a PO. Convert it.

Pitfall 2 — No Data by Fall W15

  • Data is the lifeblood of your spring semester. Without it, you cannot analyze, you cannot write Chapter 4, and you cannot create a data-informed marketing plan.
  • Students without solid data at the W15 defense will receive a temporary grade (I or RP) for IBM 6500. Remediation happens during winter break.

Winter break goes quickly. Most people take a break in mid-December through early January. Do not count on making serious progress during break — get your data in the fall.

Pitfall 3 — Poor Project Management

  • Not scheduling weekly meetings early — establish your recurring faculty meeting cadence by Week 4 at the latest
  • Waiting until the deadline to flag problems — if your data plan hits a barrier, tell your faculty lead immediately, not the week before W15
  • No shared agenda — meetings without a pre-shared agenda waste the faculty lead’s time and your own
  • Not using a project management tool — tasks fall through the cracks; milestones are missed; team members lose track of who owns what

Treat your faculty lead like a consulting client — come prepared, communicate proactively, and respect their time.

Pitfall 4 — Inviting the Client to Every Meeting

  • Clients are extremely busy. They are not interested in observing your internal working process.

  • Inviting the client too often has three downsides:

    1. Limits the time your faculty lead can spend guiding you — they hold back in front of the client
    2. Exposes your “working kitchen” — the client should see polished work, not rough drafts
    3. Signals that you cannot self-manage — this is a consulting engagement, not an internship

Invite the client purposefully — when you need their information, approval, or attendance at a required milestone presentation.

Pitfall 5 — Waiting Until Spring to Secure Data

Spring Day 1 = analysis begins. There is no time in spring to collect or clean data.

  • If you are using GA4 data: GA4 must be set up and tracking in the fall so you accumulate at least one month of data before W15. Infrastructure (GA4 + GTM + UTM) setup starts at W04.
  • If you are doing survey research: IRB approval takes 2–3 weeks minimum. Apply at W10. Data collection cannot begin until approval is granted.

Secondary data is not automatically ready either. Confirm data integrity (variables, completeness, access) during the fall. Missing variables discovered in spring = a failed analytics objective.

Pitfall 6 — Missing the Summer W09 Presentation

The Summer Week 9 final presentation is the one milestone explicitly tied to graduation eligibility.

  • Failure to complete this presentation = inability to graduate at the end of summer. There is no make-up. There is no extension. Plan for this from Day 1.

Why it matters:

  • W10 requires final edits and committee signatures via Adobe Docu
  • W11 requires RCE submission by your faculty lead + abstract submission to library
  • These administrative steps take time — you cannot compress them

Start your campaign early (ideally end of Spring) so you have enough performance data to assess by W09.

Next Steps & Resources

What to do before August 17

Key Dates to Remember

Date Action Required
Aug 17 (FA W00) Proposal submission deadline — submit 2-page proposal to Program Coordinator
Aug 24 (FA W01) Feedback provided to proposers
Aug 31 (FA W02) Project Forum — attend in IBM 6200 and IBM 6500; submit Project Preference Form
Sep 8 (FA W03) Project-group assignments announced
Sep 15 (FA W04) Project Kickoff Day — first meeting with faculty lead and client

Essential Documents

Q&A

Questions?
The floor is yours.

Contact the MSDM Project Coordinator for proposal questions before submission.
All CEP resources: cppmsdm.com/capstone_project