If there is one characteristic that every successful business possesses, it’s efficiency. Whether it’s the operations management of your business, or internal technologies, efficiency is key.
Follow these tips to help make sure you get buy-in from internal stakeholders for your next IT project.
Above all else, you’re going to need to persuade the primary decision maker that your solution will solve a problem. However, everyone who will be affected should be considered as you select the solution to recommend. This includes the end users from different departments and those who will help integrate the solution. Gather use cases from the users that will work with the software the most. This will help make sure you are solving problems for the users that will need to adopt the system once the investment is made. Provide this information to the decision maker so they see how the solution will help and that users are onboard with the change.
This is a critical step in the success of your solution. If people don’t understand that there is a serious problem, then they are less likely to listen. Carefully define what the issue is, how it is slowing productivity, and the risks of continuing to operate without finding a permanent solution.
For a simple example, let’s say you notice that people are having trouble effectively communicating across teams and it’s costing extra time and money to complete projects. So, you bring this to the attention of all internal stakeholders within your office. You talk about how the failure to communicate efficiently with different teams is causing delays in projects, which in turn is costing the company money. Then, talk about how your solution can solve this issue. In this case, you would recommend a new collaboration tool or software and explain how the time savings would lower the cost of projects.
It isn’t enough to simply propose a solution. You also have to explain why the option that you chose is better than the alternatives. What features and benefits does your preferred technology solution offer for everyone? In order to help make sure that you address all of them, create a list for each stakeholder and explain how your proposed solution will positively impact them. You can also work with the stakeholders before pitching your idea, that way the decision maker will know right away that you have gotten input from everyone and that you’ve carefully considered why this is the best option.
No matter what, installing a new technology solution into your business operations is going to come with a few risks or barriers that should be considered. When it comes to IT, there is always risk in change management. The more employees you have, the harder it can be to make sure everyone fully adopts the new technology. Carefully examine all of the potential risks and explain to the decision maker how you plan to eliminate the risks with your plan for implementing the proposed solution.
Software systems that are focused on user interface and usability, like MediaBeacon digital asset management (DAM), help reduce the risk of low user adoption. It’s important to have a change management in place before implementing a solution, so work with your provider to understand best practices based on the functions and benefits of the solution.
It’s possible that even if you carefully articulate the issue and how your solution will help, you’ll still get a “no.” However, sometimes it’s not so much of a “no,” as it is a “not yet.” It may just be a matter of the budget not being there quite yet, or that you’re in a busy season and an organizational change would slow things down. Make sure that you keep your idea in your back pocket for when the time does come. Most importantly, take all the feedback that you received in speaking with management and the stakeholders and always keep an eye out for solutions that can help improve the efficiency of your company.
