Dealing with the ‘must do’ project
Too often, we are faced with ‘must do’ project investments. We are told that without it, the company is doomed.
Of course, this project always arrives when we are already at capacity and after budgets have closed and/or funds have been spent.
As a CIO, you know that taking on the project means that your resources will be spread thin, the budget (should I say ‘your budget’?) will be over-spent, and very likely the project will have to be rushed, with corners cut to hit that ‘urgent’ deadline.
Good luck to the CIO who says ‘not now’ in this situation. You do the project anyway. You predict the result. You deliver your prediction. You receive equally predictable feedback that ‘IT failed to deliver yet another project on time or to budget’. Thanks!
Please … it is time to change this habit we have all fallen into.
There is another way!
Give the Sponsor of the ‘new’ idea the room to explain the actual cost to the business if the project does not happen. You will hear a great story. OK, so how much will that really cost the company? Then push to find out how much it costs to operate ‘the old way’ today or what revenue is being taken by competitors because you (of course, it is your fault already …) cannot provide this new service or capability. At least you have some facts now rather than facing a do-or-die decision.
If the idea being proposed is really that good, you need to compare it to other projects in flow? What are their realistic and tangible business benefits? How do they stack up against this ‘new’ idea. Perhaps an ongoing project is not as good as it first seemed, certainly when compared to this ‘new’ idea. If that is the case, the conversation becomes much easier … invite the Sponsor of the new idea to speak to the Sponsor of the ongoing project. Ask them to make the decision about which single project will go forward. Then one of them will be making the ‘not now’ decision, not you.
I can’t predict what their decision will be, however, it will have been made by the owners of each idea and you will have avoided saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to either of them. All you have done is to help them to make the best decision for the company.
You will then make sure that the one project goes forward to success and delivers on time and within budget. The feedback you get will be positive and you will have built trust to deliver the next most important idea. It is not a new idea. It is simple and obvious to do, however it is a bold move. So, be bold! Once done a few times, you will find it easier to do and your team will deliver more projects successfully first time. Your team will feel good, too!
Next time that request to take on an urgent project arrives, it may come along with an offer to pause an ongoing project. You may have started a new habit!