Advice: Get Corporate Buy-in

Project Management Advice: Get Corporate buy-in for your projects.

In other words, make sure the corporate executives are active stakeholders in your project.  I suppose this goes without saying, but I’ve seen lots of projects where this is not the case.  Project teams somehow come to the conclusion that their project will be funded and accepted, even though corporate has not explicitly said so.

Just because your team is developing a new product or in-house tool, doesn’t mean corporate will stand by you.  Without vested stakeholders at the highest level, your project could easily be canceled.

The name “Harold” comes to mind when thinking of this subject.  I worked with a man named Harold who was researchinig a product for his company.  Months went by as he studied the features and benefits.  He eventually took a job with another company and I discussed the project with his boss.  His boss said he never knew what Harold was up to, and had no intention of adopting the product!

 

–ray