Selling executive management on the need for project management in your organization is one of the most important steps in the implementation of organizational project management practices. Unfortunately, this will also be one of the most difficult tasks you undertake. Your success or failure will be determined based on the approach you take with executive management. You can not take this lightly. To gain the “GO” decision from executive management, follow this successful 3 step PM executive selling process called the “ASP - PM Executive Selling Model”.

ASP - PM Executive Selling Model

The ASP (Assess, Solve, Produce) PM Executive Selling Model is a new process model, never seen before. This method to gain executive buy-in was produced by project managers in the field who have successfully implemented project management throughout an enterprise. This method provides a solid step by step process that will deliver what is needed to get the executive buy-in.

The ASP PM Executive Selling Model is broken down into the following steps.

Assess – Understanding the Project management need, organization and sponsorship.

Understand The Need

Focusing on the organizational need for project management is the first step in the process. Each level in the organization will have their own list of what their priority needs are. To gain executive buy-in you must focus on the executive needs. The best way to undercover the executive needs is to understand what the key strategic priorities are for the organization. This can be obtained through annual reports, posted strategic initiatives or discussions with senior executives. Understand their strategic priorities, goals and objectives.

After coming up a with a prioritized list of executive needs, review their goals and objectives and determine how project management could help with the success of those initiatives and what risks there may be for introducing project management. For example, if a retailer’s top priority was rolling out 100 new stores this year, could project management help make this initiative be successful by reducing the time to open each store, reduce costs by better organizing the process, etc.

Coming up with the high priority executive needs and a solid idea on how project management can help achieve this goal is critical before moving on to the next step.

Assess The Organization

Understanding how project management is currently being used must be determined in both small and large organizations. You need to find out which business units and departments are using project management and which are not. Most of the units you talk with will be using project management in one form or another and at different levels. The assessment will help you uncover how each unit practices project management, determine the differences throughout the organization and start formulating the best practices followed.

Assessment data gathering can be performed in different manners and should be customized based on the organization culture. Written surveys are great for getting information from a large number of people over multiple locations. This data can be summarized quickly to determine what procedures are deployed. Focus group discussions is a useful way of gaining cooperation across different units, focusing on the successes and difference between departments. Individual interviews provide the most detail and honest information on what works well and where the problems are.

Final results from an assessment will provide a complete picture on how project management is used within the organization.

Obtain Executive Sponsorship

Executive sponsorship will be the most important piece of the process to implement project management across the organization. A VP or C-Level executive sponsor will be critical for this to succeed. Many times you will find that the organization already has implemented project management throughout multiple departments but there is no top level executive acceptance of the practice.

Select a sponsor the will be most affected by the benefits and value produced by project management. This individual will become obvious from the review of organization needs, strategies and goals. Find a sponsor that is responsible for a critical business initiative for the current year. If this same individual was also responsible for troubled projects from the past it will even be easier to gain sponsorship when you can relate back to those projects and explain how project management could have save his initiative.

Solve – Develop the appropriate project management solution.

Define The Scope

Defining the scope of “Project Management” for this initial rollout should focus only on the high priority, high value needs of the organization. The key to the plan is proving the value of project management to the organization. After selecting the needs to focus on, determine the appropriate best practices currently used, staffing needs, tools, and processes that would be most effective.

Lets take our retail example. For one organization, it might be most prudent to only implement project management planning, estimating and scheduling to help layout the resource needs and schedules for the rollout of new stores. In another organization, implementing change and risk management might be of most value to the organization.

Develop A Communication Plan

Communication with business leaders and those in need of project management is often forgotten. The organization must be over informed with information about the value and capabilities of project management and the willingness of your group to help the business units meet their goals.

The plan should include the target audience, frequency and type of information presented. The type of messages should include, how issues will be mitigated, rollout goals, progress updates, features, capabilities, and benefits. Keep your initiative in front of everyone. Advertise, advertise, advertise.

Prepare Business Case

A business case and rollout plan should be completed jointly with all key business unit personnel. Producing the business case as a team will help get buy-in from all departments involved and their senior executives. This business case document will be your selling tool for gaining funding approval.

The business case should include:
• Key business challenges, goals, and objectives you want to address.
• Proposed project management solution strategy. Your approach, expectations, resources needed, etc
• Benefits & value project management will bring to the organization
• Proposed cost including, staff, hardware, software, consultants, travel, etc.
• Rollout plan. Broken down in small phases.

Obtain Approval

“Scary” is most often the word used when going in front of executives for funding approval. The secret to selling an executive is to focus on the primary business needs and the value project management can bring the organization. The primary business needs comes from the first step, Understanding The Need. The two key value items that executives want you to focus on are 1) how project management can reduce costs and 2) how project management will increase revenues. The business case should focus on these two value items and provide a sound description of the needs, proposed solution, cost and rollout plans.

This meeting or presentation should go smoothly if you have buy-in from the business unit personnel who worked on the business case with you and when the executive sponsor steps up in support of your initiative.

Produce – Prove your solution works in the organization.

Pilot Program

Rolling out a new project management initiative across the enterprise at one time will most likely end in failure. Successful programs are first perfected in a pilot phase (small portion of the organization), usually within the business unit of the executive sponsor. Pilot’s will encounter some setbacks, therefore support from the business units involved will be critical. Critically analyze the pilot results and make appropriate changes to your processes and plans for the next steps. Communicate all the positive benefits along the way and keep doing this on a regular basis.

Roll Out Program

Organizations who haven’t used project management consistently across the enterprise most likely will not need it delivered overnight. Rolling out project management across the enterprise will require you to continually sell the concept and benefits to each business unit or group. The roll out should proceed slowly, building on prior successes. As successes accumulate, more business units will want this service. As new units request this service, you can go back to Step 1 – Understanding The Need, to help identify the best area or project that will provide the most successful implementation of project management.

** Success Secret **

To gain executive buy-in, the project management value must address the following:

1. How project management will reduce costs.
2. How project management will increase revenues.

Dennis Sommer is the founder and CEO of Executive Business Advisers, a management consulting firm specializing in business growth, sales and profit improvement. www.executivebusinessadvisers.com

Dennis helps companies increase sales revenue, reduce sales and marketing costs, improve marketing ROI, and drive new business growth by improving and optimizing their sales, marketing, company strategy and financial health.

Dennis is a highly sought after business keynote and seminar speaker www.dennissommer.com and author of several highly popular sales, marketing, leadership and professional development international articles and books www.advisersecrets.com .