10.2 Business Reasons for the Project

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For any project, there must be valid justification (i.e., a good business reason) to go forward and make it successful. The problem that many Project Managers face, however, is seeing eye to eye with users on the business fit for a project. Sometimes, this is a very easy task, and the business reasons are readily apparent; however, there are often situations when a business unit leader may not see eye to eye with the project leader on the business fit. For example, the EVP of sales at Company X believed their current sales booking software was too cumbersome and said it prevented his sales force from booking revenue properly. The VP of IT saw the problem as one of capacity and felt like additional hardware and bandwidth would fix the problem more than implementing new software. The CEO, who was always open to ways to get more revenue in the door, wondered if the solution could be found in taking both of these actions.

In this case, the perception of revenue booking being hindered had driven answers from the executive leadership that failed to account for the real problem, which turned out to be a lack of adequate training for the sales force in using the software. In this particular situation, the company could have spent several million dollars upgrading hardware and software, and, in the end, would have accomplished nothing. The key point here is that before you find the reason for the problem, know what the problem is—then worry about fixing the right problem. In the aforementioned situation, the leadership concluded that the problem to be fixed was something that turned out to be entirely wrong. Let’s see if we can find ways to avoid that situation by understanding this process a bit better.

10.2.1 Where Is the Business Fit?

The first step in determining business fit is to understand the problem completely. It is literally impossible to solve a problem that is not understood. This means it is incumbent on you, as the project leader, to ask questions— lots of questions. Each project is different, but some things are constants. For example, it is almost always true that visiting with the end users—the folks in the trenches, so to speak—will reveal loads more than hearing the business unit leader sum the problem up for you. Don’t hesitate to take time to find root causes for problems that have been reported. The solution obtained from those in the trenches is often very different from what is postulated by those standing over the trenches.

Once you have made the trek to the trenches and discovered what people working on the problem have to say about it, you are better informed in the decision-making process. This information will often drive decision making in a different direction and enable more focused effort at solving the problem. Once you have identified the root cause, you are now able to take that issue and tie it to a true business justification for the proposed solution.

10.2.2 How Business Fit Influences Project Success

In the previous scenario, the solution of training sales staff to use the software properly was certainly a more cost-effective approach than retrofitting a new package to the problem. It also solved the problem in a fraction of the time. While this example seems simplistic, the lesson it teaches is important. Know what the problem is before you go fix it. Once you are absolutely sure the right problem has been identified, then identifying a solution is much easier. It is also a significant factor in project success. If you fix the right problem, the situation is corrected and everyone is happy. In the aforementioned scenario, proper training of sales force staff eliminated the need to spend lots of money on hardware and software, consultants, and training on a new product. Wizardly advice–knowing which problem to solve is key to success.

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