Perfect Technical Implementation? - So What!
What can you learn from Novell and Betamax when deploying new systems?
I remember when our Microsoft sales engineer was visiting my team and pitching Windows 2000 and Active Directory. Like many Fortune 500’s we were a Novell NDS shop. We were in the process of rolling out NDS for Windows NT as NDS was and remains an outstanding directory service. It didn’t matter that we’d have to increase our WAN bandwidth or pause our elementary single sign-on projects. Microsoft had won the perception war over Novell.
I’ve had similar experiences for internal projects. We’d successfully deploy 1000-desktop upgrades with little to no downtime and high end-user satisfaction survey results. All just to have the executive sponsor have less than a positive response to the project.
After years of hitting my head against the wall, I paid attention to the lessons learned from my Microsoft Active Directory sales experience. Here are 5-key takeaways.
Identify the person that must be impressed
What does that sponsor find important (it doesn’t have to be directly related to the project)
Identify champions who have direct access to the stakeholder
Arm the champions with marketing content
Communicate that value throughout your organization
I assumed the value of a project would be apparent to my internal/external customers. This isn’t true. You have to listen to what your customers want and demonstrate that value in the way they understand. Also, I had always assumed you communicate the value in technical terms. I.E. we increased storage IO by 20%. Every project where I championed the technical capabilities never received the expected response.
As engineers, we underestimate the value of presentation and interfaces. Executives want to know what your project has done for their careers and objectives. When translating system information, consider how it impacts the executive’s measurable business objectives. If the new system processes queries 50% faster, show how that has reduced abandoned carts by 20% thus meeting the stakeholder’s annual MBO.
Marketing is as important as engineering in project success - if not more. Take the time to understand your stakeholders and communicate value in a way they appreciate.