I was recently asked, “How do you communicate the “value” of a PPM solution to your client/boss?”
Step 1: Set your goals with your boss/client? In my opinion there are only 3 real strategies that these goals should directly relate to:
1) Make more money
2) Save money
3) Mitigate business risk
It is a good idea to brainstorm around all three and determine right from the get-go how success will be measured so there is no ambiguity if the goal was met.
Step 2: Once you have your goals in place you need simple, sensible and supportable goals and then use project management to communicate your time, budget, resources and progress against key milestones. Also identify the risks.
As your projects go along, track issues, changes to the original scope and key documents.
Step 3: Have regular generated reports with metrics ready to demonstrate the value you are earning.
Step 4: After any project completes assess the project, make note of lessons learned, and then setup a template if you are ever going to repeat the project.
You can steal, benchmark or just use WorkOtter for 30 days with no obligation if you want to get the hang of it and pilot it with your boss!
PS: If all that doesn’t work (it didn’t for me) and you feel like you are spending more and more time educating your boss then following your vision/passion then it is time to quit. I couldn’t convince my boss that web-based project, resource, and portfolio management was better then staffing more consultants then were needed. I also showed my boss how happy customers were with a complete solution and that they didn’t need as many $200/hour consultants running around.
I quit, started WorkOtter with several others that shared my vision/passion – and never looked back.
