5 ways to convince business leaders that your technology project is worth funding

Technology is more important than ever to organizations — and emerging innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning mean IT investments only go one way: up. Worldwide, technology analyst IDC said digital transformation spending will reaching nearly 4 trillion USD by 2027.

Also: How your business can best exploit AI: Tell your board these 4 things

However, while companies continue to spend Big money for digital transformationNot every project will receive funding. If you want to get people to buy into your innovative ideas, how can you successfully communicate the benefits of technology?

Five business leaders give us their best tips for impressing senior leadership and other professionals with their project ideas:

1. Anchor your message

Claire Thompson, director of data and analytics at financial services company L&G, says a great way for people to understand a project is to tie the benefits to the business strategy. “You have to understand how everything you’re doing is going to help the organization and its people,” she said. Thompson said it’s important to understand that a simple message won’t resonate with everyone.

“You need to try to bring your message back to some core, overarching themes across the organization,” she says. The focus that each business area will have will be different.”

Also: 5 ways to balance self-promotion with the needs of your business

Thompson built on that advice by referencing how her team communicates the benefits of data initiatives across L&G.

“What finance wants from data is going to be different than what risk wants or our wealth management or retail business wants,” she said. Then comes tailoring the story – for example, showing how a new technology project ties into the broader business strategy and benefits each function. “Listen to what stakeholders need and focus on the challenges they need to overcome.”

2. Adjust your communication style

Ankur Anand, CIO at Nash Squared explains that most people know the value of technology in a “big picture” sense. However, their technology vision is often hindered by implementation complexity and the cultural challenges of adopting new ways of working.

“In short, people may see the logic in their heads, but in their hearts, they may feel that change is difficult,” he said. And they also have a daily job to continue.”

Also: 3 ways to build a solid data foundation for AI deployment, according to business leaders

Anand told ZDNET that a recent study by Harvey Nash found that technology experts consider good communication skills to be the most important factor for a great future leader.

“Getting people to focus on the real, simple benefits of technology is not seen as a problem but as an important part of the job description,” he said. Anand said successful professionals advocate for any new technology and demonstrate its value. Establishing a strong team of change champions across the organization can drive adoption and ensure consistent messaging.

Also: How to advance your work in the emerging AI economy

“Adjust your communication to highlight ‘what I bring to me’ to employees and customers, emphasizing direct benefits and improvements,” he says. “Use clear language.” clear, jargon-free, and leverage visual aids like infographics and demos to make complex concepts more accessible,” Anand said at the start of the project. project, investing in learning capabilities can help increase understanding of the technology surrounding the business and promote engagement.

“Additionally, seeking ongoing feedback from these groups can help resolve any friction during adoption and improve overall capabilities,” he said.

3. Give people what they want

Nick Woods, CIO at MAG Airports Group, said he recently talked about the importance of selling a project to his IT leadership team during a training session and his key message was simple.

“You have to show people how it benefits them,” he told ZDNET. “Successful communication is about what’s important to the user group you’re talking to. What motivates a managing director is different from what motivates people at the facility to use the service.”

Also: 3 ways to build a solid data foundation for AI deployment, according to business leaders

He gave the example of introducing a new rostering system as part of his digital transformation program at MAG.

“We’ve digitized how employees receive shifts and how they request shift changes to book vacations, which was previously a paper-based process in many cases.” The benefits for airport teams are optimized operations, better working methods and improved resource allocation.

Also: 3 ways to help your employees use general AI confidently and effectively

However, these benefits will not necessarily affect employees who are accustomed to paper-based processes. Therefore, Woods focuses on personal gain rather than business value.

“The win for employees is more predictable rosters, better ways to do shift change, better ways to book and view their vacations, and how to manage their lives,” he said. easier”. they get from technology.”

4. Adopt a visual approach

Niall Robinson, head of product innovation at the Met Office, the UK’s national weather and climate service, is another business leader who recognizes that each stakeholder has unique needs and successful communicators will address those needs.

Robinson said his number one tip is to create a proof of concept: “Seeing is believing.” He told ZDNET that he’s often surprised at the success rate of that visual approach. He gave the example of a video he used to demonstrate to stakeholders the potential benefits of investing in Snowflake technology.

Also: 5 ways to climb the career ladder and become a successful CIO

“They have created what I describe as a ‘cool movie mania,’” he said. “I can use video to demonstrate the benefits of technology in less than 60 seconds.” This approach helped Robinson secure funding for the project earlier this year. The Met Office is currently using Snowflake Marketplace to showcase platforms and products.

Robinson said the lesson for other business leaders is that a visual approach can help people communicate the complexity of bits and bytes.

Also: 5 reasons to cooperate with competitors, according to business leaders

“I know they’ll take the time to watch a short video and it helps them understand what’s going on,” he said.

“It’s about giving stakeholders a sense of the artistry of what’s possible and showing them something they can see with their eyes rather than describe with words. Throughout my career, That approach is very helpful.”

5. Turn dreams into reality

You need to be able to confidently step out of the IT department and interact with other lines of business on their terms, says Sasha Jory, CIO at insurance company Hastings Direct. “It’s no good being a technologist who can sketch out stories and talk about great visions if you can’t make those dreams come true for people,” she said.

Jory said IT professionals need to be good change agents, and they also need to be able to speak in simple language so people from other departments can join them on the digital transformation journey. digital.

Also: Do you want to become an IT expert? Here are 4 ways to look like a great job candidate

She encourages anyone trying to communicate the benefits of technology to paint a picture into bite-sized pieces. “You need to accept that and technologists are excited about IT systems and services, but not every technology is right for your organization,” she says.

“It’s nice to say, ‘Oh, I have this great app and this great hardware.’ But complexity is scary, so focus on simplicity and straightforwardness, tell the story, use the right technology for the business challenge, and execute, execute, execute. .”