How to involve the organization in your IT-project by utilizing management

Involving the organization in IT projects is crucial for their success. However, it’s often difficult to get key personnel to participate and allocate time. To succeed in obtaining resources for your project, you need to start with the management. In this article, you will learn how to convince management and how to best work with the organization over time.

In successful IT projects, the organization is one of your most important stakeholders. Their input is needed to create a final product that helps the business achieve its objectives.

In cases where the organization is not involved, it is often due to ignorance from both the organization and management. Stakeholders don’t understand the value of contributing or why they are needed in the projects. Many are busy with their own tasks and lack time. Moreover, participation in an IT project may be perceived as complex and perhaps a little intimidating for some, especially if they have low insight into what it actually entails.

But it’s even tougher if management doesn’t understand the need. They may believe that participation will encroach on key personnel’s daily work. They may also fear it will create concern or stress. This is where you, as a project manager, need to start your journey if you want to achieve a successful project where the organization plays a central role.

Ensure You Have Management’s Support

IT projects conducted without involvement and input from the organization are almost destined to fail. The individuals involved need to be driven and forward-thinking. But they also need to have a good understanding of current processes, how they can be streamlined, and an interest in developing their approach to work.

To access individuals with the right skills in the organization, you need wholehearted buy-in from management or the steering group. You must make management understand why it is important to decide which resources should participate and what is expected of them. Be specific down to details, such as how much time should be allocated and who should participate. It’s especially beneficial if management internally communicates their decision, for example, through newsletters or the intranet, to demonstrate that the project has support from above.

Involve the Organization and Set Clear Expectations

Once you have obtained authorization from management, as a project manager, you need to plan how you will work with the organizzation over time. Initially, it’s important to communicate what is expected of them and why their participation is significant. That they are needed to develop a system that is functional and tailored to their everyday work. That they are experts who know how the process and business currently operate. But also, that you want them to contribute knowledge on how they can work better and improve the organization.

The term “IT project” alone might make some hesitant, so refer to what you’re doing more as a digitalization or a system project.

Create Structure and Be Considerate

Once you’ve started the work, be mindful of your colleagues’ time. Set a plan to make the most out of the hours they allocate each week. Communicate what the project plan looks like and establish a long-term meeting structure that quickly becomes placeholders in everyone’s calendars.

If finding information seems difficult and misunderstandings arise, take advantage of user-friendly support tools that gather all information in one place, such as Reqtest, to make progress and create clarity. This way, the organization gains clarity on what needs to be done, when they need to do it, and to what extent their input is needed.

Alongside the project, they have their regular jobs to manage, so show consideration while also setting expectations. With good planning, you can maximize the output you get in the right amount of time.

Provide Feedback and Build a Business Case

When you’ve completed the project, the added value of involving the organization all the way needs to be communicated back to management and the steering group. This wasn’t just an IT project that resulted in a new system being put in place. But rather, by involving the right people, you’ve obtained a functional end product that streamlines the business’s work and helps them achieve their objectives.

Also, provide feedback to those who participated from the organization. Make sure to tell them how important their contributions were throughout the process. Hopefully, they feel that the time they invested was worthwhile, which also contributes to them becoming good ambassadors for the new system and approach to work.