Getting credit where credit is due (page 2 of 2)

Finally, create a triage council that has empowered representatives from every department who are able to prioritize the company's needs. Explain to them what it takes and let them decide on what gets done first and what gets dropped. Because the decision is made by the departments themselves, the pain experienced by the organization appears to be acceptable and not too disruptive.

Don't worry. That there is pain in the organization serves you well: the company may consider dedicating more resources to your department while providing your team a path for recognition when the pain is finally removed.

Deliver

Of course, if your team does not deliver, nothing counts. But when you deliver, live by this axiom: Change is the only constant, where the rate of change is constantly increasing. In other words, deliver the smallest amount of value in the quickest time possible.

If by the time you deliver, your system has become obsolete, the business units will not use them and you end up being the cost drain that everyone dreads. But if the systems get used you become a hero. One way to ensure success is to work closely with a business "customer" from a particular department who has the ultimate sign-off at delivery. Once your business customer takes ownership of the project, she will become your biggest champion in helping end-users adopt the new system in a timely manner.

Advertise

Don't be the proverbial duck, calm on the surface but paddling madly under the water. Let other executives or managers know what your team has done, and more importantly let them know your value in terms they understand.

You can easily keep the stakeholders in the loop by reporting the good and the bad honestly, frequently, and regularly. Although delivering bad news is hard, surprising your stakeholders with it is even worse.

Make sure that you have a standard way of reporting progress that is easy to understand. I find a single sheet is more than sufficient to convey progress on all your projects. Use these processes to manage expectations, but not too much. If you constantly beat expectations, then you are viewed as someone who overestimates; on the other hand, if you are constantly late and over budget, then, well, you know...

If you skipped to this part or if you forget everything I said, just remember that when you talk to your typical CEO, all they hear is "blah, blah, blah, blah, $1,000,000". Everyone knows that the return on investment is the only thing that matters to them. A CEO does not care whether you have the best servers or the fastest development team.

Heck, the CEO may not be even interested in how many bugs you fixed. He or she just wants to know how the investments in your team have contributed to the bottom line. To avoid being the first to be cut, focus on your strategic vision, involve the end-users, jointly triage the urgency of the fires, and keep the executive team in step with your needs—and learn to use TLAs (three letter acronyms) that other executives would understand.