Getting the Green Light: Get Your Project On the Fast Track

  PM Network  

Have rationalizing costs and similar terms slowly crept into your project management vocabulary? Have you started thinking about conducting a gap analysis to determine where your organization is compared to where it should be?

If so, you’re starting to think like an executive—and that should help you secure the much-needed buy-in from the higher-ups to move forward with your projects.

Executives are increasingly scrutinizing all of the projects in their portfolios, and expectations for project managers are high. When making a pitch, you won’t win over executives by addressing every last project detail. Many organizations have been stung by crippling project failure rates, so building a clear business case should be a top priority.

“Executives are growing apprehensive about undertaking new ventures without the certainty that they will be fruitful,” says Seweryn Spalek, PhD, chief project officer for Helion S.A., a publishing group in Gliwice, Poland.

While organizations have much to lose, many also have little to spend.

“At a time of increased pressure on budgets, executives in most companies are faced with having to prioritize projects presented to them,” says Christoforos Simiriotis, director of the global banking practice for Huron Consulting Group, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. “If an executive is looking …

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