Use metrics to prove your IT project's worth

What managers say, and how they say it, is crucial to perception -- and harder to quantify.

Free IT resource Hear how top CIOs turn change into a competitive advantage. Sponsored by HP Free IT resource Try Sun servers, workstations and storage products free for 60-days. Sponsored by Sun Microsystems Return to special report DOWNLOAD PDF Click here to download InfoWorld's special report Proving your IT project's worth

BMC's Williams says the content of the message needs to be something business managers can relate to. "If you're the CTO for a bank, and you say something like, 'Router 63J5 just went down,' your users will have no clue whether to care about that," he says. "But if you say, 'Branch banking in the Northeast just went down,' you will definitely have their attention."

Susan Snedaker, author of How to Cheat at IT Project Management, says sometimes it's merely a matter of using the right spin.

"If you're having problems, don't say, 'We have no idea what the problem is or how to fix it.' Say, 'We're investigating the cause of the problem and will keep you updated.' "

Tech managers should look at every communication as another opportunity to create the impression of success, Snedaker says.

"One way to improve not only real but perceived project success is better communication with the project team, users, stakeholders, executives -- everyone who touches the project," Snedaker adds.

The CEO's projects never fail

The other key component of success is getting business owners to, well, own the project.

"If people think the project is owned by the IT department, as a kind of push from tech rather than pull from business, it dramatically decreases its chance of success," says Ulf Casten Carlberg, director of enterprise performance management at Intentia in Stockholm, Sweden. "Business management has to be in the driver's seat."

Bill Hill, IT director at the City of Dayton, Ohio, puts it a little more bluntly. "A project could be so good that it comes in well under budget, saves a fortune, and does everything it's supposed to do, but if it doesn't have a high-powered backer, it's a pig."

Conversely, Hill adds that a project could be a complete loser, but if someone uses it to get a favorable reaction from the press or public, it's considered a winner.

In addition to executive sponsorship, any major project needs to be closely aligned with bottom-line business goals. That means sitting down with all the departments that are affected and hammering out the project's objectives and KPIs, measuring the KPIs before the project to create a baseline, and conducting regular reviews to make sure the project is meeting its goals. It also means being willing to terminate failing projects with extreme prejudice. 

"The project needs to start with a good business case," ESI's Ward says. "You have to lay out why you're doing it, what you expect out of it, and have your business sponsor sign off on it -- literally put a piece of paper in front of him or her describing the project and ask them to sign it. You tend to look at something a lot harder when you're asked to put your signature on it."

And after a big project is under way, promote the hell out of it, says AMR's Shepherd -- give away hats and T-shirts to employees, talk about the project in the press and at user conferences, make sure it gets talked about in the annual report.

"When you do that, the organization becomes emotionally committed to the success of the project," Shepherd says. "It can be a major embarrassment or even career threatening if it fails."

At press time, GAP Group was nearing a final decision about which ERP system to adopt. Either way, Stewart was confident his firm would see good results from the move. Even though the project had barely begun, it was already well on its way toward success.