What the Heck Is “Executive Level Buy-In” – And How Can I Get Some?

The best description of “executive level buy-in” that I know of is only 7 letters long:

F-U-N-D-I-N-G

Maybe that doesn’t help you as much as you had hoped, so I’ll provide some additional color around this one.  Funding is the absolute bottom-line when we talk about executive buy-in to a BPM initiative.  But funding has to reflect the iterative approach, which means that the project isn’t over when the process is deployed.  The project is really just getting started.

Funding has to map back to the methodology required to do the project right.  It has to reflect all three phases of a proper BPM methodology.  We’ve discussed this methodology on Process People before, and if you haven’t seen some of those posts, I recommend that you read one first!

In reality, executive buy-in also means you have to have an executive who’s willing to get up on a podium and endorse the process improvement program organization-wide.  It means that the executive has to be willing to commit funding in every manner necessary - money, people, time and so on.

Your executive sponsor also has to commit to a fundamental rewiring of how the organization operates.  This is what I call “program-level” buy-in.  They’re not just agreeing to let you map some processes, automate a couple of steps and track for anyone who’s not doing their job - they have to commit to a DNA overhaul and commit to the iterative approach - Continuous Process Improvement!

I’m proud to say that 100% of Lombardi customers do phase 1.1 - and that’s because we are emphatic about this stuff from the start.  We absolutely insist that there is no other way to do BPM, and the approach has proven itself over and over again.

To get this buy-in, we recommend developing and presenting a rock-solid business case.  Sounds simple, right?  But it’s got to be done with passion and vigor.  You have to, first and foremost, explain that this is not an IT-centric proposition.  Your executives don’t live in the IT department - they manage a business.  Tell them how this will benefit the business; explain that this requires a new type of collaboration between the business community and the IT department, and tell them what they can expect in value returned to the business if they agree to the iterative methodology.  They need to hear that this program will deliver value for years to come.

Then hit them with the pragmatic benefits of a value-driven BPM rollout - efficient, effective and agile business processes that cut waste and drive revenue, or improve customer service, or better cross-departmental communication, or…

You get the point.