What is project buy-in? Let’s think of this in terms of a football team. All team members need to work in perfect synchronicity in order to win a game. Yes, the quarterback (think Project Manager) and coach (think Project Sponsor) are important, but they are not the only individuals necessary to win the game. Every single player has an important role, understands why they are performing that role and what they will be getting out of a successful effort. If there is an individual that doesn’t want to win the game or who just doesn’t understand why the game is being played; it makes it that much harder for the entire team to succeed. Buy-in means that the entire team understands the main goal (winning the game), what their individual role is (sacking the quarterback) and why they want to work together to achieve their goals (getting to the Super Bowl and landing that big commercial contract). In all seriousness, this same philosophy can be applied to projects as well. There are many factors for project success, but it starts with buy-in from all of the stakeholders. This means the Project Sponsor, the Project Manager, the business subject matter experts, the project team and the actual users of the end product.
Why do you need/want project buy-in? Couldn’t the Project Sponsor just tell everyone what needs to be done and expect it to happen? Yes. Although, this may result in a product that doesn’t ever get used because the end users never “bought into” the project. The consequence of something like this could be the loss of money, valuable time and team moral. When you have a team that is “bought-into”the project you have a group of individuals that are happy, productive and willing to provide input. You also get more participation and feedback throughout the life of the project. A project that has 100% buy-in is on its way to becoming a successful project.
How do you obtain project buy-in? Become a salesperson for the project! First you will need to identify your target audience and determine the project’s ultimate decision-maker, team members and those who may be impacted by the initiative. You may find that one, or more, of those individuals is afraid of change. To obtain their buy-in you will need to change their perceptions and show them that you wish to make them agents of improvement instead. It is natural for people to want be a part of something important, to make a difference and to be recognized for their efforts. Everyone needs to understand what a successful outcome will look like when the project is over and you need to be able to express this to them. The end users need to know how the project is going to help them specifically (save time, reduce their workload, increase efficiency etc.). Other individuals will need to know how the project benefits the company and why it is important (increased revenue, decreased budget, overall efficiency of the organization etc.). Focusing on the positive is great, but you also need to clarify the negative impacts on the organization if the project is not executed.
Project buy-in creates a project atmosphere that embraces teamwork, understanding and success. Who wouldn’t want a successful project?
Why do you need/want project buy-in? Couldn’t the Project Sponsor just tell everyone what needs to be done and expect it to happen? Yes. Although, this may result in a product that doesn’t ever get used because the end users never “bought into” the project. The consequence of something like this could be the loss of money, valuable time and team moral. When you have a team that is “bought-into”the project you have a group of individuals that are happy, productive and willing to provide input. You also get more participation and feedback throughout the life of the project. A project that has 100% buy-in is on its way to becoming a successful project.
How do you obtain project buy-in? Become a salesperson for the project! First you will need to identify your target audience and determine the project’s ultimate decision-maker, team members and those who may be impacted by the initiative. You may find that one, or more, of those individuals is afraid of change. To obtain their buy-in you will need to change their perceptions and show them that you wish to make them agents of improvement instead. It is natural for people to want be a part of something important, to make a difference and to be recognized for their efforts. Everyone needs to understand what a successful outcome will look like when the project is over and you need to be able to express this to them. The end users need to know how the project is going to help them specifically (save time, reduce their workload, increase efficiency etc.). Other individuals will need to know how the project benefits the company and why it is important (increased revenue, decreased budget, overall efficiency of the organization etc.). Focusing on the positive is great, but you also need to clarify the negative impacts on the organization if the project is not executed.
Project buy-in creates a project atmosphere that embraces teamwork, understanding and success. Who wouldn’t want a successful project?