Boost the Chances of IT Budget Approval
By Pam Baker
Successfully surviving the budget process requires more than just shouldering past competing departments and technologies. To hit the jackpot in a steadily dwindling pool of IT funds demands a different way of thinking. In addition to determining a cogent list of reasons to get what is needed, you also must learn to deconstruct the drivers behind the process.
Chief Considerations
You need to learn what pressures drive your CEO's, CFO's and CIO's funding decisions, then propose ways to relieve those pressures. "Find out where the biggest constraints exist," counsels Kevin Verde, CIO, Jason's Deli in Dallas, Texas. "Is it staffing? Is it mindshare or focus? Is it dollars? Is it server-sprawl? Is it risk tolerance? Is it complexity? Ask questions and know your CEO, CFO and CIO well. Then, appeal to those perceived constraints within the request."
The priorities of the CIO, CFO and CEO may differ. It's vital that your budget strategy take account of all three and incorporate them into a solid, focused proposal. "Find the common ground, which is an understanding of the business, the business strategies, and the goals and objectives of the corporation," advises Bahija Noell, vice president of the Business Partnership Management Office in the Information Technology Division of Aflac, the insurance giant headquartered in Columbus, Ga.
As long as the CIO and the business leaders agree that technology initiatives must align with the corporate business strategies and bring value to the (article continues)
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