Get Your Boss to Approve Your Idea

You’ve got an idea!  Maybe it’s to optimize a process, save the company money or to develop a new product.  Many of us at one point or another in our careers will come across this situation where we have a brilliant idea but we don’t know how to implement it.   Once we have the idea what we do after the fact is what makes or breaks our ability to turn into reality.
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The steps below can help you organize your thoughts in a formal manner so you can further vet your idea while positioning yourself (and of course your idea) for the best possible chance to get approval from the powers that be.

Step #1 – Develop A Business Case

A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. It is often presented in a formatted written document outlining everything from the reason for the project, problem(s) it solves and the ROI.
 
Components of a business case document may include:

1. Identifying the business need (‘why’ should the company invest in your idea)
2. Expected Outcome & ROI
3. Justifying why the project is necessary
4. High level outline of project goals and objectives
5. What does successful completion look like
6. List of assumptions, things you believe to be true regarding your project
7. What challenges or constraints will you likely encounter?
8. Share what alternatives have you considered
9. Perform a cost benefit analysis to determine the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives in comparison to your idea or project
10. Close with a strong recommendation on why the company should invest in your idea (this needs to clearly articulate why it would be a dumb decision for the company not to move forward with approving your idea or project)

Once you’ve compiled your business case now it’s time to present it.  Set a meeting with your boss, or the appropriate party who would most likely approve your idea and or project.  Inform them ahead of time what the purpose of the meeting is and arrive prepared with multiple copies of your business case both to reference and present from.  Leave the approver with a copy of your business case and an action item to keep them engaged and thinking about your presentation.

Well look at that!  You did such a good job compiling your thoughts and presenting your idea that your boss granted you approval to move forward in the project.  Excelsior!

Now that you have approval, which is a fancy way of saying “we like your idea enough to put money behind it”, you will need to build out the project in detail using a ‘Project Charter’ to ensure it meets a successful conclusion.
Note: What’s the difference between a ‘Business Case’ and a ‘Project Charter’?  A business case comes first as it is an assessment or feasibility study of an idea or task; the sponsor (person who has the idea) pitches their case to the funding stakeholders (typically your boss or people in management). If approved, a project charter is completed outlining the project in detail. The information within the charter is the constraints for which success will be measured.

Step #2 – Develop a Project Charter

As mentioned above, the project charter is a document which clearly defines the project scope, objectives, and participants involved. Components of a project charter may include:

1. A clear statement, or project scope, describing deliverables and the problem or opportunities the project is meant to address along with phases throughout the project
   1. This also includes what’s out of scope for the project, meaning work which isn’t involved in this project
2. How are you evaluating performance via success criteria
3. Objectively and upfront identifying areas of risk, these are ways the project could fail if not addressed properly
4. Detailing out project requirements which are conditions or tasks that must be completed to ensure the success or completion
5. Outlining a schedule for events for the project, this is typically accomplished using a milestones approach or Gantt Chart
6. Describing the project budget, including funding sources and how those funds might be used from a time/ resources and materials perspective
7. Identify team members and project lead(s) as well as what other resources will be used to support the project (cross functional, suppliers, consultants, etc.)
8. Establish communication expectations so the team knows how and when project updates will be given; consider using the SCRUM or Agile methods

 
You’ll note that much of the work that was done initially for the business case can in turn be used in completing the project charter. If your project is big enough it may be worth looking into project management software, like Basecamp or JIRA, to electronically track your projects activities and deliverables.

Now that you’ve got your main documents guiding you through the project out of the way the next step will be to kick off the project and get underway.  I recommend doing the kickoff meeting in person if possible, or via video conference call, where the team can openly talk about the needs of the project and how tasks will be divided up.  All resources involved in the project should have a copy of the project charter along with clear expectations on what their role is and timeframe to deliver those tasks.
Now that you have a basic foundation for what is needed to get your projects approved and kicked off the next step is to look into resources like the Project Management Institute (PMI) and their primary resource guide called Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).  These resources will help you stay on track while providing vast amounts of information on how to move projects through to successful completion.