Executive management is a key stakeholder in any organizational initiative, so gaining their support is a critical success factor. One of the project manager’s first tasks is to determine where to gain this support. The business case may be the mechanism used to solicit and ensure executive support. And because leadership often changes and priorities shift, executive support must be continuously monitored. In this case, the team’s communication plan will help maintain consistent support and interest in the project. It may also be helpful to find someone who can “champion” the project at the executive level. This champion does not necessarily need to come from within the team; it may be a manager who sees the value in the overall project for the organization and can promote those benefits.

In addition, everyone on your team should be able to discuss the progress being made. The project manager can spearhead this by creating bimonthly briefings that team members can use when speaking to their various colleagues. Since a project such as this crosses organizational boundaries, it is important for each team member to discuss the value in terms meaningful to their division, department, or unit. This ability is a direct result of participation in the shared vision and project analysis.

You can refer to CTG’s newsletter article in Innovations 2003, CTG Leveraged Innovative XML Solutions, and to Return on Investment In Information Technology: A Guide for Managers, for examples of how to discuss the value of XML in business terms to your executives.