How to Align Digital Projects with Business Goals

I used to struggle with getting my tech projects approved until I learned to present their benefits as an irresistible offer. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀? - 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱: Using data means you're 23 times more likely to get customers, 6 times as likely to retain them, 19 times as likely to be deliver a profitable result. (McKinsey) - 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀: Top teams - who finish >80% of their projects on time, on budget, and meeting original goals - are 2.5 times more likely to use quantitative management techniques. (PMI) - 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Clear numbers and ROI make 60% of stakeholders more confident, leading to faster approvals and more robust support throughout the project lifecycle. (Gartner) What steps are you taking to demonstrate the value of your tech project? I've got a 5-step plan that'll make your project impossible to refuse. 𝟭. 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 📌 What makes your project shine? List every benefit. Increased revenue? Cost savings? Improved efficiency? Group these gems into clear categories. 𝟮. 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 🔍 Collect data that will make your pitch rock-solid. Internal reports, market trends, industry benchmarks - get it all. Relevant, fresh data is your best friend. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 🧮 Time to flex those analytical muscles. ROI, NPV, payback period - calculate it all. Solid financials turn skeptics into believers. 𝟰. 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 🛡️ Every great plan needs a reality check. What could derail your project? List potential risks. Then, craft strategies to neutralize each one. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 💼 Package your project in a compelling presentation. Use clear visuals and concise explanations. Make it so convincing, they'll wonder how they ever lived without it. 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨: - It transforms your tech vision into a business essential. - It shows you've considered every angle and potential hurdle. - It gives decision-makers the hard data they need. In the world of project approvals, vague ideas are like trying to pay with Monopoly money. But a well-prepared, data-driven proposal is gold. What's your top tip for creating an irresistible project proposal? Share your wisdom below!

I spent years navigating the complexities of digital transformation. Here’s the shortcut to save you countless hours! Digital transformation isn’t just about adopting new technology. It’s about changing how we think and operate as an organization. I remember back when I was at Microsoft, leading a team to drive significant change in our sales approach. We faced numerous challenges:   Resistance from teams stuck in their old ways. Difficulty aligning technology with business goals. The ever‑looming pressure of competition driving innovation faster than we could keep up!  But here’s what I learned through trial and error—and a few sleepless nights:   Start with culture: Technology won’t solve your problems if your teams aren’t on board. Embrace a culture that values learning and adaptability. Get everyone involved early in the process!   Set clear objectives: Identify what success looks like for your organization. Are you looking for efficiency? Increased revenue? Improved customer satisfaction? Define it clearly, so everyone is aligned!   Leverage data: Don’t just collect data—use it! Analyze where you stand, identify gaps, and make informed decisions based on real insights rather than gut feelings alone!   Pilot small initiatives: Before rolling out changes company‑wide, test them out on a smaller scale first! This allows you to gather feedback and make adjustments without disrupting everything at once!   Engage stakeholders continuously: Keep communication lines open with all stakeholders throughout the journey—this builds trust and mitigates resistance down the line!   Iterate constantly: Digital transformation is not a one‑time project; it’s an ongoing journey that requires continual assessment and iteration of processes to stay relevant in today’s fast‑paced market environment! By following these steps, I managed to turn initial skepticism into excitement around our digital initiatives. The result? A much more agile team ready to tackle future challenges head‑on! If you're serious about transforming your organization, embrace these principles—you'll thank yourself later!

Here's my favorite Q to ask at the start of the engagement (the answer is WILDLY different every time): "Imagine we're 6 months from now and we just wrapped the engagement and we're all out to dinner celebrating… What does a win look like? What do we need to accomplish that is enough to get you dancing in the streets celebrating?" This question is one I've learned to ask... because sometimes my version of a win isn't the same as the clients. And in asking it, we've transformed the way we work in our client engagements. - For one client, a win is incremental gross contribution profit in January and February this year. But it's because we're building the systems for a business for whom marketing has been an afterthought. Our ability to show how relevant marketing is and how it can support sales is huge for them - even with a small 2 million in growth. - For another client, we increased their gross contribution profit to $7 million with initiatives that we've been doing over the last 4 months. In this case, 'a win' is putting meaningful direct revenue on the board. - And for some clients, a win at the end of this project is only about 25 conversions. Because those conversions are valuable - what matters is that there is a proof of concept to understand if there is a DTC strategy for their traditionally non-DTC business. The minute that we find that we're out of alignment, either from your expectations about what a win looks like or our ability to hit it.. that's when things go wrong. Here's exactly how we ensure this alignment from the start: 1. In our kickoff calls, we ask them, "what does a win look like for you? What do you want out of this engagement?" This becomes a critical piece of our discovery process. 2. In our pre-work, we try and validate very quickly, how, what would it take, what would have to be true to hit those goals of the win. 3. We then go back to the board to assess how realistic it is hitting these goals and what it would take so we can set proper expectations from the beginning. Remember, the most successful engagements always start by defining success on your client's terms.

In my consulting journey, I've steered numerous digital transformations. The key principles for success remain consistent regardless of the technology or transformation type. For those with digital transformation initiatives on their roadmap, here are some fundamental aspects to consider: 1. Strategic Alignment: Ensure your digital transformation strategy seamlessly aligns with overarching business goals. Obtain buy-in from senior and executive leaders. Ensure a shared understanding of the strategy with your peer group and immediate leadership team. 2. Clear Objectives: Define clear and realistic success markers. Focus on addressing two to three high-impact objectives rather than attempting to solve every issue. Precision and focus drive successful transformations. 3. Get the Right Team: Assemble the right leaders and partners equipped for the transformation journey ahead. Prioritize expertise and competence in aligning people and roles. This helps you build a cohesive team to execute effectively. 4. Invest in Thoughtful Planning: Resist the urge to rush into transformation. Invest time in meticulous planning and organizing processes. A well-thought-out plan, accompanied by aligned tools and processes, lays a solid foundation for effective collaboration. 5. Establish Measurable Goals and KPIs: It is critical to understand from the outset how you will track progress, what the major milestones are, and how you will assess the impact of the digital transformation. Be prepared to evaluate regularly and adjust strategies based on these metrics. These foundational aspects can help pave the way for a successful transformation and drive impactful change for your organization. 😎

Ever been handed a vague project like "We need better personas" and a crazy deadline? A simple framework can turn that chaos into clear action: The key? Start with the END GOAL in mind and work backwards. This is because only when you’re clear on the outcome can you create a process that’s realistic, effective, and aligned with business goals. Let’s break it down with the example: "We need better personas." 🎯 Step 1: Define the end goal Ask: Why do we need better personas? What’s the real business metric we’re trying to move? Example: Increase win rates by 9% over the next 6 months. In this case, it’s clear the project isn’t just about creating personas, it’s about using those personas to sharpen messaging and drive more sales. 🎯 Step 2: Align stakeholders & set milestones Before jumping into deliverables, align with key stakeholders. Ensure everyone agrees on the goals, timelines, and success metrics. Kickoff meeting: Confirm the end goal, scope, and key deliverables. Milestone check-ins: Schedule  updates to ensure alignment and course-correct if needed. 🎯 Step 3: Get specific on deliverables If the focus is on increasing win rates, what’s needed beyond just personas? - > Persona profiles: Core buyer personas, pain points, triggers, buying journey maps, and content preferences. - > Messaging guide: Value propositions, key messaging themes with proof points, objection handling, and specific talking points. - > Sales enablement toolkit: Persona-specific pitch decks, talk tracks, one-pagers, FAQs, and objection-handling guides. 🎯 Step 4: Gather data Given the timeline and goals, what’s realistic for research? Examples could be: - > Deploy a customer survey to 200 customers to refine and segment personas. - > Analyze 10 closed sales deals within ICP. - > Conduct 5 in-depth customer interviews for qualitative insights. 🎯 Step 5: Build, test, and iterate Once stakeholders agree on the research plan and deliverables, start building and validating. - > Develop personas and associated messaging. - > A/B test messaging to validate impact (e.g. using emails) -> Collect sales team feedback on persona usability and messaging effectiveness. Key takeaway: Working backwards forces clarity and also makes it easier for you to counter unrealistic times.  I have been working through this process with dozens of clients to help them get more clarity. I’d love to hear from you! How do you approach vague project requests? #productmarketing #coaching #GTM #productivity #career

👨💻 STEAL THIS PLANNING DOC 🎯 As we wrap-up Q1, and just a sec before we dive into Q2, I thought I’ll share a battle-tested planning template (link in the first comment) that has been a game-changer for my teams over the past few years. While it may not be the prettiest or the simplest, this template has streamlined our planning process, making it clearer, more attainable, and more effective. Best of all, it's a breeze to share and align the entire organization around our objectives. I’ve added a few sample projects so that it’s easier to understand what should go where :) Here's a quick step-by-step guide to navigate this process like a pro: 1️⃣ Lessons Learned and Goal Setting:  This crucial first step involves gathering insights from past challenges and successes, allowing you to set future objectives and goals.  I found it easiest to tackle this step as part of a team-wide QBR for maximum impact. 2️⃣ Initiative Ideation and Collection:  Rally your teams to brainstorm and collect initiatives that will help overcome challenges and deliver on targets. Pro tip: remove as many barriers as possible at this stage - have people suggest ANY initiative they find useful. Ensure each initiative has a detailed description and a specific KPI or metric it aims to drive. 3️⃣ Initiative Categorization:  Group initiatives under common themes (I like to call these “pillars”) based on their driving KPIs.  For instance, initiatives targeting website loading time and form data enrichment could fall under the "Boosting Website Efficiency" pillar. 4️⃣ Strategic Assessment:  Have your teams assess the strategic value of their initiatives, distinguishing between long-term impact (strategic), short-term impact (tactical), and nice-to-have initiatives. 5️⃣ Resource and Dependency Planning:  Defining necessary resources and dependencies for each initiative. Consult with your in-house/outsourced service providers (content writers, rev ops teams, etc.) to ensure accurate scoping and identify cross-team dependencies for smooth execution. 6️⃣ Timing and Prioritization:  Decide on the timing and priorities of initiatives based on strategic importance, resource availability, and dependencies (I like to do this in a small forum with the Marketing leadership team). 7️⃣ Communicate the finalized plan to your entire team, ensuring alignment and understanding of how each initiative impacts broader team and company objectives. By following these steps, your team can efficiently plan and execute initiatives that align with broader company objectives, optimize resource allocation, and drive measurable results. 🌟 The best part is that you can leverage this documented plan to align other departments with your marketing calendar, programs, and initiatives. Happy planning, and don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on how we can optimize this process / template even further! 🏄♂️

70% of projects fail due to unclear goals: Most teams rush into RACI charts and Gantt diagrams while skipping the fundamentals. After years of executing strategy, I've found that this one-page project plan is the perfect bridge between strategic vision and execution. It forces executives and teams to align on what success looks like before the first task begins. Here's how to create your own, in the order I recommend: 1. Objectives: ↳ Define no more than 3 outcomes ↳ Link directly to strategic priorities ↳ The most important one to align senior stakeholders 2. Scope: ↳ State what's included AND excluded ↳ Set clear boundaries to prevent scope creep ↳ Include geographical and functional limits 3. Key Activities: ↳ List the critical path tasks ↳ Focus on the 20% that delivers 80% of the impact ↳ Sequence them logically with dependencies 4. Deliverables: ↳ Specify tangible outputs with timing ↳ Include early wins to build momentum ↳ Make them concrete and measurable 5. Critical Success Factors: ↳ Name success conditions ↳ Identify what must go right, not what could go wrong ↳ Include metrics that signal "mission accomplished" Align stakeholders on this one page, share it with all parties involved, and then execute. See the CRM implementation example below for a real-world application. Grab your FREE editable template in the comments below. What project needs this level of clarity on your team right now? ♻️ Share this with anyone executing strategy right now. 🔔 Follow me, Ali Mamujee, for more actionable strategy frameworks.