Our Execute Stage comes to life in a “scenario-based” guided tour that provides a contextual framework for DX Plan Execution. Ushering a fictional company through the process will help CXOs visualize steps in the process and identify potential challenges and opportunities on their way to plan launch.

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Jared Spinner, Project Manager at Galactic Gravity Inc. (GGI), signed off the email, double-checked the attachment was really attached, and pressed send. A slide deck for tomorrow’s Steering Committee meeting was instantaneously deposited in the inboxes of all SteerCo members: Jane Maxwell, Doug Pellagio, Marcus Brenner, and Maggie Susilo, with Erin Torres – the OCM Lead – cc’d.

The SteerCo had met a handful of times leading up to the project’s kickoff to align on goals, project approach, and other high-level milestones, but no significant discussions of issues and strategic decisions had occurred.

That was about to change.

Jared’s computer pinged as a reply to his email came through. It was from Doug Pallegio, VP of Sales.

Thanks for sending this over, but I’m confused what’s taking so long. The project has been going on for months, I thought you’d be almost done configuring the system by now.

-Doug

Jared stared at the email in disbelief. The first slide of the deck outlined the timeline they had agreed upon at the start of the project and indicated that the project was on track according to that timeline. How could Doug be surprised that it was “taking so long” when Jared had been up front about the schedule from the beginning?

Watch this short video with DX Roadmap creators Rob Maeyaert and Camilla Richter as they discuss the importance of aligning stakeholders and best practices for managing unrealistic expectations.

Jared pulled up the Stakeholder Assessment Erin Torres, the OCM Lead, had provided to him and Maggie after her initial round of interviews. “Doug Pallegio believes a new system should have been implemented already, viewing it as a simple task. However, his simplistic perspective and unwillingness to consider complexities make him an ineffective stakeholder in the change process, despite being favorable to the change itself.“

With a sigh, Jared stood up to take a walk around the office before typing back a reply. He knew Doug and his team were under a lot of pressure to deliver results and the ineffective processes were slowing them down, but expecting a large transformation like this to be as simple as installing a new app on a phone was ridiculous.

Seeing Maggie Susilo’s office door ajar, Jared knocked and poked his head in. “Hey, do you have a minute?”

The VP of Operations flashed a smile and nodded. “Of course, what can I do for you Jared?”

Jared closed the door behind him, took a seat, and quickly summarized the email he’d received from Doug. “It’s like he doesn’t get what we’re trying to do here,” he concluded, throwing up his hands in frustration.

“Doug’s the VP of Sales, it’s his job to be impatient,” Maggie responded with a wry smile.

Jared chuckled in spite of himself.

“I appreciate you giving me a heads up before the meeting tomorrow, though,” Maggie continued in a more serious tone. “It might get gnarly, but I’ll have your back in there.”

“Thanks Mags, you’re the best.”

The Steering Committee Meeting: Quick Fixes and Short Tempers

The following morning, Jared kicked off the Steering Committee meeting by outlining the agenda and reviewing the team’s accomplishments so far, highlighting the fact that although slight adjustments had been made to the original timeline, they were still on track to meet the original go-live date.

“If I may,” Doug interjected, clearing his throat. Jared and Maggie exchanged a quick look as if to say, Here we go. “We’ve been chipping away at this project for months already, and I still haven’t seen anyone show that we’re any closer to plugging in the new software and pushing ‘Go.’ We’re losing customers left and right, and my team can only get new accounts so fast. Am I the only one wondering what’s taking us so long? If a ship is sinking, you plug the hole, you don’t just sit there with the plug in your hand asking if it’s pretty enough.”

Although he’d been prepared for Doug to speak up, Jared was still surprised that he could sit there, listen to Jared lay out the project plan that Doug himself had signed off on, and then complain about it not going fast enough. Rather than open an argument around who agreed to what, however, Jared decided to take the high road. He opted instead to address Doug’s true concerns: the success of his team and, therefore, the company.

“I like that metaphor,” Jared smiled. “I know that, as steering committee members, it can feel sometimes as if you’re sitting back and not doing anything. But I want you to know that your role here is crucial, and all of you have done everything you can to ensure this project is a success. In addition, our project team has been working diligently to follow a proven process that everyone in the leadership team has agreed on.

“See, to borrow your word picture, Doug, our goal with ‘Project Pulsar’ is not only to temporarily plug a hole, but rather to rebuild the hull stronger than ever. This requires a solid understanding of multiple things, such as: what caused the hole in the first place? How much pressure is the hull subjected to on a regular basis? What sort of conditions is this ship required to sail in? Understanding the current conditions is the foundation for designing a fix that will help our ship sail faster, safer, and with less opportunity for holes in the future.”

Jared gestured to the slide deck, which summarized the work Jesse and Barry had done to outline current processes. “This is why Jesse and Barry have invested so much time and effort into documenting and understanding current processes. Our goal is not only to stop losing customers, but to create an environment that will be conducive to GGI’s growth, expansion, and long-term success as a business, which requires much more than plugging in a simple software upgrade.”

“But patching the hole will help us live to fight another day, you know what I mean?” Doug pressed. “My team is feeling the pressure to deliver, and our ineffective systems are impeding on our ability to follow through.”

Before Jared could respond, Jane Maxwell, the COO, spoke up. “Everyone here is feeling the pressure, Doug. ‘Patching the hole’ might be a quick fix, but it’s not guaranteed to provide any benefit or relief. A quick fix still requires time and resources to implement, and there’s still an extremely high chance it will crash and burn, leaving the hole bigger than it was in the first place.”

Jared couldn’t believe he was listening to Jane the Skeptic defend this project, but he wasn’t about to complain.

Doug, to his credit, seemed at least somewhat subdued by this argument.

“When we kicked off ‘Project Pulsar,’ this was the best process and one we all signed up for up front,” Maggie reminded them all. “We knew from the beginning it wouldn’t be a quick fix, but we agreed it would be well worth the time and effort.”

“When I agreed to this plan,” Doug grumbled, “I thought the timeline had a built-in buffer, and a large one at that. I figured once we got started, it would become apparent you were just overcomplicating things and we wouldn’t really need all this time.”

“We’re not overcomplicating the process,” Jared shot back, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. “We’re adhering to a proven process that ensures everyone is set up for success so we don’t have to repeat this effort in a year or two.”

Doug started to respond, but Erin Torres expertly wedged her way into the conversation. “One of the things we all agreed on was the importance of user adoption. We want to have a team that is fully bought in and prepared, because without that, we will not see any meaningful success.”

“Exactly,” Maggie agreed, nodding to the OCM lead. “Project Pulsar is not just about implementing new technology. It’s about understanding and identifying business processes as well as addressing concerns from the team.”

“Which is something we can all agree on, I think,” Marcus Brennar, VP of Business Strategy, added. “We all want to see GGI succeed. We all want to grow and mature into a larger, more efficient organization. This process is what we believe is needed to get there, for the benefit of our entire company, not just one division.”

The discussion subsided for a moment, and Jared could sense Doug was contemplating the points that had been raised. He hoped the VP of Sales hadn’t felt ganged up on, but Jared wasn’t sure how to ease the tension without coming across as condescending. He looked to Maggie and inclined his head slightly.

Thankfully she caught his eye and took the hint. “This is what these meetings are for,” she said brightly. “To find common ground and a shared vision for the future of GGI, and that can’t happen without a place to discuss differences of opinions. Everyone is welcome to voice their thoughts, concerns, and disagreements here, but when we leave this meeting, we need to be sure that everyone in this room is on board with the plan so we can present a unified front to the rest of the team. It’s up to us to lead them toward the end goal.”

Everyone nodded their head, even Doug.

“Jared, would you mind running through the upcoming steps around design, testing and training to make sure we are all on the same page?”

“Absolutely, Maggie. Thank you,” he added with a smile.

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Lessons Learned: Providing Detailed Data to Gain Support

The last half of the meeting was significantly more productive than the first half, Jared was pleased to note after they wrapped up. He’d walked them through the upcoming activities around designing a solution, testing it, and then the training plan, and made a concerted effort to stress why these activities were necessary.

The Steering Committee had asked questions, debated priorities, and settled on satisfactory answers. Doug seemed to listen with a slightly more open mind, which Jared counted as a win.

While it was a challenging meeting – and one that Jared hoped he wouldn’t have to repeat any time soon – they had made significant headway, and Jared was confident that Project Pulsar’s team would receive the support they needed to execute their plan.

Most of all, Jared had learned that if they did need to make changes to the plan, he’d have to make a concerted effort to provide detailed data to support the advised adjustments, especially when he communicated with Doug. He knew that Doug would be the first to bring up concerns about things being over-complicated, and that the more he could get in front of those concerns, the easier it would be – for everyone.

These fully customizable premium templates provide a clear path through the complexities of DX based on Victoria Fide’s proven Process for Transformational Change.

Aligning Project Stakeholders: Not for the Faint of Heart

Aligning stakeholders around a digital transformation project is no walk in the park, especially when stakeholders have competing priorities or different opinions on the project. However, by keeping the transformation process visible and reminding stakeholders of what they’ve already agreed to, you can help maintain this alignment and keep your project moving forward. This is especially crucial if your project is part of a larger technology roadmap within your organization and not a simple technology upgrade.

If you’re looking for real transformation in your company and are disturbed by the digital transformation failure rates, reach out to Victoria Fide today for a free consultation. We provide guidance for end-to-end digital transformation initiatives, including steering committee training. Subscribe for more chapters in our scenario-based series to equip CXOs in their self-directed digital transformation journey.

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