Do you ever have to convince your board of directors or other non-technical stakeholders that you need to make an investment in something technical or hard to understand? Have you had the experience of seeing their eyes glaze over when you try to explain your need?
If so, the next time you need to get buy-in on a technical budget request, break down your explanation into these 5 bullet points. Use words that your mother would understand.
What is it? It is important here to keep your language simple. Avoid technical jargon. Example: We need to purchase a generator (also called a uninterruptible power supply or UPS) for our servers and A/C systems. Why do we need it? Explain how not having the item is affecting the company. Talk about the impact to customers, employees, and profits. Example: We need to be able to continue power to our servers and A/C systems in the case of outages with our primary power supply. A/C power outages have occurred twice this summer. Our servers have been down 3 times for a total of 12 hours in the last six months due to power outages. The Security Audit has also mandated that we have backup power. What if we don't purchase it? Give examples of what will continue to happen if you don't make the purchase. Remember that you are giving your audience facts to make a decision as to whether to buy, keep what you have, or go with an alternative. Example: We will continue to be at high risk of critical data loss. Our company will cease all computer functions during a power loss. We will be violating the mandates of the Security Audit. What are the alternatives? Of course, there are probably other options to what you are proposing to purchase. Give them a high-level list of what you have already considered. Example: Purchase additional batteries for the UPS already in place. However, this only lessens the risk of the server shutting down and doesn't guarantee that we will have our servers up at all times. This option does not meet the mandates of the Security Audit. How much will it cost? Give them the cost and a high-level summary of what that includes and how you got the number. Example: K based on 3 quotes. This includes the generator, installation, gas line, and electrical work.If you have several budget items to request, use the same 5-bullet question format for each item. Your audience will be comfortable that your request is structured, easy to understand, and easy for them to get the information they need to make a decision. Try this out the next time that you have to get funding for something that is technical and you are addressing a non-technical stakeholder!
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