Not too long ago cloud computing was considered risky and today the only risk it presents to most business arises from when they don’t use it effectively. The ubiquity of cloud computing didn’t happen overnight. The sway to common place was ushered on by an increased demand for such a platform and the vendors devoted push to become “enterprise class”. But, there was a time when leaders like myself had to carefully thread the needle to prove the value proposition and gain executive level support. This particular journey is common place whenever bleeding edge technology is introduced; but what exactly is the recipe for success. Here are my top five things to keep in mind when start on such a path:
Start the Conversation and Educate
You’re not the only one that wants big wins for your organization. Your boss, your bosses boss, your colleagues, etc. all want to win. The key at this early juncture is to start educating them on the perceived value proposition. We’re not at the formal presentation stage yet; these can be informal conversations weaved into existing meetings. You want to peek their interests so they are tuned into what may be coming down the line. This is easier do with your tech colleagues but don’t underestimate the need to build bridges with the non-tech part of the organization. You’ll likely need financial and legal support and you’ll get extra points if you can bring the product/business side along too.
Identify the Proof of Concept
The impetus is to leap at this stage, but resist the urge. Vendors want to prove their solutions but that’s not what you’re after. You need to prove the value proposition to the business. Identify a small enough entry point that is low-cost and low-risk; one for which failure is a blip on the radar.
Make the Case
Draw up the financial picture for the proof of concept along with the value proposition you are trying to validate. Don’t skip on support here; use consultants where possible. Many vendors will cover the costs of such an endeavor if you can keep it short, if not, cover the expense to some degree. At this stage your colleagues across the organization understand why this POC is important as you’ve educated them to some degree; the cost involved and the organizational risk is low, so you shouldn’t get any major push back.
In terms of scale, the greater the value to the organization that you can articulate and get support for, the greater the investment you can request.
Execute
Simple. Do the work and follow the information trail. Keep a close eye on all important metrics, from costs to operational overhead. Resist the urge to project-ize to a tilt; leave room for flexibility and pivoting so that your team and consultants can adapt on the fly without needing complex change orders or substantial organization review. If you have clients that need to be “in the know”, update them out of band. Be careful not to overall load the project execution team with overhead at time when they are expected to learn a lot. As the project draws to a close, analyze the results and prepare to highlight your findings (good or bad).
Get on the Launch Pad (or get off)
If your POC was a success you’d have gone into production with it. Communicate the value over a series of targeted presentations including a roadmap for greater adoption. If it wasn’t a success, you can (a) close the project and move on but prepare a “lessons learned” deck or doc just in case or (b) present the findings for the POC as we would have done if it was a success.
That’s it. You’re done.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting about a bleeding edge technology we’re exploring at the Library, Consumer Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), sometimes referred to as Private LTE. We’re still in the very early stages but anticipate a rapid build up to execution of a POC.
