CHAPTER 3

You’ve Pitched Your Initiative—What’s Next?

by Raymond Sheen with Amy Gallo

After you’ve presented the business case for your initiative, you may be popping a bottle of bubbly, walking despondently back to your desk, or pulling your hair out because you have to create and present a case all over again.

But the work is not over. Even if the decision makers said no, there are steps you can and should take. If you got a yes, it’s time to begin implementing your project.

If You Heard “No, the Project Isn’t a Priority”

First off, don’t despair if your project isn’t approved. Although it may feel like failure to hear “no,” keep in mind that you’ve contributed to the success of the company by helping it identify that the project wasn’t a worthwhile investment. The real purpose of a business case is not to necessarily win approval for your proposal, but to provide enough information so the committee can make an informed decision.

But don’t just accept the “no” by saying thank-you and walking away. Instead, always ask “Why?” If you know precisely why the decision makers rejected the case, then you’ll be able to follow up appropriately. Ask this question in the meeting or in a subsequent email. Don’t pick a fight or try to use the response to change the outcome, but seek to understand their reasoning. You might say, “Thanks for letting me know about your decision. I’d love any feedback you have on why the project wasn’t approved.”

The reviewers may have passed on your project for any of several reasons. For example, they might tell you that the project doesn’t align with the company strategy. In this case, let it die. Any project that doesn’t fit with the company’s imperatives should be rejected.

If they thought the project wasn’t viable—that the approach you described wouldn’t yield the results you promised—you can go back and address their concerns. Do you need more data to show why the approach works? Can you create a prototype that will assuage their worries? You might ask for a small amount of funding to run a quick pilot to prove the project can succeed.

If the higher-ups say no because there aren’t enough resources, hold on to your case in the event that resources become available. That actually happened to me at GE. Partway through the year, corporate decided to give our business unit some additional funding to invest in strategic product development projects. Some market dynamics had changed, making our market segments more attractive than others. The product manager and I quickly dusted off several business cases that had not been funded due to lack of resources during the previous year’s strategic planning process. In less than a month, projects were approved and teams were getting down to work. Staying in close touch with your project champion so that she can keep you apprised of any changes will help you prepare for such opportunities.

When you ask for the reasons behind the rejection, you have to hope you’ll get an honest answer. In most cases, you will. It may not be direct—the CEO may not say to you, “We didn’t think you could pull off the project”—but you’ll likely be able to infer the reasons. Try to read between the lines. If you’re still not sure, ask the project champion for her insight. Whatever response you get, don’t argue with the logic or take it personally. That’s not a way to win allies—or support—for this or future projects.

If You Heard “We Can’t Make a Decision Yet”

Having your proposal tabled is better than an outright no, but it’s still disappointing. In most cases, you’ll just have to trust that you built and presented a solid case and then wait and see what happens. Any additional measures you take will depend on the decision makers’ rationale. Typically, it’s for one of three reasons.

The case hasn’t made the first cut

It could be that your case didn’t make it into the “definite yes” pile. If the decision committee is reviewing multiple cases at once, it may divide proposals into yes, no, and maybe piles. At least you know your project is in the mix. There’s no need to lobby for your case at this point, especially if your project champion is representing you to the decision makers.

The decision makers just haven’t decided yet

Sometimes you’ve got a management team full of ditherers who are unable or unwilling to make decisions on the spot. They might want to hold off until they’re behind closed doors to make the final call. Of course, your project is more likely to be approved if your proposal clarifies what’s in it for each of the decision makers. While you wait, though, you may want to periodically work through your champion to be sure your idea is still in front of people and to check if there’s anyone else’s ear you should get.

Sometimes, the committee hasn’t decided because they’re waiting for the outcome of another decision that has farther-reaching impact. This happened to me once, when a project I’d proposed was hanging in the balance while we waited to find out if an acquisition that was in the works would be successful. If the acquisition went through, our project wouldn’t be needed. If the deal didn’t go through, our project would help fill a larger product development void.

The strategy is on hold

The third reason for tabling projects is that the strategy it supports is on hold or being reconceived. Use your internal network to stay abreast of where the strategy is going. Once you have that information, you’ll have to tweak your case to reflect new goals, assumptions, or constraints. If your proposal focuses on U.S. customers, and your company has decided to focus more on European customers, for example, explore whether your idea could be carried out in the United Kingdom. Since you’ve done a good job preparing your business case, you’ll easily be able to tweak it. This can be a great opportunity. Typically, senior leaders will want to do a project right away that aligns with the new imperatives to demonstrate support for the new strategy. With your carefully prepared plan, you could be first in line with a project that fits. Don’t shoehorn your project into the new strategy, of course. If your case doesn’t support it, don’t make it.

Sometimes waiting for a final decision takes time—days, weeks, and even months. And the reason for the project—the pain point it’s designed to address—likely isn’t going away. There may not be a whole lot you can do, but look for opportunities to alleviate the pain a bit. If your case proposed a new system that would allow customer service representatives to respond more quickly to complaints, look for workarounds. Collaborate with the person heading up that department to see if he has any short-term ideas that will make things better.

While you’re waiting, it’s not a bad idea to find a simple, easy way to collect more information about the problem and its magnitude. Document what’s happening so that when you have the opportunity to go back to the decision makers or to your project champion, you can say, “This problem hasn’t gone away; in fact, it’s gotten worse.” This will make your case stronger. If the problem is getting severe, you’ll provide people with new information and change the story of your case: The boat’s not just taking on water—it’s sinking.

If You Heard “We Can Approve Only Part of the Project”

What if your case has three parts but the decision makers only approve one? Or they sign off on the first phase of your project but ask you to come back in six months or more to request the additional funding? This happens more often than people think. It’s frustrating, but it doesn’t have to demotivate you and your team. Instead, focus on the fact that the committee liked your idea and want to move it forward.

Approval of just one part of your project is particularly common at companies that use a tollgate process. If this is the situation you’re in, ask the review committee what risks or questions need to be resolved by the time you reach the first milestone. Then proceed as though your project will be fully funded. That will give you the best sense of whether the project will be a success. At the end of the funding period, be prepared to go back and explain which of your assumptions held true and which didn’t. For instance, you might have determined that the product cost can be 10% less than planned or that the launch date will need to change by three months. Since you documented the source of all your original numbers and assumptions, it will be easy to check with those individuals for updates. Prepare to come back and present the business case again with updated information on the benefits or costs based on what you learned so far.

The most common scenario, however—and the most challenging—is when the decision makers come back and say, “OK, we know you wanted $2 million, but what can you do for $1 million?” When asked if you can do the project or reach the same goals with less time or money, never say yes right away. Instead, tell the reviewers that you’ll get back to them—very quickly—so you have time to redo the business case with those new constraints.

When you commit to doing just part of the project, resist the temptation to overpromise. First, don’t do an across-the-board cut. If the committee wants you to submit a proposal for a project that costs 30% less, don’t try to do everything the original case did with 30% less resources. It’s better to restructure the project completely. Ask yourself and your team: What is a viable business opportunity that we can fund with this much money to achieve a portion of the goal? Can we drop the European sales arm? Can we cut down the rollout time? Second, don’t agree to a cut in resources without a cut in the benefits. This creates an almost impossible situation. If your original case promised $800,000 in revenue from the new product but now you’re asked to cut the budget by 20%, chances are you won’t be able to realize the full $800,000. You’ll need to bring that number down as well. After all, if you don’t have a full tank of gas, you can’t go as far.

You’ll be prepared for this conversation if you run several scenarios in your spreadsheet ahead of your presentation (as described in the HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case). It’s great if you have those numbers in your back pocket, but if not, go back and rerun your numbers. Fortunately, this is pretty easy if you’ve structured your spreadsheet well. Simply create another tab and change the relevant figures.

It’s rare that a company can afford to fund every good idea. Instead of harping on the cuts you needed to make, focus your team on creating and implementing a new plan that will help pave the way for the rest of your project to be approved later on.

If You Heard “Yes, Let’s Move Ahead”

First, celebrate. Open a bottle of champagne or take your team out for dinner. Then get to work. After all, the decision makers just opened a door and you’ve got to walk through it. You’ll need to figure out how you transition from getting your project approved to implementing it.

Don’t wait for the check. In most companies, a formal funding mechanism doesn’t exist—nobody actually writes you a check. More likely you’re told: OK, you’ve got the resources and people you need; get started.

After your celebration, the first step is to set up your project management process. Some companies have a methodology for this. If that’s the case at your organization, reach out to your contact in the project planning or management group. This person can set you up with the appropriate tools, templates, checklists, or software to start the project.

If there isn’t a formal process at your company, get the project moving yourself. Start by gathering your team and working on a project charter. Review the high-level implementation plan you outlined in the case and make sure it’s still actionable. And keep the business case handy. It was the initial road map for the project and it will be helpful to refer to as you structure the work. See the HBR Guide to Project Management for more information on tools and templates to help you manage a project effectively.

You’ve succeeded in getting the organization behind your solution to an important business need, but this is just the beginning. Think of it as building a house: You’ve chosen the architect and the builders, you’ve agreed on a blueprint, the bank has approved the funding, and you have a rough schedule and budget—but you haven’t broken ground yet. Now comes the real work.

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Raymond Sheen, PMP, is the president of Product & Process Innovation, a consulting firm specializing in project management, product development, and process improvement. He is the author, with Amy Gallo, of the HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case (Harvard Business Review Press, 2015). Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and is the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict (Harvard Business Review Press, 2017).

Adapted from HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case (product #15038E), by Raymond Sheen with Amy Gallo, Harvard Business Review Press, 2015, pp. 109–117.