Tactics To Get Budget

Dear Import/Export Compliance Manager,

I work in an environment where import/export compliance is recognized as important to the company’s success.  However, we desperately need improvements to our ERP system to add export screening functionality so we don’t have to screen manually anymore.  What are the secrets to getting budget and/or priority for IT projects?

Wait-Listed in Wixom

Dear Wait-Listed,

OK, this is a big two-part question, but we’ll see if we can fit it all into one post.  Regarding getting priority for IT projects, the Import/Export Compliance Manager once asked your question to a group of high-powered import/export compliance professionals at a conference. 

Their answer: beer. 

In other words, there’s no guaranteed method to getting priority or budget for your projects, short of chicanery. 

Before we go further, rest assured that you are not alone.  From the largest multinational corporation to the smallest start-up, most of us don’t have as many IT resources at their disposal as we would like, even those of us who have IT personnel dedicated to their department. 

You say that “import/export compliance is recognized as important to the company’s success,” but are you still perceived as not being a ‘revenue-generating’ organization?  To get budget and IT resources, you (or your manager) must overcome this perception by emphasizing all the benefits import/export compliance brings to the company, particularly saving money and being better able to meet customer commitments by facilitating the movement of goods across borders.  For the saving money part, keep in mind that if your company’s profit margin is 5%, it takes $500,000 in sales to make $10,000 profit.  You save $100,000 in Customs duties and it’s like you have added $5,000,000 to the company’s sales.  The more that import/export compliance is a visible function within the company, not just an individual or group off in the corner somewhere doing everything in a black box, the better off you will be. 

This should go without saying, but work your way up the chain of command to get in front of the person or committee that ultimately decides the budget and/or prioritization of IT projects.  If there is a formal process, take part in it.  If there is no process, work informally to gain an audience.  Pull out all the stops to show how the project will benefit the company while being sure to cater to your audience.

When you get that audience, be sure to do your homework beforehand.  Don’t give a one sentence summary of your project to the powers-that-be.  Work with your BAs and other IT contacts to design a project plan or other summary document that answers any and all questions regarding why the project is needed, what the consequences are of maintaining the status quo and the real cost of implementation.  Don’t expect people will be familiar with your acronyms; write them out.  Be prepared to simplify it, though, depending on your audience.  And put the bottom line up front; upper management only has so much time to listen to you.

This may sound small, but it never hurts to know the IT personnel who would be taking on your project.  In the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s experience, these have been the Business Analysts (BAs).  If you can get a sympathetic BA to understand the nature of your project and it’s not incredibly large, they can look for ways to slide your project in.  If it’s small, maybe they assign a free Programmer Analyst (PA) to work on it if the PA finishes a project early.  If it’s large, maybe it can piggyback on another large project.  

So no, there is no easy way to get what you want for IT projects.  Some of the information above may be more helpful than other parts, depending on variables such as your organization’s size, culture, structure and/or the individual personalities at play.  Who knows, maybe you work at a company where an 18-pack slid across someone’s desk really will make a difference (though as a compliance person, do you really want to be gaming the process like that?).  Be your own white knight and fight for what you know is needed, while still being mindful that everybody else in the company thinks their projects are also absolutely essential.  Hopefully, you’re eventually successfully and can use the money you would have spent on beer for little gifts to the IT people for a job well-done.  Good luck!