How To Align A Project Charter With Business Goals

Common scenario: The Head of Marketing is convinced of our project’s value, but now has to get the CEO and CFO on board. Leaders in these situations sometimes struggle to defend new project costs internally. But it’s not about justifying expenses. It’s about making the *outcome potential* crystal clear. Here's how RNO1 sets its champions up for success ↓ 1️⃣ Align our solution with overall growth goals Dentsu, for example, approached us wanting to… → Improve and modernize 3 websites → Optimize site speed (their sites were slow) → Strengthen SEO (a current weakness) So, we needed to show them: “How will our solutions feed into your overall business growth?” 2️⃣ Translate our work into real business results We explained… → How better UX/UI drives user engagement → Why faster load times = quicker client conversions → How backend SEO changes promote organic search This ties our work directly into their revenue potential. 3️⃣ Drill down into their specifics We get granular with solutions for our clients, based on their needs. In Dentsu’s case, we… → Identified weak points slowing down sites → Optimized backend for better SEO performance → Improved architecture to support future growth In follow-up talks, we… → Explore nuances of each client's needs → Discuss how our work supports specific growth targets → Adapt our solutions to unique challenges This personalized approach maximizes value. 4️⃣ Offer scalable, expert resources We're more than a service provider— We're a growth partner, offering… → Strategists → Designers → Developers → Marketers ...all focused on driving scalable value. 5️⃣ Balance immediate and future gains We create a delicate dance of solutions that… → Solve today's pain points → Set up for tomorrow's growth → Adapt as business needs evolve This shows the ongoing value of our partnership. When you can show stakeholders how a project fuels business growth, you're not defending costs… You're showing smart investment.

✅ 𝗕𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮: 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 I am working on my case study for a fictional oil & gas products trading company struggling with indirect tax reporting in their ETRM system.   In my previous post, I shared the problem statement and current state analysis for my business case. Now, I’m diving into the next step: defining goals, strategic alignment, and success measures. When I started this section, I realized it’s not just about listing objectives. There’s a bigger story. How the project aligns with strategy and how success will be measured. 🎯 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: 1. Automatically extract and consolidate 𝟵𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗮𝘅-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 into centralized reports, reducing manual prep time from 2 days to under 2 hours per month within 3 months. 2. Enforce 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 for tax-relevant fields at time of trade or shipment entry, targeting a 50% reduction in rework due to data issues within 3 months. 3. Align 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 used in tax logic across trade and logistics modules, with a quarterly governance review process in place within 3 months. 4. Implement a rules engine allowing tax analysts to update 𝟴𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗜𝗧, cutting change turnaround time from 2 weeks to 2 days, within 2 months. 5. Ensure that 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 are logged with user-level traceability and available for export on demand, within 2 months. 🚀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: This project isn’t just operational. It supports key business goals. - 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Automate manual reporting - 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Standardize & track audits - 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Let users manage tax rules - 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: Align master data - 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Validate in real time 📊 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗞𝗣𝗜𝘀 / 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 (𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲): - Prep time reduced from 16 to <2 hours/month - 90%+ reports auto-generated - 50% fewer errors in tax reports - 100% validation of tax-relevant fields - 100% audit traceability - 80% of rule changes completed without IT Defining clear goals, alignment, and metrics gives the project direction, purpose, and accountability. It’s not just about “what we want to do”. It’s about how we know we succeeded. 💡 Next up: I’ll share the proposed solution and future state, showing how these goals come to life. I’m curious. Do you include all 3 (goals, strategic alignment, success measures) in your business cases? #BAPortfolio #BusinessAnalysisCircle #BusinessAnalyst #BusinessAnalysis -- I’m the BA who asks “why,” digs deeper, and aligns business and tech teams to unlock value. ➡️ Follow me for more on problem-solving, reporting, and career journeys in business analysis. ♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

Ever been handed a vague project like "We need better personas" and a crazy deadline? A simple framework can turn that chaos into clear action: The key? Start with the END GOAL in mind and work backwards. This is because only when you’re clear on the outcome can you create a process that’s realistic, effective, and aligned with business goals. Let’s break it down with the example: "We need better personas." 🎯 Step 1: Define the end goal Ask: Why do we need better personas? What’s the real business metric we’re trying to move? Example: Increase win rates by 9% over the next 6 months. In this case, it’s clear the project isn’t just about creating personas, it’s about using those personas to sharpen messaging and drive more sales. 🎯 Step 2: Align stakeholders & set milestones Before jumping into deliverables, align with key stakeholders. Ensure everyone agrees on the goals, timelines, and success metrics. Kickoff meeting: Confirm the end goal, scope, and key deliverables. Milestone check-ins: Schedule  updates to ensure alignment and course-correct if needed. 🎯 Step 3: Get specific on deliverables If the focus is on increasing win rates, what’s needed beyond just personas? - > Persona profiles: Core buyer personas, pain points, triggers, buying journey maps, and content preferences. - > Messaging guide: Value propositions, key messaging themes with proof points, objection handling, and specific talking points. - > Sales enablement toolkit: Persona-specific pitch decks, talk tracks, one-pagers, FAQs, and objection-handling guides. 🎯 Step 4: Gather data Given the timeline and goals, what’s realistic for research? Examples could be: - > Deploy a customer survey to 200 customers to refine and segment personas. - > Analyze 10 closed sales deals within ICP. - > Conduct 5 in-depth customer interviews for qualitative insights. 🎯 Step 5: Build, test, and iterate Once stakeholders agree on the research plan and deliverables, start building and validating. - > Develop personas and associated messaging. - > A/B test messaging to validate impact (e.g. using emails) -> Collect sales team feedback on persona usability and messaging effectiveness. Key takeaway: Working backwards forces clarity and also makes it easier for you to counter unrealistic times.  I have been working through this process with dozens of clients to help them get more clarity. I’d love to hear from you! How do you approach vague project requests? #productmarketing #coaching #GTM #productivity #career

Focus on benefits, not just on-time and on-budget delivery. Successful program management isn’t just about hitting deadlines and staying within budget—it's about ensuring the program delivers real, measurable benefits. Shifting the focus from just "on time, on budget" to delivering value can make a huge difference in the long-term success of your programs. Here are three practical steps to make this shift: 1 - 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁: Before the program even kicks off, work with stakeholders to clearly define the expected benefits. Make sure these benefits are measurable and aligned with business goals. 2 - 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁: Don’t wait until the program ends to measure success. Track benefits at key milestones to ensure you’re on the right path and can adjust if needed. 3 - 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲: Regularly report on the benefits being realized, not just the status of timelines and budgets. This keeps stakeholders focused on the program’s impact, not just the process. Bonus: See the comments for a downloadable benefits register. #ProgramManagement #BenefitsManagement #BenefitsRegister