How to Define the Drivers for a Successful Project

Business drivers are the crucial factors which lead to success for a business through a proposed initiative. They answer the question “why?” and help formulate the high level agenda which determines the scope and purpose of a project.

If you do not define the drivers and underlying risks for your project, it is likely to fail.

When defining the end game of your business analysis effort, it is important to identify the relevant business drivers that are aligned with the business objectives, strategies, policies, directives and legislation. Without such alignment, there is the potential for:

• confusion in communicating the agenda, purpose and scope of the project, and
• the inability to identify the true risks associated with each business driver.

Examples of Project Drivers

Drivers are the key factors that motivate the initiation and execution of a project. Here are some common examples:

• Market demand: If there is a high demand for a product or service in the market, a project may be initiated to meet that demand.
• Competitive pressure: A project may be initiated to stay competitive with other companies in the same industry.
• Regulatory requirements: Projects may be initiated to comply with government regulations or industry standards.
• Customer requests: A project may be initiated to meet a specific customer’s request or need.
• Technological advancements: Projects may be initiated to take advantage of new technologies or to keep up with changes in the technological landscape.
• Strategic initiatives: Projects may be initiated to support the company’s strategic goals and objectives.
• Cost savings: Projects may be initiated to reduce costs or increase efficiency in business processes.
• Risk mitigation: Projects may be initiated to reduce the risks associated with a specific business activity or process.
• Organisational change: Projects may be initiated to support a significant change in the company’s organisational structure or business model.

By understanding and analysing these project drivers, business analysts can identify the requirements and goals, and develop a plan that meets the needs of the organisation.

The Cost Savings Example

To further expand on one of the above examples, cost savings can be a significant project driver for business analysts, and an example could be the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Business analysts could identify the need to replace the existing system due to inefficiencies, maintenance costs, and limitations in functionality.

You would conduct a thorough analysis of the current system and the potential benefits of implementing a new one, including reducing the time and resources required to perform specific tasks, streamlining business processes, and improving data accuracy.

By implementing a new ERP system, the you could significantly reduce costs associated with IT maintenance, enhance operational efficiency, and potentially achieve substantial cost savings in the long term.

Understanding the Risks

As a result of understanding the drivers, the risks associated with a project can then be better understood. Here’s a scenario that explains how risk comes to light.

Within “The Company” information is managed by “Business Unit 1” on behalf of “Business Unit 2” due to high error rates caused by poor management in “Business Unit 2”. The process is intensively manual.

A review of the business processes reveals that the implementation of a new system will support the above business drivers, as:

• “Business Unit 1” can hand back the business function to “Business Unit 2”, enabling workers to spend more time on their own work.
• “Business Unit 2” has a system that eliminates errors providing better retention of information, increased controls for auditing and regulatory purposes, and better service delivery.

However, “Business Unit 2” are very set in their ways and may refuse to buy-in to the new initiative. They believe that “Business Unit 1” should be doing the work, that it is not their task. This is a major political risk affecting the success of the project.

To mitigate this risk, clear communication with all stakeholders is needed to demonstrate:

• The benefits of the new system and how it will not only improve the quality of information and reduce processing time, that it will provide the managers of  “Business Unit 2” with useful reports and functions to enhance decision making.
• A road map for system implementation and change management. Thus, managing stakeholder expectations and assuring them that they are going to be fully engaged on all levels to ensure success of the project.

How to Discover Project Drivers

To discover the business drivers and associated risks of a project, ensure that you engage the business at the executive or senior level. Ask them what they think are the key factors affecting success of the project, and follow these steps:

1. Analyse the organisation’s strategic objectives: The strategic goals and objectives can give you an idea of the type of projects that could be initiated to achieve those objectives.
2. Conduct a stakeholder analysis: Identify key stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and employees to understand their needs, pain points, and expectations. This can help you determine the types of projects that could address those needs.
3. Conduct market research: Research the industry and the market to identify trends, consumer preferences, and emerging technologies. This can help you identify potential project drivers and opportunities for innovation.
4. Analyse the current state of the organisation: Identify areas where the company is struggling, inefficient, or lacking in certain capabilities. This can help you determine if a project could be initiated to address these issues.
5. Conduct a SWOT analysis: A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis can help you identify potential project drivers by evaluating the organisation’s internal and external factors.

By following these steps, you can gather information to identify potential project drivers that can lead to the successful initiation and execution of a project. It is important to collaborate with stakeholders, gather feedback, and consider multiple factors before identifying project drivers.

This strategy can be implemented in the project’s initial set up and analysis phases irrespective of the methodology (i.e., Agile or Waterfall) being utilised.