Engineers are often surprised when others do not recognize their ideas as “great.” An engineer who has worked hard to solve a technical problem arrives at a solution, announces the “great idea,” and encounters lack of enthusiasm at best, or resistance or naysaying at worst. 

How can engineers and their managers avoid such situations and set up their projects for support and success?  Remember that not everyone is as smart as the engineer who solved the technical problem.  Others may need education about the issue.  Remember to test your assumptions.  Do others share the same objectives?  Perhaps the engineer worked hard to solve a problem that others in the organization assign a low priority to.  Perhaps some fundamental assumptions have changed, rendering this particular problem irrelevant.

Whether other stakeholders need education or your goals need realignment with the organization’s goals, a conscious effort to gain support for your projects and ideas can help.

Engineering managers are rarely told that part of their job is to gain the support of others for their projects.  And their failure to gain such support can easily lead to project failure. 

Engineers need to understand:

• stakeholder management
• how to create and use a communications plan
• how to communicate effectively through multiple channels
• how to use stories in communications
• how to build on relationships
• how to improve your project's chances for success
• how to align your project with the organization's goals.

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"Gaining Support for Your Projects," a full-day workshop for engineers and engineering managers, delivered by Leslie Martinich. request schedule