Gaining Management Commitment for a New Process

To gain management commitment for a new process, ask for concrete decisions, resources, role modelling and the removal of obstacles, rather than settling for verbal support. Commitment is demonstrated by what sponsors do, not by what they say.

• Link the process to business outcomes. Show how the process connects to the outcomes the business cares about, and define who owns each step and when it will be reviewed.
• Request named decisions and resources. Asking for generic support is a named pitfall, as is accepting passive endorsement. Be specific about the decisions, people and capacity required, and track resources supplied as a measure.
• Agree sponsor behaviours. In the article's example, a sponsor reserves staff capacity for process design and challenges managers who continue to reward conflicting local targets. Sponsor actions completed is one of the measures worth tracking.
• Report obstacles requiring intervention. Do not shield sponsors from difficult trade-offs; bring obstacles to them and track how long they take to resolve. After the first cycle, ask whether obstacle resolution time moved for the intended reason and whether any group experienced a worse result. Documentation supports a process, but cannot substitute for ownership or behaviour.