Finance chiefs in local government face many demands for cash. When every spending decision makes the local paper, how can you grab the attention of your council’s finance director, get the financial go-ahead to implement a new product or service and ensure a smooth, effective working relationship?
The latest trends and fashions in technology are unlikely to sit at the top of the FD’s priority list. Finance chiefs are too busy monitoring spreadsheets to dip into details about technology regardless of the improvement they might make. Most FDs keep a watching brief over anyone involved with technology and only take a hands-on role when you start to make worrying noises about needing more budget.
However, one of the most common complaints we hear is that the insufficient understanding of technology issues by those in finance represents a major barrier to the crucial role technology can play in improving efficiency and public satisfaction with your work as a council.
But we must remember the management relationship works both ways. Just as you might not feel that your finance chief understands the inner workings of the technology department, so your FD may feel that whatever new technology you are suggesting represents a ‘dark art’, where the signs of value lie beyond the more straightforward measures of pounds and pence.
The answer comes down to engagement. You need to spend time in other areas of the business, to be seen as someone whose work is contributing directly to the efficiency of the organisation. Don’t look at the technology, look at the people.
• Make your voice heard. If you can’t be in the room with the decision makers, at least find a senior sponsor who will help you make your case and back your project through thick, and the more than likely, thin.
• Build a proper business case – define in clear, business-focused terms how much a system or service will cost to buy, to run, its likely length of service, and the potential price of disposal.
• Do not be scared to present updates on a regular basis. FDs would prefer be kept in the know than in the dark. One of their most common bugbears is the “ah well the roll-out’s slightly more complicated than we thought” when the project is past the point of no return.
•And finally, speak their language. You speak in connections; they speak in pounds and pence.
Ultimately, you can help your FD keep one step ahead of technology and allow your council to deliver intelligence where it matters - you look good, your FD looks good, and you both get what you want. What’s not to like?
Bob Quin is Senior Marketing Manager at BT Business and Public Sector.