Tips For Presenting Project Scope To Executives

I pitched a LOT of internal data infrastructure projects during my time leading data teams, and I was (almost) never turned down. Here is my playbook for getting executive buy-in for complex technology initiatives: 1. Research top-level initiatives: Find something an executive cares about that is impacted by the project you have in mind. Example: We need to increase sales by 20% from Q2-Q4 2. Identify the problem to be overcome: What are the roadblocks that can be torn down through better infrastructure? Example: We do not respond fast enough to shifting customer demand, causing us to miss out on significant selling opportunities. 3. Find examples of the problem: Show leadership this is not theoretical. Provide use cases where the problem has manifested, how it impacted teams, and quotes from ICs on how the solution would have greatly improved business outcomes. Example: In Q1 of 2023 multiple stores ran out of stock for Jebb Baker’s BBQ sauce. We knew the demand for the sauce spiked at the beginning of the week, and upon retroactive review could have backfilled enough of the sauce. We lost an expected $3M in opportunities. (The more of these you can provide the better) 4. Explain the problem: Demonstrate how a failure of infrastructure and data caused the issue. Clearly illustrate how existing gaps led to the use case in question. Example: We currently process n terabytes of data per day in batches from 50 different data sources. At these volumes, it is challenging to manually identify ‘needle in the haystack’ opportunities, such as one product line running low on inventory. 5. Illustrate a better world: What could the future world look like? How would this new world have prevented the problem? Example: In the ideal world, the data science team is alerted in real-time when inventory is unexpectedly low. This would allow them to rapidly scope the problem and respond to change. 6. Create requirements: Define what would need to be true both technologically and workflow-wise to solve the problem. Validate with other engineers that your solution is feasible. 7. Frame broadly and write the proposal: Condense steps 1-5 into a summarized 2-page document. While it is essential to focus on a few use cases, be sure not to downplay the magnitude of the impact when rolled out more broadly. 8. Get sign-off: Socialize your ideal world with potential evangelists (ideally the negatively impacted parties). Refine, refine, refine until everyone is satisfied and the outcomes are realistic and achievable in the desired period. 9. Build a roadmap: Lay out the timeline of your project, from initial required discovery sessions to a POC/MVP, to an initial use case, to a broader rollout. Ensure you add the target resourcing! 10. Present to leadership alongside stakeholders: Make sure your biggest supporters are in the room with you. Be a team player, not a hero. Good luck! #dataengineering

She spent WEEKS crafting the perfect slide deck. She never made it past slide 1. I watched an MD of Strategy walk into an ExCo presentation with 20 beautifully designed slides. By minute 5, the CFO had hijacked the entire conversation with one question about assumptions. The remaining 40 minutes? A masterclass in executive interrogation. Welcome to the reality nobody warns you about: Executive presentations aren't presentations. They're structured conversations where executives compete for influence, and your content is often just the playing field. After 25+ years watching brilliant leaders crash and burn in the boardroom, here's what actually works when the discussion off-ramps right on slide 1: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗖𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝟭. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 Your slide 1 isn't your opening. It's your entire presentation compressed into one visual. If they stop you there (they will), you've still delivered your core message. Think newspaper headline, not chapter one. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯-𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 Before you walk in, identify your three non-negotiables — the points that MUST land regardless of where the conversation goes. Weave them into every answer. Make them impossible to miss. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 "That's an important consideration. It actually connects to [insert your key point]." You're not fighting their agenda. You're incorporating it while staying on message. 𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 Their questions reveal what really matters. The CFO asking about assumptions? Cost is the hidden concern. Adjust your narrative in real-time to address their actual worry, not your planned story. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 When hit with a curveball: "Let me think about that for a moment." Those 3 seconds let you choose response over reaction. Executives respect thoughtfulness over haste. I once saw a Director of Product nail this perfectly. Her deck had 30 slides. She presented exactly zero of them. Instead, she read the room's energy, abandoned her script, and led a discussion that addressed every unspoken concern. She got full funding. And a promotion six months later. Because here's the truth: They're not evaluating your slides. They're evaluating your ability to think on your feet when the plan falls apart. Your preparation matters. But your agility matters more. The executives who thrive don't mourn their unused slides. They celebrate landing their message despite never getting past the title page. 🎯 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗰-𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? ------------ ♻️ Share with someone preparing for their next boardroom battle ➕ Follow Courtney Intersimone for unfiltered executive survival strategies

Early in my career, I submitted a budget request that I was (overly) confident would get approved. The tech was solid, the vendor was reputable, and the deck looked as good as a PowerPoint can. My exec team said no, quickly. I took it personally until a mentor asked me two rhetorical and tough questions: Was my business case strong enough, and was my presentation of it good enough? Those are not the same thing. Since then, I have learned and coached my teams to build both the case and the story. Next budget cycle, I resubmitted that project with a clearer narrative tied to outcomes, and it was approved. Nothing in the technology changed. Everything in the framing did. Here is the lens I use and teach when a proposal stalls. Strengthen the business case: Tie the request to a concrete business outcome. Revenue protected, cost avoided, risk reduced, growth unlocked, customer or employee experience improved. Goodwill earned. Be specific. Quantify the impact. What dollars, hours, or probability of loss are we moving? Show the baseline, the proposed change, and the delta. Compare real alternatives, including doing nothing. Decision makers need context, not a single path. Include total cost of ownership, time to value, and operational burden. Show execution credibility. Owners, milestones, dependencies, and a simple risk register with mitigations. Confidence builds when the path is believable. Define how you will measure success after approval. Metrics, cadence, and who reports results. Improve the presentation of the case: Start with a one page executive summary. What problem we are solving, why it matters now, what we propose, what it costs, what it returns, and the decision we seek. Speak in business outcomes first, technology second. Replace acronyms with plain language. Translate latency, uptime, and automation into customer impact and financial effect. Tell a clear story arc. Problem, stakes, plan, payoff. One idea per slide. Charts that a tired leader can read in five seconds. Anticipate the top objections in advance. Cost profile, change risk, capacity to execute, and opportunity cost. Address each directly before the question can be asked. Rehearse with friendly critics or, if a glutton for punishment, brutally honest kids/spouses. Their fingerprints on your narrative build buy-in. Rejection hurts, but it is not a verdict on your value. Treat it as a design review. Ask for the one thing that would have changed the answer. Capture every question you could not answer. Bring back a revised version that tightens the outcomes, sharpens the math, and clarifies the path. Over time, consistency earns trust, and trust accelerates approvals. If your proposals are not being approved, but peers' are, you are not failing. You are being invited to lead with greater clarity. Build the case, craft the story, and teach your team to do the same. That is professional growth worth budgeting for.

You might as well be speaking “Klingon” Just dropped from a meeting where the IT Director provided his update to the leadership team. The c-level folks and non-technical leaders had no clue what he was talking about… From my experience this is the #1 mistake technical professionals make when meeting with business stakeholders I'll be blunt… business stakeholders don’t care about your technical architecture diagrams, your configuration details, or how cutting-edge your solution is. They care about outcomes. They care about results. They care about impact. BUT most technical professionals go into meetings armed with technical jargon & acronyms and leave the room wondering why no one bought in. If you’re presenting to business leaders, here’s the reality check… you are selling and you’re not selling technology - you’re selling business value. I don’t like to present a problem without a solution – so let’s try this… Step 1 Start every conversation by answering this “How does this solve a business problem?” If you have a technical solution that reduces costs, increases revenue, mitigates risk, or makes life easier for users, lead with that. Everything else is just details that nobody cares about. Step 2 Translate technical features into business benefits. Instead of saying, “We’re implementing zero trust,” say, “We’re reducing critical risks to our top revenue producing critical business functions.” Step 3 Stakeholders want to hear about how your solution will reduce downtime, increase productivity, save $$$, or improve client satisfaction. Make your impact measurable and relatable. Step 4 Can you reframe your message using an analogy or better yet a story. Numbers are great, but stories are sticky and resonate. Frame your solution in the context of a real-world scenario, like something stakeholders can visualize and connect with. Step 5 No one likes a squeaky wishy washy technical expert. Take a position, back it with evidence, and be clear about the path forward. Confidence inspires trust. Stop talking about the “how.” Start owning the “why.” And STOP speaking “Klingon” When you shift your focus to business value, you’ll see interest, buy-in, alignment, and support. #ciso #dpo #msp #leadership

I once asked my youngest daughter what she thought I did for work, and she said, "You sit on Zoom and give people your opinion all day." While there's more to my day than that, she's not entirely wrong! As you climb the career ladder, your schedule fills with presentations—some inspiring, others not so much. Here’s how to make sure yours stands out when presenting to senior leaders: 1. Be Specific, Not Overly Detailed: You've probably heard, "Keep it high-level for executives; avoid the weeds." True, but don't swing too far into the abstract. Ground your points with concrete facts and data. For instance, instead of saying, "Some code deployments aren't automated and there are opportunities for improvement," try, "Our analysis shows 25% of code deployments require manual effort, particularly in post-change validations and service restarts." 2. Harness the Power of Storytelling: Transform your presentation into a captivating narrative. Stories make data relatable and memorable. Start with a real-world example, like a customer struggling with your current system, highlight the problem and then move on to your solution. 3. Start with the 'Why': Dive into the heart of your proposal by explaining its significance. Why should your audience care? How does it align with their goals? For example, "By automating these processes, we not only boost efficiency but also advance our strategic goal of enhancing customer satisfaction." 4. Foster a Dialogue, Not a Monologue: Remember, communication is a two-way street. Anticipate your audience's reactions and be ready to engage. Hit your key points swiftly, avoid over-explaining, and focus on insights that empower decision-making. After presenting, ask questions to invite discussion. These strategies can help you tie together facts, emotions, and strategic insights, making your message not just heard, but remembered and acted upon. #presentationtips #careertips #careeradvice

I’ve had the same conversation with at least five different executives over the last two weeks. Each one was getting ready for a big presentation (board meetings, investor briefings, annual reviews... tis the season) and each one was wrestling with the same thing: how to make sure the message lands in the room. I've been doing this work for over 20 years, and every year I watch the same trend in my EOY presentation-prep coaching sessions: leaders starting from what THEY know, instead of what the room NEEDS to hear. That shift...orienting from your knowledge to their perspective...is what separates a good communicator from a great one. Why does this matter? Because when you lead with everything you know, the story becomes dense. It’s clear to you, but not to them. When you start with what your audience needs, your message becomes easier to follow, easier to remember, and easier to act on. Here’s how that looks in practice: >>> Start with the “so what.” Instead of walking through your logic step by step, open with your conclusion. “There are three companies we should consider. Here’s why each matters.” You’ve just given the room a roadmap. Now they know what they’re listening for. >>> Keep it short. Long answers often come from wanting to sound thorough. But in a boardroom, shorter answers read as control. Half the words, twice the confidence. If someone wants more detail, let them ask for it. >>> Don’t let your slides do the thinking for you. Frame the key point before you show what’s on the page. “There’s a lot here, but two things I want to highlight…” That helps your audience follow you, not your deck. >>> Treat questions as part of the conversation, not as tests. You don’t need to have a perfect answer. Your goal is to keep the room engaged and moving toward your outcome. If you’re unsure what they want, clarify: “Would you like me to speak to X or Y?” That one sentence signals that you’re thinking WITH them, not performing FOR them. Remember: the goal isn’t to prove what you know. It’s to curate what the audience needs to understand, so they walk away able to REPEAT your key points and motivated to ACT on them.

The fastest way to fail a massive, ambiguous project? Act like you know the answer. I see this all the time at work: a senior leader drops a vague, massive idea - the classic "future-of-X" project. The immediate reaction is panic. Teams scramble to produce a hundred-page one-pager ( 😉) defining every detail before the core idea is even solid. Why? Because we think defining the scope equals control. Here’s what I learned leading complex initiatives: You don't earn credibility by knowing the plan; you earn it by defining the right questions. Ambiguity is the universal signal that it's time to stop managing tasks and start leading thought. For years, I was the one trying to solve every vague ask solo. Now, I use a simple 5-point method to force the right conversation with senior stakeholders. This method shifts the focus from managing complexity to collapsing it down to the five critical decisions that unlock 80% of the project's path. It turns an impossible problem into five manageable, senior-level ownership points. 1️⃣ Stop Defining the Scope, Define the Exit Criteria: Agree with your principal stakeholders: what is the single, non-negotiable metric that if broken, forces the project to pause or pivot? 2️⃣ Translate the Vague into Team Trade-Offs: Never go to the team with an ambiguous question. Instead, frame the ask as concrete, strategic options. Your job is to facilitate the choice, not present the solution. 3️⃣ Find the Sacred Cow: Every ambiguous project is built on one risky assumption. Find it. Challenge it. Publicly. 4️⃣ Audit the Information Gaps (Not People): Do not ask, "Who owns this piece?" Ask, "Who has the data (or context) we need to move forward?" Then, make the introduction. 5️⃣ Secure One 'Yes': Your first goal isn't securing the whole budget. It's getting a key sponsor to agree to the next single question you must answer. This creates momentum without over-promising. This is the scaffolding that elevates your role from excellent operator to strategic leader. It shows you're not just executing the plan, you're architecting the path. – I share actionable frameworks and real-world stories for tech leaders. 👉 Follow me, Rony Rozen, to get them in your feed.

“This roadmap is useless.” The words hit like a gut punch. After weeks of alignment, dependencies mapped, and every detail airtight… it fell flat in front of leadership. ❌ Too many details. ❌ No clear business impact. ❌ Buried in feature updates. That’s when I learned the hard way—one roadmap doesn’t work for everyone. One roadmap for all? Like sending the same email to your CEO, engineers, and customers—it won’t land. Each group needs different information, framed for their decisions. Here’s how to tailor your roadmap for success: 1️⃣ The Strategic Roadmap (For Executives) Audience: CEOs, leadership, investors Focus: Business outcomes, long-term vision, and key initiatives ✅ How to get it right: -> Keep it high-level—focus on themes, not feature lists. -> Tie initiatives directly to business goals and revenue impact. -> Use concise visuals (timelines, OKRs, measurable impact). 💡 Pro Tip: Your execs don’t need sprint details—just the “why” and how it moves the business forward. 2️⃣ The Tactical Roadmap (For Engineering) Audience: Product & engineering teams Focus: Priorities, dependencies, technical feasibility ✅ How to get it right: -> Provide clarity on scope, timelines, and trade-offs. -> Show how engineering efforts ladder up to business goals. -> Address dependencies upfront to avoid last-minute surprises. 💡 Pro Tip: Engineers don’t just want deadlines—they need the "why" behind decisions to make smarter trade-offs. 3️⃣ The Narrative Roadmap (For Customers) Audience: Users, customers, prospects Focus: Features, value, what’s coming next ✅ How to get it right: -> Focus on pain points solved, not just new features. -> Use visuals like wireframes, mockups, or sneak peeks. -> Be transparent—set clear expectations on timelines. 💡 Pro Tip: Customers don’t care about your internal priorities—they just want to know how you’re making their lives better. — 👋 I’m Ron Yang, a product leader and advisor. Follow me for insights on product strategy + leadership.

I’ve worked with 100s of partnership executives and the best all have one thing in common. They’re incredible at selling. Not their product or service. Not their partner program. They’re incredible at selling their strategy to their own executives - here’s how they do it: Everyone knows that great sales is storytelling. But when most partner leaders walk into a meeting with our executives… We start dumping disconnected data points on them. We pitch specific tactics in isolation. We argue goals in a vacuum. We ask for budget without justifying the investment. And ultimately, we leave them confused and unconvinced. It’s a recipe for failure. Here’s the playbook for success: Take the same storytelling approach you use with customers, and turn it back on your execs. Get your executives in a room. Face to face. No Zoom. 1. Start with STRATEGY: Share your high-level vision for partnerships. Include specific goals and metrics. *Confirm understanding and alignment before moving on. 2. Move to TACTICS: Explain exactly how you'll execute against that strategy. Show them the process and playbook. *Confirm understanding and alignment before moving on. 3. Show the OUTCOMES: Demonstrate how these tactics result in the goals and metrics you've agreed to. *Confirm understanding and alignment before moving on. 4. Finish with INVESTMENT: Present what resources you need to hit these goals. Have specific asks - financially, operationally, and organizationally. That's the secret. Build a narrative that tells the WHOLE story. Weave it together like a master storyteller. Each “chapter” should build anticipation for the next. Every piece connecting to create a cohesive narrative. By the end, your executives aren't just bought-in… They can't write the check fast enough.

You're delivering the work. But are you using the language that gets you promoted? The executive translation gap leaves talented women stuck. In senior meetings across corporate America, I see the same pattern: A leader presents detailed metrics on her project: deadlines met, resources optimized, roadblocks cleared. The executive team nods politely. Then they move on. Another leader shares similar results but opens with: "We've built a repeatable process that will save $2M annually while positioning us for the Asia expansion." The room sits forward. Same work. Different wording. Different reaction. This isn't about bravado or competence. It's about translation. (Speak the language of an executive, grab my free PDF to plan your next meeting: https://lnkd.in/gZJrJxhm) Most accomplished women share what we did. Executives care about what it means for the business. Here's how to close this critical gap: 1. Start with business impact, not process ➙ Instead of: "My team completed the customer survey analysis." ➙ Try: "We've identified three opportunities to increase retention by 5% next quarter." 2. Connect your work to company priorities ➙ Instead of: "We launched the new training program." ➙ Try: "We've built internal capability that reduces our reliance on external consultants, supporting our cost-reduction goals." 3. Quantify outcomes beyond your direct control ➙ Instead of: "I led cross-functional meetings to align teams." ➙ Try: "By establishing governance across four departments, we've removed decision bottlenecks affecting 200+ employees." 4. Frame achievements as forward indicators ➙ Instead of: "The project came in under budget." ➙ Try: "Our approach demonstrated scalable efficiency we can apply to the upcoming enterprise initiative." 5. Position yourself through your insights ➙ Instead of: "I noticed a trend in our customer data." ➙ Try: "I recognized a pattern that reveals a strategic opportunity for our Asia growth markets." Notice how each translation shifts from tactical reporting to strategic framing. From what occurred to what it means. From tasks to insight. From execution to leadership. This isn't about embellishment. It's about clearly connecting your contributions to the business outcomes that senior leaders actually value. When you translate your achievements into executive language, you're not merely communicating differently. You're positioning yourself differently. As someone who thinks at the next level. As someone prepared to lead at the next level. Directors and VPs in our Sisters In Leadership program consistently report that mastering this translation is a key accelerator for their visibility and promotion. 👍 If this resonated, drop me a like or leave a comment Follow me, Jill Avey, for more strategies to advance your leadership career