Last updated on Jul 9, 2024

Here's how you can align engineering projects with business objectives and goals.

Aligning engineering projects with business objectives is a critical aspect of engineering management. It ensures that the technical work supports the broader goals of the organization, creating a synergy that drives success. As someone involved in this field, you understand the importance of this alignment but might wonder how to effectively achieve it. This article will guide you through practical steps to ensure that your engineering projects are not only technically sound but also contribute to the strategic vision of your business.

1 Understand Goals

To align engineering projects with business goals, you must first have a clear understanding of what those business goals are. Engage with stakeholders to define key objectives, whether they are increasing revenue, entering new markets, or improving customer satisfaction. With these goals in mind, you can then map out how your engineering projects will contribute to achieving them. It's essential that these goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) to effectively guide project planning and execution.

Add your perspective

David Barrs

Associate Head of Technology | Sr. Solutions Architect at Siren Analytics
Report contribution
You must create a clear roadmap from where the product offering is today and where the business wants it to be. Work with Product & Sales to define clear features and a scheduled rollout. The business will ask for the world...I all but guarantee it! You must work with them to help define what the Minimum Viable Product is and set a realistic expectation for delivery. Each feature should be granular enough to be captured in a single sentence. Without this "grand roadmap", the team will incur technical debt (rework) and it will frustrate the engineering team and business, leading to lower morale.

Like

Unhelpful

2 Plan Strategically

Once you grasp the business objectives, strategic planning is your next step. This involves breaking down the goals into actionable engineering tasks. Determine which features, improvements, or innovations align with the business's targets. Use tools like roadmaps and Gantt charts to visualize how engineering tasks will unfold over time in relation to business milestones. This planning phase is crucial for resource allocation, prioritizing tasks, and setting realistic deadlines that keep your team on track to deliver value to the business.

Add your perspective

David Barrs

Associate Head of Technology | Sr. Solutions Architect at Siren Analytics
Report contribution
Once you have a list of defined business features, these should be translated into engineering tasks. It is very important to clearly define what the results should be. This helps the engineer to stay focused on the task at hand and helps QA to clearly verify if the feature has been completed according to the spec. Vague requirements will lead to vague results. Everybody will be unhappy and rework will need to be done, costing the company money. If you sit down for lunch and you ask for "lunch," you might get a burger and you might get tacos.

Like

Unhelpful

3 Communicate Clearly

Clear communication between engineering teams and business stakeholders is vital for alignment. Regularly update stakeholders on project progress and any technical challenges that may impact business objectives. Use language that is accessible to non-technical stakeholders to ensure understanding. Additionally, create feedback loops so that business stakeholders can provide input that may steer the project more effectively towards the business goals. This two-way communication helps maintain alignment throughout the project lifecycle.

Add your perspective

David Barrs

Associate Head of Technology | Sr. Solutions Architect at Siren Analytics
Report contribution
Daily standups within a team are essential. These should be very short: If in the morning, state what you did yesterday, what you are working on today, and any help you need with circumstances outside your control (e.g. blockers). This should be very quick. Any details that need to be discussed should be taken up outside the standup meeting. If multiple teams are working in concert, the team leads should also meet daily to coordinate. If you're sending an email and you're not sure if person x should be on the email, add them. Better to over-communicate than under-communicate

Like

Unhelpful

4 Measure Progress

To ensure engineering projects are on course to meet business objectives, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect both engineering milestones and business outcomes. Regularly measure these KPIs and adjust your project plan as needed. This might involve revisiting timelines, shifting resources, or even re-evaluating the project scope. By measuring progress, you can demonstrate how engineering efforts are contributing to the business's success and make data-driven decisions to stay aligned with business goals.

Add your perspective

David Barrs

Associate Head of Technology | Sr. Solutions Architect at Siren Analytics
Report contribution
At the beginning of each software cycle, typically called sprints (e.g. a runner sprinting), the team members should be asked to estimate their work for each ticket. At the end of each sprint, a quick retrospective should capture how accurate each team member's estimates are. This is simply to help the team estimate better going forward so management can accurately measure velocity and plan accordingly. If the deadline is going to be missed and management knows this early enough, they can add a resource to help accelerate the development, or push back on the business and set a realistic delivery date.

Like

Unhelpful

5 Foster Collaboration

Encourage a collaborative culture where engineers understand the importance of business objectives and business stakeholders appreciate the complexities of engineering work. Cross-functional teams, where members from different departments work together on projects, can be particularly effective in fostering this understanding. Collaboration tools and regular cross-departmental meetings can help maintain a shared focus and ensure that everyone is working towards the same end goals.

Add your perspective

David Barrs

Associate Head of Technology | Sr. Solutions Architect at Siren Analytics
Report contribution
Engineers should meet to ensure their efforts are synchronized. A daily standup and then any breakout meeting that needs to occur. Beyond this, let them do their work. The more they are in meetings, the less they are doing actual work on the project. Every so often, a full demo should be attended by all. This should be kept as short as possible. It helps everybody to see what the big picture is. It also helps team morale to see their efforts come to fruition.

Like

Unhelpful

6 Adapt and Evolve

Business objectives and market conditions can change rapidly, requiring projects to adapt accordingly. Stay agile by reviewing and adjusting your project's alignment with business goals regularly. This may involve pivoting project focus, adopting new technologies, or reassessing resource distribution. An adaptable approach allows your engineering projects to remain relevant and supportive of current business objectives, even as they evolve over time.

Add your perspective

David Barrs

Associate Head of Technology | Sr. Solutions Architect at Siren Analytics
(edited)
Report contribution
It all starts with good design. Never underestimate the importance of up-front design work. Don't just start coding. If two teams of 10 people each have to push a 2-ton block of stone 20 miles, they can take two approaches. Team 1 starts pushing and is able to push the stone 1 mile / day. Team 2 goes into the woods and cuts down tree logs and shapes them. After 5 days, Team 1 is 25% the way there and Team 2 is still at the starting point, but with the stone on top of the logs. Now, team 2 is able to push the stone at 3 miles / day because they are rolling it along the logs, rotating the last log up to the front. By day 10, team 1 is 50% to the finish and team 2 is 75% to the finish. By day 12, team 2 has achieved its goal.

Like

Unhelpful

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Mohammed Mazen

R.E Structures and Bridges at WSP in the Middle East
Report contribution
Risk identification and precaution steps must be considered to preserve the pace of which your business is running. Planning your response to various eventualities will grant you better control of your progress and quality of your actions.

Like

Unhelpful

Here's how you can align engineering projects with business objectives and goals.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Understand Goals

2 Plan Strategically

3 Communicate Clearly

4 Measure Progress

5 Foster Collaboration

6 Adapt and Evolve

7 Here’s what else to consider

Engineering Management

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Engineering Management

More relevant reading

Here's how you can align engineering projects with business objectives and goals.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Understand Goals

2 Plan Strategically

3 Communicate Clearly

4 Measure Progress

5 Foster Collaboration

6 Adapt and Evolve

7 Here’s what else to consider

Engineering Management

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills