Securing stakeholder engagement and collaboration for your self-service platform

If you have read our previous blogs and eBooks, you will know the importance of self-service platforms (enabled by platform engineering).  

Perhaps you have decided that you want to implement a self-service platform in your organization.

Great – that’s a big, strategic move toward digital transformation.  

But where do you go from here? How do you sell the solution internally? 

According to Gartner, “27% of CDAOs say that the lack of business stakeholder involvement and support is the most pressing challenge they face.”

Thus, the next crucial step involves securing buy-in within your organization.

We believe this involves presenting a compelling case that highlights the transformative potential of platform engineering for stakeholders across different business units. 

Sell the platform engineering solution internally 

To sell the platform engineering solution internally, it’s vital to present it not just as a tool but as an enabler of strategic change: 

• Craft a unified vision: Communicate a clear vision for how the platform engineering solution aligns with the organization’s strategic goals.
  • Highlight its potential to drive efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage. Engage in storytelling to illustrate the platform’s impact through relatable examples that resonate with different departments. 

• Showcase success stories: Use success stories from within your industry or similar sectors to illustrate tangible benefits.
  • Highlight metrics such as faster time-to-market, increased productivity, or cost savings, which can provide stakeholders with concrete evidence of the platform’s effectiveness. 

Explain the rationale to your business counterparts and stakeholders 

When explaining the rationale behind the platform engineering decision, focus on strategic benefits that appeal to both business and technical stakeholders: 

• Efficiency and innovation: Emphasize how the platform streamlines processes, reduces manual workloads, and enables teams to focus on strategic, value-adding activities. Highlight how this acceleration fosters a culture of innovation and responsiveness. 

• Scalability and security: Describe the platform’s ability to scale with the organization’s growth while maintaining rigorous security standards. Explain how this dual focus supports long-term stability and protects sensitive data, which is crucial for maintaining trust and compliance. 

Make a solid business case: consider resources, time, and compliance 

Building a business case requires a clear demonstration of value, balanced against resource, time, and compliance considerations: 

• Resource optimization: Present an analysis of current resource allocations and how the platform engineering solution optimizes these resources by reducing redundancies and improving operational efficiency. Include potential cost savings and productivity gains.
  • You can book a meeting with Calibo here and we can calculate your ROI and cost savings with the Calibo platform. 

• Time savings and ROI: Calculate the expected timeframe for return on investment (ROI) by assessing how quickly the platform can be integrated and the speed at which efficiencies will be realized. Use projected timelines to demonstrate rapid progress and results.  

• Compliance assurance: Address compliance concerns by showcasing the platform’s robust governance and security features, ensuring adherence to industry regulations and minimizing risk.  

Liaise successfully and collaboratively between departments 

Smooth collaboration between departments is essential for the platform’s successful adoption: 

• Engage stakeholders early: Identify key stakeholders from various departments, including IT, finance, operations, and compliance, and involve them in the decision-making process early. Their insights can enhance the solution’s alignment with organizational needs. 

• Address resistance with empathy and data: For stakeholders opposed to the initiative, approach discussions with empathy, acknowledging their concerns. Use data-driven evidence to address their objections, demonstrating the platform’s capabilities in addressing specific pain points. 

Learn more about how Calibo works here.