How to plan projects with no budget

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Jay_2

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One of the really odd things where I currently work is that projects have no budget, I try and ask for a budget even if its "about 20K" or "about 1K" etc but get emails back just saying "whatever is fit for the business"

Now I know we all now think "yey lets ramp this up and get the best of the best!" but this does not work and in fact will get the project flat out rejected but also if I go to low I have to start all over again as its "not fit for the business". I end up doing about 3 or 4 differnt project plans for the one project, this takes too much time and so things just don't seem to progress.

Does anyone here have anything like this at their work place and if so do you have any advice?

I find it realy hard to move on with projects becuase I just don't know what I should be aiming at.
 
You should spec for the amount of users + projected 5 year growth. Budget is irrelevant as long as there is a ROI.
 
Obviously their is criteria used in accepting or rejecting projects- try and find the criteria. If you can make a business case for your project plan, that would help as well- any project that will improve productivity and/or reduce costs in a way that recoups expenses in 1-3 years is typically a no-brainer.
 
Be realistic and work within the expectations of the folks who's bonus your budget is going to cut in to.

That's the bottom line - every dollar you spend comes out of someone's pocket - make it worth it to them.
 
Jay_oasis said:
One of the really odd things where I currently work is that projects have no budget, I try and ask for a budget even if its "about 20K" or "about 1K" etc but get emails back just saying "whatever is fit for the business"

Now I know we all now think "yey lets ramp this up and get the best of the best!" but this does not work and in fact will get the project flat out rejected but also if I go to low I have to start all over again as its "not fit for the business". I end up doing about 3 or 4 differnt project plans for the one project, this takes too much time and so things just don't seem to progress.

Does anyone here have anything like this at their work place and if so do you have any advice?

I find it realy hard to move on with projects becuase I just don't know what I should be aiming at.
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The place I work at is the same. It was difficult at first, but I got a feel for what was acceptable pretty early on. An unexpected benefit is that if explained well, I get the budget I need for just about anything. You need to act like you're planning a project for a business that you own. Where would you cut corners as the business owner?
 
You are quite lucky to work for a company that is willing to spend the money to do a job properly. Too many companies these day have a "lowest bidder" mentality and refuse to acknowledge the inherent issues associated with it.

Until you can get a feel for exactly what the organization is looking for, it might be worth it to research/present 3 opportunities of 3 different prices and clearly explain the benefits/drawbacks of each one along with which one you believe is best. This would allow for discussion among the stakeholders and proves that you have done your due diligence on the project.

As others have stated, any amount of money can be justified if it is presented clearly and precisely why it is worth it.
 
N:) budget ... n:) problem. In this day and age there is a "Free" or "Low Cost App" for that. May the most resourceful of us survive.

Ah who am I kidding god help us all.
 
DlStreamnet said:
You should spec for the amount of users + projected 5 year growth. Budget is irrelevant as long as there is a ROI.
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probably the best advise. added with treat it as if it were your business.

We just took over a client who hired out to another consulting firm who spent the entire budget on a server that was way overkill. Now they have no money for anything else and there's no growth plan at all. It's not sustainable like that and in a way destroys the trust of ones you are consulting. It sure is a nice server and equipment though.
 
lsikstrom said:
N:) budget ... n:) problem. In this day and age there is a "Free" or "Low Cost App" for that. May the most resourceful of us survive.
Click to expand...

LOL tell this to the guy I just replaced... I dont drink near enough to fix all of the free shit he put in place
 
calvinj said:
It's not horrible really, but you look at the size of business and type or business we are and some of this stuff had no right to be put in place...
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Lol, yes. It's just funny sometimes and sometimes mind boggling. But oh well, gives me something to do sometimes.
 
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