How to Make the IT Approval Process as Painless as Possible

Repeat after me, IT is your enabler—not your blocker.

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It’s important to us that we kick off this piece by instilling that mindset. Too often, IT gets flack for being uptight or apprehensive when it comes to new technology adoption instead of getting the rockstar recognition they actually deserve. Because, at the end of the day, IT is the first and last line of defense against business-breaking security breaches as well as the ultimate enabler in digital transformation.

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That’s why we put together this guide to learn how to anticipate the needs and questions of your IT team and prepare your request for new technology in a way that will empower them to empower you!

How to Prepare Your New Technology Adoption Request to Win IT Approval

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If practice makes perfect, then preparation makes perfect...er?

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OK, that didn’t work the way we wanted it to, but you get the point! One of the best ways to ensure any organization-wide project—especially one that pertains to the adoption of new technology—gets approved is to do your due diligence and prepare as much as you can.

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If you want to make the IT approval process as painless as possible for everyone involved, here’s what to do. PS You’re welcome.

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Gather Your Info for the Security Questionnaire

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Most projects will require some kind of security questionnaire or review to assess the fit of the new technology solution you’re recommending. Depending on the complexity of the solution or the size of your company, these can get all kinds of complicated. For this blog post, we’ll focus on a mid-complexity project for a mid-sized company to providing the most guidance we can for the most situations.

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Here’s the information you’ll likely need for your security questionnaire:

• Vendor’s name
• Vendor’s security contact
• Which internal teams will use this solution?
• Which of your systems will integrate with this solution? Consider Salesforce, SSO provider, email servers, etc.
• Attestations (SOCII, HIPAA, etc)
• Links to the vendor’s privacy pages or documents
• Links to the vendor’s security pages or documents
• What types of customer information will this system have access to?
• What types of company information will this system have access to?
• Will the solution have access to production data?
• What’s the proposed timeline for the project?
• Any other specifics related to the solution at hand (For example, if you’re proposing an eSignature solution you’d want to be prepared to share specific compliance, security, privacy, and other details.)

Give as Much Context as Possible

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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again—when it comes to these kinds of organization-wide projects, context is king.

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Since communication is how we—as in humans—interact and surface issues, many problems in a project can be traced back to communication breakdowns. Striving to communicate clearly and make sure everyone is working within the same context is a vital step before new technology implementation even begins.

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For example, if you’re working within the context that this new technology adoption project is high priority but IT isn’t working with the same context, you’re going to have problems from day one. Clarify context and then make sure it remains accurate and up to date at every step along the way.

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Work Backward from a Reasonable Timeline

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Just like any project proposal, you want to make sure yours for new technology integration has a solid timeline. And, in our eyes, a solid timeline is one that allows for IT to take all the time they need to review and (hopefully) approve your request. That’s just common decency—and a great way to win the trust and backing of your IT organization.

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Admittedly, this is a big task because it means you need to have a decent grasp on the timeline for the entire project from the very beginning. These kinds of estimates are notoriously hard to get right, so we recommend this guide to calculating realistic—and hopefully somewhat accurate—project timelines.

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Respect Prefered IT Protocols

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This one is pretty straightforward—know what the preferred protocol is for submitting information to your IT team and follow it! Doing this should not only help you earn respect in the eyes of IT but also make it more likely that they’ll actually review and eventually approve your request. 

Now, Go Out There and Get That Approval!

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We hope this primer on making IT approval as painless as possible helps you feel confident walking into what can be the long process of championing a new technology.

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And, if you still have any doubt, just ask IT what you can do to make their life easier and help make sure your technology request gets their stamp of approval!

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Looking specifically for new sales workflow technology? We’ve got just the thing for you.   

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Best-in-class businesses are 21 percent more likely to incorporate eSignatures into their sales workflows. And those who do observe a 6.4 percent annual improvement in customer retention—compared to a 1.3 percent decrease among non-adopters.

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Learn everything you need to know about making sales flow with our free eBook: "Everything You Need to Know About Getting Your Sales Team Set Up with eSignatures”.

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If you found this article helpful, stay tuned to our series on taking new tech from idea to implementation. In our last piece, we learned how to champion a new technology to internal stakeholders and in our next, we’ll cover all the questions your IT team will likely need you to answer before approving your solution.

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Anything specific you’re looking to learn from this series? Comment below and let us know!