If You’re Seeking Alignment, Consider A Stakeholder Advisory Group

Stakeholder alignment is essential to project success. We understand this intuitively, or perhaps we’ve learned it the hard way. Oftentimes, the more ambitious the project, the greater the risk that misalignment among stakeholders will derail the effort. My agency has led successful digital transformations for two of our largest clients—one in the financial sector, the other in healthcare. These are the kinds of initiatives that, frankly, tend to fail in large, complex organizations, but by leveraging our stakeholder advisory groups, we were able to ensure all stakeholders were included, well-informed and aligned with the overarching goals of the initiative, resulting in successful projects and happy clients.

A stakeholder advisory group (SAG) is comprised of senior executives who meet quarterly to discuss the status of a particular initiative and provide feedback based on their area of expertise. Invited by a peer executive such as a CMO, vice president of marketing or head of digital, SAG members typically represent an area of responsibility that will feel the impact of the proposed new initiative. For example, if you’re the CMO and your marketing organization is driving the launch of a new web platform featuring enhanced data integrations, new UX and site design, then your SAG would likely include representatives from IT, operations, corporate communications and sales. In that way, SAG members are in an optimal position to use their influence within the company to help the initiative succeed.

A SAG is neither a board of directors with voting control over direction or policy nor is it an external advisory board comprised of name-brand industry luminaries. It also does not include your agency partners. While your agencies focus on your outward initiatives, such as engaging with your customers, a SAG looks inward, anticipating and avoiding any internal fault lines. Internal alignment is what makes all the difference between a smooth transformation and one that has difficulty achieving forward momentum.

• A SAG is not open-ended in time frame or scope. It is connected to a defined initiative.

• SAGs help untangle organizational dynamics and streamline processes.

Initiatives tend to fail not because of faulty technology or “bad” ideas but rather due to organizational misalignment. Even a greenlighted and fully funded project will fail if it does not align with your organization’s overarching strategic goals. When an initiative depends on contributions by multiple departments—IT management buy-in and availability of developer resources, for example—it is critical for each department to assign the right priority level to their deliverable to keep the project moving toward its common goal. The stakeholder advisory group convenes all those disparate groups and provides a strategic framework to facilitate collaboration.

Your SAG members are the potential internal champions for your project, so treat them like VIPs. Schedule meetings well in advance to avoid conflicting with other high-priority meetings and keep the meetings to a manageable length. When it comes to briefing your SAG, be clear and concise with your project overview. Review goals, celebrate milestones, highlight results-to-date, report anticipated risks, request input and outline next steps.

A word to the wise: Invest in production—from your presentation and videos to your leave-behind materials. Demonstrating careful attention to quality and detail in your SAG meeting has a positive impact. It inspires confidence and credibility and suggests that you will bring that same care to the initiative itself.

Finally, in my experience in various leadership positions and as CEO, SAGs work because they bring out the best of human nature—that desire to belong to something greater than yourself while working toward a common goal. Your company has hired people who are savvy and competent—they want the business at large to succeed, and they want to be part of that winning team. Therefore, treating your stakeholders as consultants and applying their expert advice to your project can turn your SAG members into internal champions. Not only will they lead their departments to prioritize your initiative and help you navigate any obstacles, but they’ll be invested in a positive outcome for your project.

So, if you’re planning your next major initiative (or working through your current one), you might find a SAG works wonders for keeping stakeholders aligned, operations running smoothly and your project on a path to success.

A version of this article originally appeared in Forbes.