What language has been most effective for helping non-technical leaders understand the true cost of delaying foundational IT work to instead focus on AI implementation? Can you share an example?

Quantifiable cost modeling around deferred work often resonates with stakeholders. Personally, I like to use analogies to help others understand technology—You don't want to build a home (AI) on leaky pipes (infrastructure). It costs more down the road to replace those pipes and requires a lot of cleanup and repairs. If you've ever had a pipe leak, you know exactly how painful and messy that can be.

If we don’t have time to do it right the first time, when will we have time to do it right? Delaying foundation IT work will cause financial, reputational, compliance and operational risk. Does company has appetite to take this risk?

Delaying foundational work can be risky and costly and delay the delivery of business value. Work needs to be prioritized. We work with and educate our product owners on security issues, compliance issues and upgrades that cannot wait and will delay moving foward in the long run if AI or other work is prioritized over it. Product Owners can help the rest of the business team members make the right decision

I haven’t faced this directly yet, but any discussion about delaying foundational IT work, especially cybersecurity, requires careful planning. For executives, it’s about time, money, and risk. I frame discussions in terms of revenue, cost, and risk, as these are the board’s primary concerns.

We’ve approached these conversations directly, using standard business case language to highlight benefits and prioritize work. Differentiating between AI hype and reality has helped our executive team make informed decisions.