Dear Bob ... Just thought I might provide a suggestion to "Stagnant" about the "out of the box" solutions. I think I am familiar with the problem being faced. I previously worked for a bank for 13 years and while most banks are renowned for having lots of money it generally gets spent on new PCs for managers to run their mainframe emulation software and email or shuffling all the desks in the department every t Dear Bob …Just thought I might provide a suggestion to “Stagnant” about the “out of the box” solutions.I think I am familiar with the problem being faced. I previously worked for a bank for 13 years and while most banks are renowned for having lots of money it generally gets spent on new PCs for managers to run their mainframe emulation software and email or shuffling all the desks in the department every three months. Try and get a lousy $1,500 for a Development server upgrade and you can hear the laughter all the way down the hall from the manager’s office. I think the problem “Stagnant” faces is common with most people from a technical background and that is one of communication. It is very rare to find a manager who actually understands (and I mean “really” understands) technical issues. Most IT workers might as well be speaking Swahili when it comes to presenting a technical idea to management. Ideas have to be expressed in business terms, which is to say how it will make the manager look good.Even if you have expressed the potential ROI etc. it may be hard for the manager to picture what he or she is getting. The answer is to provide what’s needed … a picture, more commonly referred to as a prototype. This could be something as simple as a static image of a GUI to a semi-functional prototype. I use to do this with a few dedicated team members after hours and it resulted in several very interesting projects being commissioned including web based loan applications that saw approval time reduce from 2 days to 2 hours (sweeeeet!).This is by no means a guarantee that managers will take on your ideas. You will still get some rejections, and some of your efforts will continue to be in vain but you may find your success rate improves. You must also be careful that this is not seen to be doing what you like as managers need to be seen to be maintaining control (even if it is just an illusion sometimes). Another tip when selling your ideas with pictures is that colour and 3D really count! As much as I hate to admit it, as it can sometimes overpower the content of the message, some snazzy graphics can make all the difference. Heck, look at the sales presentations given for all those lousy applications you have to maintain. Something made the manager buy it and it wasn’t functionality, ease of integration, or ease of use.– David DuncanBob’s Last Word: This is good advice. And it doesn’t mean the manager in question is a “Pointy Haired Boss” either. Remember, you know this stuff deep and in detail. The manager in question doesn’t, needs to make an intelligent decision, and has to evaluate a lot of other ideas that are competing with yours for approval, scheduling and funding.– Bob ——– Technology Industry