It’s OK to say ‘no’

Our responsibility is to optimise value. If a proposal for action provides little confidence that it will improve value then it’s our job to question further - and sometimes, we’ll find that there’s a better opportunity. It’s our responsibility, along with other professions like business analysis and portfolio management, to help our colleagues to re-prioritise work based on return on investment when we can see better alternatives. Sometimes this means saying ‘no’ - constructively, based on analysis of assumptions underpinning investment proposals - but ‘no’ nonetheless. We need to work with other value-focussed professions to create an organisational culture where this is OK and actively rewarded.