Instead of thinking of budgets as a favor or a debt, consider your budgets as a way to align your IT initiatives with monetary investments. After all, the company knows you need money to accomplish your goals. And, like in your personal life, budgets aren’t inherently bad – they simply make you refocus on the things you want to accomplish.

Before diving into budget line items, let’s look at some general budget approaches:

• Ditch the guessing game. Budgets are a strategic tool, not a free-for-all. That means you should have a philosophy or approach in mind – increasing spending to support certain goals, perhaps curtailing spending in other areas. But some managers take a “guessing game” approach by simply requesting an additional 10% of this year’s budget, without real strategy or proof of concept behind it. By doing that, you’re sending the signal that your work is 10% more important this year than last. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. This guessing game also undermines your authority to define your team’s focus.
• Manage your budget like it’s your own money. Taking ownership and responsibility of what you want your team to accomplish can open you up to a way of thinking that goes beyond a random ask for money. Look at areas that you’ve fallen short in the past and consider new approaches. Read up on new trends and see if any are applicable to your team’s work. Putting skin in the game – which you already have as a manager – shows that you know what’s on the line.

More info: Windows 10 Office 365 Migration Services