How Stakeholder Interviews Can Make Stakeholders Comfortable and Tasks Run Extra Easily | by David Gattig | Feb, 2023

Do you understand that billions are wasted every year as a result of failed tasks? That’s a staggering amount of cash and assets taking place the drain. As undertaking or product managers, it’s our accountability to make it possible for every undertaking we lead is a hit.

However how will we scale back the dangers of a undertaking failing? The reply is straightforward: by ensuring all individuals with a stake within the undertaking are aligned about its objective. How do I try this? I do stakeholder interviews.

On this put up I share my strategy for stakeholder interviews and likewise present the query template that I take advantage of, so as to profit from it instantly.

I realized this lesson the onerous means. I’ve managed many merchandise and tasks in my profession, however there was one undertaking that stands out. I used to be tasked with creating a brand new software program platform for a big communication firm. The undertaking was an enormous one, with a funds of a number of million {dollars}, and a number of departments and stakeholders concerned.

The undertaking was purported to be a game-changer for the corporate, but it surely shortly turned a nightmare. The totally different division heads had totally different agendas for the undertaking and the transferring aim put up led to a undertaking that was over time, over funds, and didn’t fulfill all individuals concerned.

I spotted that the totally different stakeholders weren’t aligned, although all of us sat in the identical kick-off assembly and so they all agreed to the deliverables, objectives and timelines. That’s once I observed that I wanted to start out every undertaking otherwise. I wanted to get a greater understanding of the motivations and objectives of every stakeholder earlier than we formally kicked off the undertaking.

That’s why I began conducting stakeholder interviews. I individually interview the important thing stakeholders of a undertaking (ideally earlier than it begins) to know their motivations and objectives. I ask them questions on their position within the undertaking, their contribution to its success, their pleasure, and what’s vital to them.

I additionally ask questions in regards to the enterprise, comparable to why the undertaking is vital to the corporate, what crucial factor is to get proper, and the issue they’re making an attempt to unravel for his or her shoppers. Lastly, I ask questions in regards to the undertaking, comparable to its goal, how success might be measured, and what challenges they see.

The outcomes of those stakeholder interviews are then shared with all stakeholders on the undertaking kick-off. This enables us to share the place everyone seems to be aligned and talk about any areas the place the stakeholders don’t agree and discover frequent floor. By doing this, we’re in a position to keep away from group assume and HIPPO (Highest Paid Individual’s Opinion) syndrome, the place one individual’s opinion tends to dominate the decision-making course of.

Since then, my tasks have run easily and all stakeholders have been completely happy. By doing stakeholder interviews, I’ve been in a position to determine potential issues early on, and deal with them earlier than they change into greater points. I’ve additionally been in a position to construct higher relationships with the stakeholders and get their buy-in for the undertaking.

I’ve outlined within the following part a information for stakeholder interviews that’s particularly geared toward undertaking and product managers trying to scale back the dangers of undertaking failure. By conducting stakeholder interviews earlier than the official kick-off assembly, you’ll be capable of achieve a deeper understanding of every stakeholder’s motivations and objectives. That is essential in guaranteeing that everybody is aligned and dealing in the direction of the identical targets, which is able to result in smoother tasks and happier stakeholders.

Now, I do know that half-hour per interview may appear to be plenty of time, however belief me, it’s value it. And let’s be sincere, stakeholders are busy individuals, so it’s vital to be environment friendly with their time. It’s best to plan on spending some further time to check the outcomes of your interviews and create a report back to share with the group. By taking these additional steps, you’ll set your undertaking up for fulfillment from the very starting.

You will need to have a hard and fast query construction in place for the interview to be sure to can examine the solutions. Listed here are the important thing questions:

About You

1. What’s your position on this undertaking?
2. How will you contribute to the undertaking’s success?
3. What are you most enthusiastic about?
4. Why is that this undertaking vital to you?
5. What would you prefer to strive throughout this undertaking, that you simply haven’t bought the possibility to do on different tasks?

In regards to the Enterprise

1. Why is that this undertaking vital to the enterprise?
2. What’s crucial factor for us to get proper?
3. Who can be your splendid buyer?
4. Should you may ask your clients one factor, what would it not be
5. What drawback are you fixing to your shoppers?
6. What change in habits ought to the product trigger to your shoppers?

In regards to the Undertaking

1. What is that this undertaking’s goal, in your view?
2. When will you understand the undertaking has been profitable?
3. How will you measure success?
4. What are the three biggest impacts of the results of this undertaking’s success?
5. What challenges do you see this undertaking probably working into?
6. Why is it paramount that we resolve this drawback now?
7. What should you did nothing?
8. What’s going to you be proudest of on the conclusion of the undertaking?

These questions are designed to assist perceive the motivations and agendas of every particular person concerned within the undertaking. By asking about their position, what they’re most enthusiastic about, and their desired end result for the undertaking, you will get a greater understanding of their private objectives and the way they align with the general targets of the undertaking.

Asking in regards to the enterprise objectives and targets offers you perception into the corporate’s priorities and what they hope to realize with the undertaking. It’s vital to know what the corporate considers most vital, in addition to the end-user’s desired end result, in order that the undertaking stays targeted and aligned with the specified outcomes.

Questions in regards to the undertaking itself provide you with an thought of the stakeholder’s understanding of the undertaking’s targets, how they outline success, and what they see because the potential challenges and dangers. By asking in regards to the impacts of a profitable undertaking, you possibly can be sure that everyone seems to be on the identical web page and that the undertaking is aligned with the specified outcomes for all stakeholders.

Lastly, stakeholder interviews are an efficient means to make sure undertaking success. By aligning stakeholders’ objectives and expectations, you possibly can keep away from the pitfalls that result in undertaking failure. So, subsequent time you embark on a undertaking, be sure to take the time to know your stakeholders and produce everybody collectively for a profitable end result.

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