Stakeholder Management: Lessons learned and tips and tricks
Strategies for dealing with demanding or difficult stakeholders
Have you ever had to deal with demanding or difficult stakeholders? If you haven’t yet, don’t worry, you will soon enough! 😅
In this article, I want to share my learning journey and experience in managing this type of stakeholder during my latest project, which I have been working on for weeks.
For context, I work with one front-end engineer, one back-end engineer, and one product manager as we build a large module in one of our internal tools. There are two users involved in this project, or who will be using the tool.
Here are a few tips and learnings based on my experience dealing with this type of stakeholder:
1. Identify the stakeholders
I have not worked with these people before. At the time, I was unsure if they would be difficult to deal with, so I did not identify them as stakeholders or ask anyone who had worked with them in the past.
💡 Lesson learned:
Always identify your stakeholders or ask those who have worked with them in the past. Here are some questions to start with:
What should I know about these people?
Are there any red flags I should be aware of?
2. Getting all the stakeholders on the same page
During the project, I sat down with one of the stakeholders to understand their problems and how I could help resolve them. While we were talking, my manager walked in and jokingly warned me in front of the stakeholder to be careful, as they might ask for more features. Although he was laughing, I assumed it was a joke.
However, it turned out that the stakeholder did keep asking for new features even after we had agreed on the project scope and main goals.
💡 Lesson learned:
Ensure that your stakeholders are on the same page and agree with the project scope, timeline, and requirements that have been gathered. Make sure to have both written and verbal agreements.
👉🏻 Ask your product manager to reach an agreement with stakeholders on the project details. This could be documented in the product requirement document (PRD) with a statement such as “Approved by [stakeholder name]” along with the date and time.
3. Know when to escalate
When two people have different goals that they both consider to be their number one priority, conflict is inevitable. Whenever I notice a problem, I try to solve it immediately.
Sometimes, I am able to solve problems without escalation. In other cases, I will sit down with the stakeholders and discuss which goal is more important. However, even after a conversation, it may still be unclear which goal should be prioritized or which one is more important. In these situations, I present both points of view and ask the person to whom I escalated to use their larger knowledge, experience, or context to make a decision.
If in doubt, it’s important to seek another person’s point of view. Don’t hesitate to escalate the issue.
4. Know when to apply nemawashi
Working as a product designer or manager often entails making decisions. However, it’s important to recognize that all team members can contribute to decision-making. This is where “nemawashi” comes in.
“Nemawashi” (根回し) is a Japanese term that refers to the informal process of quietly building support and feedback for a proposed change or project by talking to the people concerned. In Japan, high-ranking individuals are typically informed of new proposals prior to an official meeting.
In other words, nemawashi is about “smoothing the way” or “getting people on the bus” for a proposed change or project. When working with a team, it’s common for members to have different perspectives or not be on the same page. To ensure alignment, it’s important to apply nemawashi to teammates before sharing decisions with stakeholders. This approach has proven effective, as teammates can back each other up when stakeholders question their decisions, and even represent ideas to stakeholders themselves.
The aim of a Nemawashi is not to make people change their mind forcibly, but to allow stakeholders to contribute their parts to it.
Final Thoughts
When starting a project, it’s important to identify not only your stakeholders but also your teammates. Build a relationship with them, share your vision, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
If you have doubts or uncertainties, always refer back to the project goals. Additionally, know when to escalate issues if they become more complicated, and always aim to build consensus and buy-in among the team.
Thank you for reading my article! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on Email at wiryanaw@gmail.com or you can find me on LinkedIn and Instagram 🙌🏻
