Delivery's Ability: Stakeholder / feedback management

In Product, much of the job is taking the designs/ideas/opportunities/plans and interacting with stakeholders about those concepts.

Managing stakeholders expectations, driving clarity to what is and isn't happening, as well as ensuring that folks are heard but making it clear when they have a voice and when they have a vote is vital.

This is the skill and subsequent behaviors where we will attempt to identify how we as a group and as individuals will continue to improve in this.

This ability is applicable to both Discovery / Shaping and Delivery / Launching.

We will focus on two vectors within this Ability:

1. Tools
   • The demonstrated proficiency with the tools we use in our processes (we primarily use ProductBoard to understand what our client's needs/desires/hurdles, organize our insights, and communicate / rally everyone around our direction)
2. Activities
   • The expected knowledge and behaviors when demonstrating stakeholder management
3. Results
   • The sentiment of stakeholders
   • Product can't shape every idea... but we can build processes that make feedback management more feasible. We can increase our ability to respond in such a way that leaves the feedback giver feeling heard. We can continuously improve in ways to be clear and even say no that leaves folks believing we are working together and winning together.
   • Stakeholders giving feedback should strongly agree: "I feel heard. I feel like a collaborator. I recognize that I have a voice, but NOT a vote, and that doesn't matter because I know my opinion mattered and was taken seriously. I believe this so much so that I either agree or I understand why the decision didn't go the way I thought it should and disagree-but-commit to the decision, but am still excited for our future!"

Portal card grades are below:

FigJam version
Image version

I have observed this person showing a consistent, comfortable, continuous, and clear positive impact to a squad when wielding this ability, and therefore I would put them in situations where they can employ this ability with only a small amount of guidance

Tools

• How CP uses ProductBoard Badge [ part 1, part 2 coming soon]
  • Understand our workflow
  • Understand Roadmaps and how features show up on them
  • Understand Portals and how to move things within them

Activities

• You actively seek clarity in the feedback that is given

Results

• ~50% of the time Portal cards: built such that for every card it is either (B or better on the rubric):
  • Clarifying to clients/partners/stakeholders why this thing is being considered/being beta'd/was launched
  • Encourages clients/partners/stakeholders to add their STORIES to our collective pool of understanding
• ~50% of the time Roadmap cards: built such that the "hero's journey" is clear (B or better on the rubric)
  • Hero's journey =
    • Why (social, emotional, functional unmet/underserved needs/desires)
    • OKR (what the world looks like/desired outcomes if we are to overcome these obstacles)
    • Ideas (2+ ways we've considered achieving the desired outcomes)
• Stakeholders sometimes slightly agree with "I feel heard. I either agree or I understand why the decision didn't go the way I thought it should and disagree-but-commit to the decision."
• Decisions spanning at least one squad and at least a cycle within a quarter (like a decision on a value enhancement opportunity)

I have observed this person showing a consistent, comfortable, continuous, and clear positive impact to a squad when wielding this ability, and therefore I would put them in situations where they can employ this ability, with no assistance as well as being a trusted active or passive mentor to others

Tools

• How CP uses ProductBoard Milestone 2 Certification coming soon
  • Create roadmap
  • Post to an audience
  • Process an insight
  • Create portal
  • Differentiate between component and feature
  • Jira integration (epics and stories)
  • Full language: notes, features, insights, portal, roadmap, view, hierarchy… we can discuss all of these concepts

Activities

• Push back when appropriate, when feedback is out of alignment with user values or project goals
• Leading a squad in identifying, coordinating, and scheduling times when feedback is being given by stakeholders
• Setting the agenda or clarifying what feedback a squad is looking for in a feedback session (or in ad-hoc feedback sessions with stakeholders)
• You know the difference between an estimation, a target, and a commitment

Results

• ~80% of the time Portal cards: built such that for every card it is either (B or better on the rubric):
• ~80% of the time Roadmap cards: built such that the "hero's journey" is clear (B or better on the rubric)
• Stakeholders nearly always at least agree with "I feel heard. I either agree or I understand why the decision didn't go the way I thought it should and disagree-but-commit to the decision."
• Decisions spanning at least one squad and a single quarter (like a decision on a big bet rock opportunity)

I have observed this person showing a consistent, comfortable, continuous, and clear positive impact to multiple squads when wielding this ability, and therefore I would put them in situations where they can employ this ability as well as being considered an expert within this discipline

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Tools

• How CP uses ProductBoard Milestone 3 will not have a Certification, instead you will need to demonstrate proficiency with the following to someone who is Milestone 4+
  • Organizing features hierarchy (opportunity tree style)
  • Create feature view
  • Be able to speak to the different types of roadmaps and how they may be helpful for different stakeholder personas
  • Objectives!!!!

Activities

• Helping your squad and other squads identify which stakeholders to bring in and when (ad-hoc)
• You identify gaps and help identify improvements to our standard ways of doing stakeholder and feedback management.
• When asked, you clarify the estimation, the target, and the commitment or lack thereof to ensure no misunderstandings happen.

Results

• 90%+ of the time Portal cards: built such that for every card it is either (A or better on the rubric):
• 90%+ of the time Roadmap cards: built such that the "hero's journey" is clear (A or better on the rubric)
• Stakeholders nearly always strongly agree with "I feel heard. I either agree or I understand why the decision didn't go the way I thought it should and disagree-but-commit to the decision."
• Decisions spanning multiple squads and multiple quarters (like a decision on how rocks are set and the opportunities we choose to pursue)

I have observed this person showing a consistent, comfortable, continuous, and clear positive impact to a squad when wielding this ability, and therefore I would put them in situations where they can not only employ this ability but where they set the tone for this at the company level

Tools

You are likely driving which tools we use at CP to ensure greater stakeholder management

• Naming conventions and sub features
• We use your prioritization techniques (impact score, estimation, etc)
• We have started using multiple features such as custom fields because you’ve guided us… you saw a need and filled the need with your expert knowledge of the tool

Activities

• You create systems for effective feedback and stakeholder management
• Your systems seek to include feedback from all avenues but prevents distraction to result
• You design new and creative ways for external partners to influence our product
• You influence executive-level members in the organization on how to effectively seek and manage feedback

I have observed this person showing a consistent, comfortable, continuous, and clear positive impact to not just internal teams but the community/industry in general when wielding this ability, and they are recognized by the community/industry as an expert

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Invited to speak at ProductBoard at conferences and/or you are published or sought after in the wider community to consult on the best ways to do stakeholder management.