QH #3: Data is the Great Equalizer
QH #3: Data is the Great Equalizer
Use data to drive stakeholder alignment
This is the third installment of my “Quick Hitter” (QH) series devoted to delivering a lesson or insight you can digest in a short amount of time.
Problem
Gaining stakeholder alignment on an initiative in highly-matrixed organizations with cross-functional coordination is messy and challenging. Each stakeholder has a separate agenda, high-priority items, and metrics they’re tracking. You are not going to make everyone happy.
Key Takeaways
You need to clearly articulate the trade-offs to make the decision that delivers the most value for customers and impact for the business even if that means sacrificing a requirement.
Your goal is to find common ground by building consensus and driving alignment across these various stakeholders. This is where using DATA to justify WHY the team’s efforts and resources should be allocated to specific items versus other items is critical.
It was said somewhere that you can’t argue with the data. In my experience, once you bring both qualitative and quantitative data to the table, people start falling in line and coming to an agreement. Data brings in the dissenters and gives confidence to those on the fence.
Finally, when you have to sacrifice a requirement and a stakeholder feels left in the dust, make note of it, put it on a roadmap, and communicate with that stakeholder why it got cut and the time horizon to deliver on it.
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