Stakeholders demand quick action on low-priority features. How can you ensure strategic focus remains intact?

When stakeholders push for quick action on low-priority features, maintaining strategic focus requires clear prioritization and strong communication. A great example is Netflix’s shift from DVD rentals to streaming. Early on, stakeholders wanted enhancements to the DVD service, but CEO Reed Hastings kept the team focused on long-term streaming innovation. By communicating the vision and using data to show the market's future, Netflix balanced innovation with its core objective—disrupting content delivery. This focus allowed them to lead in streaming, avoiding distractions that could have slowed their transformation into a tech giant.

When stakeholders push for low-priority features, illustrate how these smaller features can support larger initiatives. You can often use small features to create the foundation for big feature wins.

Innovation should be part of a company's strategy, so it's important to address key issues upfront. What are the expectations and available resources? Are we exploring a new field, or is this an incremental innovation? If we're entering unknown markets, we might not see quick returns, requiring long-term financial commitment. This needs to be planned carefully within the company's portfolio. My take is that a discussion with stakeholders should happen early on to clarify these important factors.

To maintain strategic focus while addressing stakeholders’ demands for low-priority features, I’d start by clearly communicating the project's overall goals and how prioritization aligns with them. I’d propose a phased approach, where we address low-priority features in a controlled manner without derailing key initiatives. This involves setting clear timelines and expectations for these features, while emphasizing the importance of staying focused on high-impact goals to drive the project's success.

Balancing innovation with core objectives requires a clear strategic focus and disciplined decision-making. Start by ensuring that every innovation aligns with your organization's long-term goals. Establish a framework that evaluates new ideas based on their potential to enhance or support these objectives, rather than distract from them. Allocate dedicated resources for innovation while keeping the bulk of your focus on maintaining and growing your core operations. Regularly review both innovative and core activities to ensure they complement rather than compete with each other. This balance allows you to innovate without losing sight of your strategic vision.