What are some successful examples of stakeholder collaboration in Agile projects?

One thing I’ve found incredibly useful for stakeholder prioritization is using a power-interest grid technique. This categorizes them into 4 types, in order of importance: - High power/high interest - High power/low interest - Low power/high interest - Low power/low interest This identifies key stakeholders and separates close collaborators from the ones who simply need to stay informed.

Stakeholder collaboration is an essential aspect in agile projects, =) Some of the examples of stakeholder collaborations are:- —>Involving stakeholder in planning meetings ensures they are well aware of the project goals. —> Inviting stakeholders in requirement gathering sessions(story mapping and story writing sessions) will give them a sense of inclusivity and make them feel more engaged with agile team. —> Agile team need to explain stakeholders about the product benefit and how it meet needs. —> Stakeholder engagement and input is necessary in decision-making process, and this ensures PO's to take right decision and remain stakeholders in direct communication.

Successful examples of stakeholder collaboration in Agile projects include involving stakeholders in Sprint Reviews for direct feedback, conducting regular workshops to gather insights, and utilizing collaborative tools for real-time communication and transparency. Additionally, engaging stakeholders in planning and prioritization sessions ensures their continuous input, fostering a sense of ownership and alignment with project goals.

Usually the roles of each stakeholder in Agile are very well defined, and it's fundamental knowing each of them, starting with the Agile team. Understanding what each of the team members does makes it easier to engage in the conversations. It is very useful to know who the Product Manager is, and who the Business Owner is. It will be easier to understand where your priorities come from if you know who you work with on a daily basis.

Stakeholder collaboration in Agile is successful through: 1. Regular Communication: Daily stand-ups and sprint reviews keep stakeholders informed. 2. Feedback Loops: Iterative development allows for continuous stakeholder feedback. 3. Transparency: Shared project management tools give stakeholders visibility into progress. 4. Joint Decision-Making: Involving stakeholders in planning sessions influences the project’s direction. 5. Trust Building: Consistent delivery and transparency build trust. 6. Flexible Roadmaps: Adapting plans based on stakeholder input. 7. Education: Teaching stakeholders Agile principles for better engagement. 8. Celebrating Successes: Recognizing achievements together to maintain motivation.

In my experience, knowing who to involve in each key activity is as important as knowing who the key stakeholders are. For example, it would not be productive to involve the Business Owner in a refinement session, as the discussion gets too granular for his input. At the same time, it is not usually helpful to involve the development team when the scope of the work is being defined, as it may be confusing to them.

If I am working as strictly an Agile Project Manager, then I'd be happy to allow the stakeholders to own the project. However, this scenario only happens in contracting world where I'm engaged just as a PM. In any organisation, where I am the PM working for a specific department that has numerous stakeholders spread across the business and operations teams, then there wouldn't be any benefit in giving away the ownership of the project to a stakeholder. Ownership lies with the sponsoring department with key decision makers taken from the stakeholder group.

I have seen in many Scrum Teams how the Product Owner or the Scrum Master micromanage the team. This is not a productive practice, as it will demotivate the team. As a PO, we should get involved in the prioritization, but we should promote the empowerment of each team member on their area of expertise: I can't tell a developer how to do their work; I can focus on prioritizing the best work items to maximize the value delivered by the team, and let the experts do their thing.

Spotify: Utilizes cross-functional squads for feature development, enhancing collaboration between developers, designers, and product owners. Google Ventures (GV): Employs the Design Sprint methodology, involving stakeholders in a structured process to validate ideas quickly. SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework): Facilitates collaboration through ceremonies like PI (Program Increment) Planning, aligning multiple teams and stakeholders on common goals. Atlassian: Leverages Jira and Confluence for seamless collaboration, providing tools for backlog management, sprint planning, and real-time communication. Scrum Alliance: Encourages stakeholder involvement through regular Sprint Reviews, allowing feedback and adjustments based on collaboration.