You're caught between stakeholders, engineers, and designers. How do you navigate conflicting perspectives?

Remember high school, every teacher is saying that "I don't care about how you study in other subjects, but my subject is more important to you than others". That's what I heard for at least 2-3 years. The reason is that since everyone is an expert in their niche, they think they are the most important. Stakeholders (Management) think that everything depends on Management. Engineers think that they can't do anything without us. They are responsible for company's growth. Designers think that customers chose / will choose the product based on the UX / UI. and so on .... But the thing is, looking at the situation from different perspectives helps you to understand the case more deeply. After that, you'll start active listening.

Building a successful product is like juggling – you've got to keep all the balls in the air. Stakeholders want results, engineers want it to work, and designers want it to look good. As the product manager, you're the ringmaster, making sure everyone gets what they need. Don't forget about the most important ball – the customer! Talk to them, understand their needs, and make sure your product delivers real value.

One aspect I underestimated about being a product manager is the constant presence of conflicting perspectives. It's an ongoing learning experience. My guiding principle is prioritizing "customer needs." This focus helps ground my decisions and provides a clear direction. Attentive listening is key; it helps me understand various viewpoints and build trust. Once I grasp the different perspectives, I navigate how to meet customer needs efficiently, considering time and resources.

Diverse views are good for product development since they make it innovative. Product leader should clearly articulate outcomes and value for every product feature, and if need be, reiterate them to designers and engineering. It helps everybody keep the goal in view. Be sure to capture creative ideas that can help the product in some way, even though it might not hit the main use cases. I find the most creative ideas come out at that point in time when teams move from conflict into collaboration—the 'aha' moment—when everybody comes to realize they are working to the same outcome.

This is critical to find the midpoint that will staifay the majority of poeple in the room for moving forward and not being stagnant.

Clear communication is the magic wand. Set up regular sync meetings and use concise documentation. I once had a project where requirements got lost in translation. Instituting weekly cross-functional stand-ups resolved misunderstandings and kept everyone aligned. Tools like Confluence or Google Docs can centralize communication. Remember, clarity avoids chaos.

This is one of the qualities required of a product manager, without it his ability to function is low, he will be stuck in trying to explain more then directing....

YOU should be an Integrator. When everyone speaks their languages, you should be the translator. Stakeholders (Management) might not understand technical debt or code review. Designers might not understand cashflow or churn rate. Developers might not understand something else. What I am saying is that Product Manager should be in the intersection of all cross-functional teams. Otherwise, in the long run, there will be misunderstandings, conflicts, arguments, and so on. You should make sure that everyone understood the situation and everyone is on the same page. Talk to them in their language.

Facilite a comunica??o aberta e transparente. Promova reuni?es onde todos possam expressar suas opini?es e discutir abertamente as divergências.

In game development, clear communication is crucial. Articulate the game's vision, goals, and constraints to stakeholders, developers, and artists. This shared understanding ensures everyone is aligned on the project's direction. Translate between the different "languages" spoken by each group—for instance, explaining server capacity limits to stakeholders in terms of player experience, or highlighting visual design challenges to developers in a way that emphasizes coding feasibility. This approach ensures a cohesive effort toward creating a successful game.

Making Decisions is hard. You have to consider all factors, including Opportunity cost. You one wrong decision can lead to different results in the long run. That's why don't rush to prioritize in 5 minutes. Also, don't spend several days for it.

Baseie suas decis?es em dados e objetivos estratégicos. Utilize frameworks de prioriza??o, como a Matriz de Eisenhower ou o Método MoSCoW, para alinhar todos em dire??o aos objetivos comuns do projeto.

You should have in mind a prioritisation matrix with the concrete criteria and communicate this matrix to everyone, and complete it with the knowledge of every team member. For me it is the better strategy for prioritise wisely.

Not all battles are worth fighting. Prioritization is key. Use frameworks like MoSCoW (Must, Should, Could, Won’t) to prioritize tasks. In one project, we had conflicting priorities: marketing wanted new features, but engineering prioritized bug fixes. Using MoSCoW, we aligned on what needed immediate attention. Tools like Jira can help visualize these priorities. Prioritization turns conflict into cooperation.

In game development, prioritization is crucial for managing conflicting perspectives. You must balance the importance of each request against the project's overall goals. This often means making tough decisions, such as delaying a new character to meet a launch date or adjusting graphics to fit technical limits. The key is to prioritize what will deliver the most value to players while aligning with business objectives and technical feasibility. This ensures that the final product is both engaging for users and achievable for the team.

Develop strong relationships and get buy-in from each partner through 1:1s, support, advocacy, and empathy. Ensure that you have a solid understanding of the stakeholder's position. Then host a larger kickoff or strategy discussion with all partners in one setting, walking everyone through the wider strategy and decision-making process. In this step, address the partners' biggest concerns, showing their part in the behind-the-scenes discussions that influenced the product strategy.

Fostering collaboration among stakeholders, engineers, and designers requires integrating diverse perspectives into decision-making processes. Implement tools and platforms for transparent communication and shared project tracking. Encourage cross-functional workshops and immersive sessions where team members can experience each other's challenges firsthand. By breaking down barriers and promoting empathy, you create a unified team that leverages its collective expertise to drive innovation and achieve project goals more effectively.

Break down silos and foster collaboration. Host workshops, hackathons, or design sprints to bring teams together. I once organized a ‘design-thinking’ workshop that included stakeholders, engineers, and designers. The result? A shared vision and a lot of aha moments. Tools like Miro or Figma can facilitate collaborative work. When teams work together, magic happens.

Another example of fostering collaboration among stakeholders, engineers, and designers in the gaming industry is hosting regular playtesting sessions. Invite team members from different disciplines to participate in these sessions, where they can observe how their contributions come together in the actual gameplay experience. After the playtesting, hold debrief meetings where everyone can share their observations, suggest improvements, and discuss potential challenges. This shared experience fosters a deeper understanding of each other's perspectives and promotes a culture of collective problem-solving and innovation.

Establish Open Dialogue Regular Communication: Schedule regular meetings where stakeholders, engineers, and designers can discuss progress, challenges, and goals. This ensures everyone stays informed and aligned. Transparency: Encourage transparency in decision-making processes and project updates. This helps build trust and ensures that everyone understands the rationale behind decisions.

Trust must be built to have quick conflict solving, if the group trust your target is one (successful product deployment), it will be easier for them to accept your suggestion even if the need sometimes to give up...

To resolve conflicts between stakeholders, engineers, and designers, hold one-on-one meetings to understand each party's objectives. Share these insights with everyone involved and facilitate open discussions backed by data and impact analysis. This approach helps each group understand the others' perspectives, promoting transparency and fostering a culture of openness within the team

Conflict resolution requires diplomacy. Address issues head-on and mediate discussions. During a heated debate over a feature implementation, I facilitated a meeting where each side could voice concerns. By acknowledging and addressing the issues, we found a compromise. Training in conflict resolution or using frameworks like the Thomas-Kilmann model can be beneficial. Resolve conflicts quickly to keep the momentum going.

Another example in the gaming industry involves a disagreement between the design team and the engineering team about the feasibility of a new feature. The design team might want a visually stunning, intricate animation that the engineering team claims will impact game performance. As a product manager, you could mediate by organizing a meeting where both teams present their perspectives and constraints. By facilitating a collaborative discussion, you might find a compromise, such as simplifying the animation to balance visual appeal and performance. This approach maintains focus on the game's overall success and aligns everyone with common goals.

Seeking Compromises: Finding Common Ground: Identify areas of agreement and build upon them. Encourage parties to focus on shared goals and objectives rather than individual preferences. Negotiation: Help parties negotiate by exploring different options and alternatives that can satisfy everyone to some extent.

As a product manager, navigating between stakeholders, engineers, and designers can be challenging. However, adapting and learning from each experience is crucial. Reflecting on what worked well and what didn’t helps refine our approach, making us more adept at balancing various needs. Continuous improvement is key to driving product success. Let's embrace the journey of growth and collaboration!

This piece is key! Keeping an open mind increases your knowledge, flexibility, and adaptability. Recognizing that no one has all the answers helps us realize that we achieve continuous success and improvement by listening to and collaborating with one another.

Post-Project Evaluation Identify Successes: Reflect on what aspects of your approach helped in resolving conflicts and achieving project goals. Recognize strategies that worked well in fostering collaboration and aligning diverse viewpoints. Analyze Challenges: Identify where conflicts arose and why. Understand the root causes of disagreements or misunderstandings among stakeholders, engineers, and designers.

Actively listen to everyone's needs, then find common ground to build solutions. Remind them of the product's purpose and how it benefits users. Facilitate open communication and brainstorming. Be transparent about decisions and trade-offs. By acting as a bridge and focusing on shared goals, you'll find solutions that work for everyone