How can you adapt your project to meet the needs of a specific audience?

The most powerful tool a project manager has is the position to listen to everyone involved on every level of a project. You are the focal point of all communication and direction. Listening and understanding the why and how your stakeholders is a game changer and will allow you and your team to anticipate future pain points and better service the expectations of a project to the realities of the scope

Pretty straightforward in my opinion. The PMP covers this as part of stakeholder management. Too many project managers, product owners, etc. think of stakeholders as people like project sponsors, executives, etc. Too few consider that stakeholders are also those who will be affected by the changes. So my first step is to take a full inventory of everyone affected by the project in any capacity and then score them appropriately as well as putting a one-line summary of how the project will affect the individual or group. Remember to think of everyone who will be affected by the project. Internally and externally.

Knowing your audience is definitely the key to success. Different stakeholders/audiences have different needs, believes, and values. Not only does the company need to know its own value proposition; it also needs to know what their audience would consider valuable. For example, your project is to develop a new line of baby food. Consider reaching out to a focus group and conducting market research. Ask who is my customer? What are my customers' priorities? For example, would my customers care more about product's shelf life or natural ingredients?

Stakeholders are important. However, too many PMs focus only on the client. In PM, the team is crucial, as based on team workflow and quality, the client will end up being more or less satisfied. So when we talk about human capital and stakeholders, do not forget about managing properly your team!

In a complex environment, where audience profiles are diverse, but many of them share tastes and interests, good targeting is essential. In fact, in my experience, segmentation based on lifestyles can really help you to effectively target your audience. How can you do this? Well, you shouldn't just think of classic segmentation by gender, age or purchasing power. Instead, you should use the tastes, hobbies or emotional elements that guide the user's life. This will help you to have a much more precise focus and to build the communication message in a clearer way.

It can be helpful to examine specifically what changes for different stakeholders as a result of a project. The “change” is the key to understanding what the project value is from the perspective of stakeholders.

This is why more and more companies are adopting agile methodologies, iteratively learning and improving throughout each step of the project.

Although, tailoring your project to meet the needs of a specific audience is crucial, it's equally important to maintain a balance between catering to audience preferences and fostering innovation. Rather than solely conforming to existing audience expectations, consider challenging conventional norms and introducing novel ideas that might initially seem unfamiliar. By encouraging a blend of familiarity and novelty, you stimulate audience engagement and encourage the evolution of audience preferences over time. This ultimately leads to the creation of a forward-thinking and adaptable project that remains relevant in an ever-changing landscape.