Working with a difficult stakeholder can be challenging, especially when you have to meet tight deadlines and deliver quality results. A difficult stakeholder can be someone who is unclear, demanding, unrealistic, or unresponsive. How can you manage deadlines when working with such a person? Here are some tips to help you navigate this situation and achieve your goals.
The first step is to understand what your stakeholder expects from you and why. What are their needs, priorities, and constraints? What are the criteria for success and the risks of failure? How do they communicate and receive feedback? By clarifying these aspects, you can align your work with their vision and avoid misunderstandings or conflicts.
Regular communication with status/progress/budget etc. Communicating assumptions and documenting it, especially implicit assumptions etc. Clarifying and reaching an understanding on deliverables, expectation on CTQ's etc, also clearly documenting it. More this part is documented in detail less the frustration later on. Understanding changing expectations, documenting and quantifying changes. Understanding, managing and maintaining risk/ risk mitigation action through out life cycle.
When the stakeholder is the sponsor , the one thing to achieve is an active interest in the project development at least on a weekly basis have an interaction on results and expectations. When the stakeholder is a resource always try to make a clear agreement on what to deliver when against which conditions and at what quality and reliability level.
Although stated, Usually understanding the expectation needs one to be in the customer shoes with a viewpoint of customer and then looking at how best we can provide solution
Entender quem s?o os interessados em cada parte do projeto. Construir um estreita rela??o entre você e eles é uma atividade importantíssima na execu??o do projeto. Trazer seus stackeholders para perto. Montar apresenta??es do que se pretende e depois do que foi entregue, e essencial para que se conquiste uma sensa??o de participa??o dos interessados. Isso constrói uma ponte essencial para o sucesso. Criar uma linha de comunica??o onde todos podem entender evitando usar em demasia a linguagem técnica.
Follow my CRAFTS rule: 'Communications' is key, articulating project goals with clarity and transparency. 'Regular Updates' create a tempo, stakeholders stay tuned to progress, naturally leading to collaboration & trust. 'Alignment' ensures understanding & reconciling diverse priorities. 'Flexibility' is needed when time is short or when the priorities overlap! 'Time Management' ensures tasks are orchestrated with efficiency. 'Seeking Assistance' when needed ensures no time is wasted in solving problems. Yes! CRAFTS is the key, but you have to practice it!
The next step is to negotiate the scope and schedule of your work with your stakeholder. You need to balance the quality, time, and cost of your deliverables, and make sure that they are feasible and realistic. You can use techniques such as the work breakdown structure (WBS), the critical path method (CPM), or the Gantt chart to plan and track your tasks and milestones. You should also identify the assumptions, dependencies, and contingencies that may affect your work, and communicate them to your stakeholder.
Using agile techniques such as Roadmaps, agile tooling with resources aligned to the work, understanding velocity can also be a very effective way to prioritize and deliver value to the end user with opportunities to improve or shift to identify efficiencies.
Toda entrega deve ser uma constante negocia??o de expectativas sobre o que será entregue às partes interessadas. é um trabalho de montar sempre um MVP (N?o importa em que fase o projeto está) buscando agregar valor para os interessadas e garantir a evolu??o técnica do projeto. Acredito que buscar esse equilíbrio traz um cenário de satisfa??o a quem está envolvido e evita a obsolescência do conjunto de sistemas envolvidos.
Before you can negotiate and schedule anything, you need to know your detailed functional and nonfunctional requirements, your functional scenarios, allocation of requirements to such scenarios, at least some logical architecture of what you want to achieve and some initial effort estimation for that. Which has a strong correlation with the related complexity of the desired achievements.
It is critically important to ensure the scope is clear. So many times the scope is too general which leads to scope creep and unknown risks to schedule. Also don't underestimate the time it takes to execute various tasks. While schedules need to meet stakeholder expectations, they're expectations are almost always overly aggressive. It is important for them to understand real durations. Making a schedule to fit "a date" rarely works well.
The Gantt chart is a document - internal to the drafting team - that should not be lightly shared with the stakeholder. This chart translates the WBS into the team’s time-resource. The CPM is an optimization tool that boosts the team’s efficiency and is also of an internal nature. The gates are used to have this frank dialogue with the stakeholder, and no hard issue must be put under the rug as these issues will pop up later and ruin the Gantt chart, as well as the quality of the deliverable ultimately. Avoid to have frequent unplanned email exchanges outside the gates. The project leader must spend some time to explain and restore (or create) the necessary confidence between the parties .
The third step is to manage the changes and issues that may arise during your work. You need to have a clear and agreed process for handling change requests, resolving problems, and escalating conflicts. You should also document and report the status and progress of your work regularly, and keep your stakeholder informed and involved. You can use tools such as the change control board (CCB), the issue log, or the risk register to monitor and control your work.
Com o cronograma e escopo definidos, natural que ocorra desvios (problemas). Necessário ter a resiliência adequada para gerenciar as altera??es que resolver?o essas circunstancias. Ent?o prazos e escopos devem ser revistos e renegociados com interfaces.
Manter uma linha de comunica??o clara e sincera permitindo a proximidade de quem traz e faz as solicita??es no meio de uma execu??o de um projeto é essencial. Visto que n?o a como se negar um pedido de altera??o. E necessário mais uma vez trazer as solicita??es anteriores, readequar e renegociar os prazos deixando visivel o impacto na entrega. Deixar claro que toda altera??o de escopo sempre terá um custo e se fazer entender que n?o há como fugir dele.
One thing I found useful to manage changes or issues while development in a certain release is to use trackers, so for each tracker we will gurantee a certain attributes to be filled like Analysis, origin of issues and changes, the impact analysis, the quotations, requirement ID's,...etc. This will help first in the CCB meeting to take the right decision for each. Second to have history and maintain bidirectional tracibility for any change or issue appears.
The gates of a project are a powerful tool to manage the lack of confidence of the stakeholder. This is a key element of the formal process that includes change requests(CR) and request management (RM). These CR must be answered one way or another and must be documented. An online tool helps calming down some concerns. A clear governance of the project is key: each party must be clearly identified at each level or time of the project. The point of contact has a critical role is the change and issues management. This person must be chosen with extreme care, with highly developed soft skills. An internal reporting system allows the right person to be informed (and act accordingly) to any change or any raised issue.
Combinning an effectivement and agile forecasting model such like earned value to preddict time and complétion and budget at complétion, with an effectivement requirements management. Is the best you can do. Most of project driffting are due to à poor requirements définition and management.
The fourth step is to build trust and rapport with your stakeholder. You need to establish a positive and professional relationship, based on mutual respect, honesty, and transparency. You should also show empathy, appreciation, and recognition for your stakeholder's perspective, concerns, and feedback. You can use techniques such as active listening, assertive communication, or emotional intelligence to enhance your interaction and collaboration.
Building trust isn’t a flash of a thing, rather it’s a process. ?? Keep it transparent & clear! Spend a little extra time while you negotiate the requirements. Understand & document them. ??Create a road map ! Keep the project planning transparent & break down the end goals into concrete achievable tasks. ??Showcase the deadlines that you met! Always create hope by driving it through results. ?? Be honest , learn continuously! Willingness to learn & acceptance of mistakes can build a very strong base with the stakeholders.
A confian?a se baseia na linguagem clara no início do projeto. E depois na entrega continua de valor. Estar sempre se preocupando com as expectativas e nesse ponto sempre tentar trazer um benefício a mais na entrega. Estar alinhado com as expectativas e com o objetivo do projeto construindo um plano de execu??o para cada marco do projeto é oque vai ditar o sucesso da sua rela??o.
In any relationship, business or otherwise, trust and a healthy rapport are most valuable assets. Once lost they may never be regained. Openness, honesty, trustworthiness, empathy and understanding are key catalysts in setting the conditions for sound business relationships. Getting to know and understand your stakeholders is key. Giving credit, where it is due, is always well received and prepares the ground for future relationships. Embracing Emotional Intelligence, Self Awareness, Social Awareness, Self-management and relationship management are key enablers. Request feedback from stakeholders even if you think everything is ok. Establish a healthy, mutual benefit communication channel between organisations. Be prepared to compromise!
Estabelecer um clima de "confian?a mútua" entre o responsável pelo projeto e o patrocinador é fundamental para o bom andamento do projeto. E isto só se consegue com transparência, seriedade e convivência saudável.
Build trust early by working on a POC for a complicated part of the finished product. Show the stakeholder that the team is capable of a successful implementation. Trust can be maintained by a constant cycle of on time delivery at a high standard
The fifth step is to seek support and feedback from your stakeholder and other sources. You need to leverage the expertise, experience, and resources of your team, your peers, your mentors, or your managers. You should also solicit and incorporate constructive feedback from your stakeholder and other stakeholders, such as the end-users, the customers, or the regulators. You can use methods such as the peer review, the lessons learned, or the customer satisfaction survey to improve your work.
Apresentar as entregas e tornar as partes interessadas cientes, incentivar a cultura de feedback e levar até o colaborador. Absorver críticas positivas e negativas. E utilizar isso como ferramenta de melhoria para o projeto. Esse é o ponto principal após uma entrega. Essa é a chave para a evolu??o do time como um todo.
Asking for help must be done when necessary. Not at every small issue which can be solve by the team, but when the issue has significant impact or when the skills are not available whithin the project team. When asking for help, it is appreciated to present different scenarios with pros and cons. Regular feedback, not only in the end, helps to build strong relationship, keeping in mind that unofficial feedback (Coffee time, finger food after a presentation...) is as valuable as offical ones.
Be sure to constantly promote the project, the benefits and the successes earned by the team. Gather data from the customer voice (or end-user), lessons learned and other surveys to promote the possitive feedback
Feedback and support is another key factor of a successful project. Always be positive to feedbacks. If people is willing to listen to feedbacks , more chance to get support.
Toda colaboración debe ser valorada. Sobre todo de la gente que ejecuta los procesos quienes son los mejores para opinar, comentar y sugerir mejoras. La sinergia de todos permitirá el éxito de cada Proyecto.
The final step is to deliver your work and celebrate your achievements. You need to ensure that your work meets the requirements, standards, and expectations of your stakeholder and other stakeholders. You should also verify and validate your work, and document and transfer the knowledge and ownership. You can use tools such as the acceptance criteria, the verification and validation plan, or the closeout report to finalize your work. You should also acknowledge and reward yourself and your team for your hard work and success.
- The very important step to take after success of any project is, brainstorming on lessons learnt & the best practices by different teams, that definitely helps any upcoming project.
When you deliver an outstanding package that fulfill the goals of the work, present the package forth right and give credit to the teams and individuals that did the work. Also, give credit to the stakeholders' managers for their direction and feedback throughout the task.
La implementación se puede ir dando por partes y que sean entregas de valor, garantizando que en la última entrega cumpla con el alcance total del proyecto y velando por el cumplimiento de: -Asegurar el cumplimiento de criterios de aceptación por parte de los stakeholders - Implementar entregables de calidad. -Transferencia al owner de la aplicación para el soporte y mantenimiento pos-implementación -Reconoce el trabajo de tu equipo y celebra con ellos los objetivos alcanzados. -compartir lecciones aprendidas y best practices -Realizar el cierre formal del proyecto con los stakeholders.
La validation du projet sera complétée après un retour d'expérience des parties prenantes pour évaluer le projet dans sa globalité et capitaliser sur celui ci au travers des succès, réussites, difficultés notamment. La célébration est l'étape qui uniera mes acteurs pour capitaliser sur la force de l'équipe, ce qui est parfaitement indispensable
Soy un fiel creyente de que la documentación de Proyectos y la transferencia de conocimiento son primordiales para el entendimiento general y facilita los cambios que se deseen ejecutar en el futuro.
A way I have found effective is to inform the stakeholder on the calculated probability to meet the deadline, showing all the assumption and the way he can influence positively on these
As a client, identify major hindrances that may create problems in executing the activities and make a plan to solve those major obstacles. For example, 1) land clearance in large scale construction projects, 2) establish corporate & local public relation with involving CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), 3) Establishing ethical relationship of corporate with local political party. Etc… These examples are like setting your cover first in chess for your further moves to execute.
Incorporating an agile approach that keeps the stakeholders involved within the loop would clear out complications in deliveries.