Co-creating and validating project outcomes with stakeholders is a key skill for senior project managers. It helps you align expectations, increase engagement, and deliver value to your clients and users. But how do you do it effectively and efficiently? Here are some tips and tools to help you co-create and validate project outcomes with stakeholders.
The first step is to identify and analyze your stakeholders. Who are they, what are their interests, needs, and expectations, how do they influence and are influenced by the project, and what are their preferred communication styles and channels? You can use various stakeholder analysis methods, such as stakeholder mapping, power-interest grid, or RACI matrix, to categorize and prioritize your stakeholders. This will help you tailor your co-creation and validation activities to different stakeholder groups and levels.
You can also look into the techniques currently used and ask stakeholders what they like about it and what can be improved. Depending on the size of the company you might need to set up a process or improve an existing one. If the company is really large modifications might require more lift.
My question is always, “How important is this project to the Stakeholder?” The answer can only come through engagement. The means of engagement will depend on the hierarchy of importance, as indicated by the Stakeholder, through the initial point of contact. Once again, don’t assume you know how the Stakeholder wants to engage. You need to ask!
The next step is to define your project outcomes. What are the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals and objectives of your project? What are the benefits and value that your project will deliver to your stakeholders? How will you measure and evaluate your project outcomes? You can use tools such as logic models, outcome maps, or theory of change to articulate your project outcomes and link them to your project inputs, activities, outputs, and impacts.
Each project should be clearly linked to a strategic pillar of the company strategy. Also, it should ideally have a revenue tag against it.
In product led engagements, project outcomes should be guided by the Product Vision as a north star. What is the product you are building supposed to provide for the client? What business value is to be created? How does it work with other capabilities in the tech stack? These questions will help to build a product vision, and ideally - a set of strategic priorities. These strategic priorities can be used to categorise the set of activities undertaken under each proiect affecting the product. Stakeholders from both the business and the project should work closely to define these strategic pieces. The act of doing this collaboratively will support alignment on the definition of project outcomes.
The third step is to co-create your project outcomes with your stakeholders. This means involving them in the process of defining, refining, and validating your project outcomes. You can use various co-creation techniques, such as workshops, interviews, surveys, focus groups, or brainstorming sessions, to solicit feedback, input, and ideas from your stakeholders. You can also use visual tools, such as prototypes, mockups, or storyboards, to illustrate your project outcomes and test them with your stakeholders. The key is to engage your stakeholders in a collaborative and iterative way, and to incorporate their perspectives and preferences into your project outcomes.
I've found that stakeholders are much more likely to be bought into a project they've helped design. The more they feel like a co-creator, the more likely it is that you'll have their genuine support through the project. Additionally, helping them connect the project goals back to their own goals (personal or professional) helps them prioritise the project on a day-to-day basis.
If you co create outcomes, ensure you have a range of stakeholders that have different interest. If you only pick people who come in with similar views it will be less fruitful. The best tip here is to have at least one stakeholder who is quite negative about the project.
The final step is to validate your project outcomes with your stakeholders. This means verifying that your project outcomes are aligned with your stakeholder expectations, needs, and interests, and that they are feasible and desirable. You can use various validation methods, such as pilot testing, user testing, or peer review, to assess the quality, usability, and effectiveness of your project outcomes. You can also use feedback mechanisms, such as surveys, interviews, or reviews, to collect stakeholder opinions and satisfaction levels. The key is to communicate your validation results and findings to your stakeholders, and to use them to improve your project outcomes.
Co-creating and validating project outcomes with stakeholders is not a one-time event, but a continuous process throughout your project lifecycle. By following these steps and using these tools, you can ensure that your project outcomes are relevant, valuable, and acceptable to your stakeholders.
Validation works best in a group, where everyone can witness alignement. I would not recommend surveys or 1-1 interviews unless you are very early in the iteration process.