How do you keep agile product development sponsors and clients involved?

2 Involve them in discovery and planning

The next step is to involve your sponsors and clients in the discovery and planning phases of the product development. This means inviting them to participate in activities such as user research, ideation, prototyping, and prioritization. By involving them in these activities, you can gain valuable insights, feedback, and validation from their perspectives, as well as build trust and buy-in for your product vision and strategy. You can also use this opportunity to educate them on the agile principles and practices, and how they can support you and the team in delivering value iteratively and incrementally.

3 Keep them updated and engaged

The third step is to keep your sponsors and clients updated and engaged throughout the product development. This means providing them with regular and transparent updates on the progress, challenges, and achievements of the product development, as well as soliciting their feedback and input on the deliverables and outcomes. You can use various tools and methods to keep them informed and involved, such as demos, retrospectives, newsletters, dashboards, and surveys. You can also use these channels to celebrate successes, acknowledge challenges, and address issues or concerns.

4 Manage changes and expectations

The fourth step is to manage changes and expectations effectively with your sponsors and clients. As you know, agile product development is dynamic and adaptive, which means that changes are inevitable and sometimes necessary. However, changes can also cause uncertainty, confusion, or frustration for your sponsors and clients, especially if they affect their goals, needs, or preferences. Therefore, you need to communicate and negotiate changes with them proactively and respectfully, explaining the rationale, impact, and benefits of the changes, as well as the trade-offs and alternatives. You also need to manage their expectations by setting clear and realistic boundaries, scope, and criteria for the product development, and by being honest and transparent about the risks, assumptions, and dependencies.

5 Seek feedback and improvement

The fifth step is to seek feedback and improvement from your sponsors and clients continuously. This means asking them for their opinions, suggestions, and concerns about the product development process and outcomes, as well as how you and the team are performing and collaborating with them. You can use various techniques to collect and analyze feedback, such as interviews, surveys, reviews, and metrics. You can also use this feedback to identify and implement improvements, such as adjusting your processes, methods, or tools, or resolving any issues or conflicts. By seeking feedback and improvement, you can enhance the quality and value of the product development, as well as the satisfaction and loyalty of your sponsors and clients.