Stakeholders clash on process design changes. How do you unite them towards a common goal?

When stakeholders clash on process design changes, use these steps to unite them: 1) Understand Concerns: Listen to each stakeholder individually to identify common interests. 2) Facilitate Communication: Organize a respectful meeting to discuss concerns openly. 3) Clarify Objectives: Align changes with organizational goals and highlight constraints. 4) Explore Options: Brainstorm solutions and evaluate their feasibility together. 5) Build Consensus: Find common ground, encourage compromise, and agree on roles and timelines. 6) Follow-Up: Regularly check progress and incorporate feedback. By following these steps, you can effectively unite stakeholders towards a common goal.

Often people have experience and pre-conceived ideas regarding the likely affects of process changes. You should tease these out. Sometimes experience is not quite as relevant - this requires discussion. Pre-conceived perceptions required a careful walk through as the the change may not have been fully understood.

Many ways to deal with this situation and probably all have merit. I would strongly recommend that if stakeholders disagree on specific process changes it is usually best to involve a SME who as everyone’s respect and have them share the pros and cons of the different options including the reasons for the recommendations

Actively listening to understand the unique needs and concerns of each stakeholder. By uncovering their underlying motivations, we can identify common ground and areas of alignment.

One thing i always find helpful is engaging stakeholders to identify individual's painpoint in regards to the project. And finding a way to align each of their priorities in the process design. I would design the process such that one priority leads to realisation of the other and finally organise a workshop to showcase the connectivity of each goals and how achievable it is in the proposed process. I will always give each stakeholders something to look forward to.

Sometimes you have to take a step back and review the common vision. By taking that step back it is typically easier to agree on the details of the processes which will achieve the vision.

The common vision needs to include the benefits the stakeholders are expecting to accomplish and agreement how how success will be measured.

Work to develop a shared vision that incorporates the key elements from all the stakeholders perspectives. This vision acts as a guiding star, ensuring everyone is working towards the same goal.

I will review stakeholders needs and concern, to identify individual's actual end goal. Then I will try to identify how they align and sell the bigger picture to them facilitate a common ground.

Clear and consistent communication is crucial. Need to ensure that all the stakeholders are kept informed and understand the rational behind decisions. This transparency helps in building trust and reducing misunderstandings.

Consistent and clear communication is the cornerstone of building and maintaining stakeholder relationships through the design process change.

I usually ask them what business problem they are concerned about. Often stakeholders will put forward a concern or a design change without being clear what the problem they are concerned about actually is. Focusing on the actual problem creates the environment where there is openness to considering new ideas.

Proactively address any concerns or objections that arise. By acknowledging and resolving these issues, we can help stakeholders feel heard and valued, which fosters a collaborative environment.

I normally encourage stakeholders to state their concern and give us time review it to come up with solutions. I sometimes work with them to alleviate their concerns where it can not be eliminated.

Review the agreed ongoing success metrics on an ongoing basis. If they are accomplished the goals, celebrate the stakeholders contribution to the change.

We facilitate discussion and workshops where stakeholders can voice their opinions and collaboratively find solutions. This inclusive approach helps in building consensus and gaining buy-in for the proposed changes.

More often than not, there will be conflicts between stakeholders when there are process changes. Dev architects will voice concerns over the purity of the design, functional architects about seamlessness and extendability, QA architects about testability and stability. The client may also have stakeholders who may have concerns on their own. The best way to handle this is to lay down the common goals that the team is to achieve. Any opinion can be vetted against those goals as opposed to a subjective measure. It also helps to set down a governance structure and a governance team covering all areas . The governance team should have direct KPIs tied to the completion of the project which will allow alleviating some subjective concerns.