You're navigating stakeholder priorities and a product roadmap. How can you strike the perfect balance?

Balancing public stakeholder priorities with a company product roadmap requires a thoughtful approach to ensure alignment and success. If you are a publicly traded company, sometimes it is difficult to fully explain a product road map as it could give away details of new or improved products to competitors. You must consider the needs of public stakeholders and company product direction. Here are way to mange expectations: Define Clear Goals of the Company regarding products in the markets they serve. Regular Communication to shareholders Iterate and Adapt: Should market dynamics change be prepared to make changes in the product roadmap. Manage Expectations with stakeholders Communicate/communicate/communicate

Stack holders Priority Vs Product Roadmap is a process of understanding expectations vs timeline > communication vs conviction> prioritisation vs perfection. All are having their own set and subsets; 1)Must have deep understanding of the requirements with organisation final goals both short term and long term. 2)Give directive picture to the stack holders about the product timeline or if any priority shift than again course of action. 3)Product roadmap should have agile methodologies so that any change in plan should not impact the core product objective. 4)ontime effective communication with all the cross stack holders. 5)Team should be adaptable,robust & agile to achieve any task at any given time with full enthusiasm.

Ultimately one has to fallback on an iterative model to score various options… and choose the right priorities Its best the model be developed while taking into account all aspects of the business, customers and stakeholders. Ultimately at the end the stakeholder priorities and product roadmap should tie to revenue and customer ask

Product Roadmap is a strategic tool , used to - “Describe” product vision & strategy - Provide a “guiding” document for executing strategy - Get your stakeholders in “alignment” - “Facilitate” discussion and options on scenario planning - Helps “communicate” with external stakeholders and customers A good product manager should have considered stakeholders priority or got an alignment preparing the roadmap. However to strike a balance , you become the voice of the customer and challenge stakeholder priorities with - Data - Goals - Metrics Be open to suggestions, understand the intent and motivation, call out the risks, repriortise, align again & this time firmly. Rationale with engineering and design partners and importantly communicate

Balancing stakeholder priorities with a product roadmap requires aligning strategic vision with meaningful input. A product roadmap should reflect the product’s long-term goals while integrating stakeholder feedback. This involves negotiating timelines, adjusting feature scopes, and sometimes pushing back on requests that don't align with core objectives. The key is to maintain a flexible yet focused roadmap. By doing so, stakeholders see their influence, fostering engagement and trust, while ensuring the product stays on track towards its goals. Flexibility and focus ensure the roadmap remains a strategic tool guiding the product’s successful evolution.

In my experience, it’s important to keep a a focused, yet adaptable roadmap that demonstrates stakeholder influence while keeping the product on track for success. In that way, it should reflect the long-term vision, but also be flexible enough to incorporate valuable stakeholder needs and inputs. This might involve negotiation (mostly timelines), adjusting features, or even pushing back on requests that don't align with core objectives.

No matter the product or roadmap being developed, a crucial consideration is its impact on business and revenue. However, balancing short-term and long-term benefits is essential. By assessing functionality, effort and impact, devise a strategy around these factors, create a roadmap that includes achievable goals for the team in short term and sets the company up for long-term success.

Key thing that often is not considered is different layers of alignment. For different group of stakeholders different layers of a roadmap are relevant (short-term vs long-term) (problems vs solutions). A lot of teams fail or struggle by creating a one-size (view) fits all in the organisation - this is really difficult to achieve and will always leave some stakeholders unhappy - feeling misaligned due to lack of information. biggest trick here is to meet stakeholders where they are at - instead of trying to bring them along to your views. This allows for quick empathy, understanding and alignment on why, what & how of the product roadmap.

I prioritize functionalities by taking into account various inputs: business value, implementation time and interdependencies with other teams determined during PI Planning and Program Refinement.

Eu gosto muito de combinar o conhecimento em produto (chame de vivencia ou product sense) mais o uso dos dados, em alguns casos n?o vamos ter os melhores dados para analisar e é fundamental suas experiências prévias para a tomada de decis?o, dessa maneira acredito que você pessoa de produto tem menos propens?o ao erro, caso erre vai conseguir pivotar assim que analisar os dados após o incremento.

No one-size-fits-all formula exists for prioritization of a new feature/ capability, but it helps to look at Value vs Risk vs Effort trade-off. 1. Value: Many factors go into determining Value - eg. $ value or benefit to the firm or clients (more clients that benefit the better), client criticality (eg. regulatory requirement?), alignment of capability with product strategy/vision 2. Risk: Complexity, uncertainty vs clarity of requirement, potential for regression risk or adverse client impact 3. Effort/Investment: Upfront investment, person-months of effort, ongoing support costs Carefully weigh all these factors, keep an open mind, listen to your stakeholders and trust your judgment to make the correct prioritization decisions.

Priority sequence: 1. User Impact 2. Business Impact 3. Vision Alignment 4. Bandwidth required 5. Lastly, analyze the ratio of all points (1,2,3) vs point 4

Prioritization should primarily take into account ROI, but there are other factors to consider, such as contractual obligations, level of effort, internal release schedules, company strategic goals, development of technologies for use in the future, IP filing, and the ability to seize market opportunities. One other thing to consider is the timing of release into the market - you may want to take advantage of trade shows or other key market dates to time releases. These all play into how things are selected, prioritized, and executed. Edited to add: Don't make the selection and prioritization process so complex that it leads to analysis paralysis. Planning is important, but execution is key.

You might have well researched and quantitatively prioritized roadmap, but if you are not able to communicate, convince and align your plans to stakeholders, success would remain elusive. Make sure you understand the personality types of your key stakeholders and have some potential questions prepared for answers.

? Maintain transparency with stakeholders about the roadmap and any changes. ? Use visual tools like Gantt charts, roadmaps, and Kanban boards to keep everyone informed. ? Regularly update stakeholders on progress and seek their feedback. Example: using a shared online dashboard that includes a Gantt chart of the product roadmap, which all stakeholders can access and comment on. Regular bi-weekly update meetings ensure everyone is on the same page and can provide input as needed.

It’s about keeping everyone in the loop, so they feel informed, valued, and engaged. Good communication of updates helps build trust, allows for timely feedback, and ensures that any concerns or ideas from stakeholders are heard and addressed promptly.

Discussing needs of stakeholders Asking open ended questions Initiate deep conversations And lastly Communicating Effectively and supporting there needs to meet the project’s scope,Facilitating them.

In my experience, having a common communication channel for all stakeholders works best, like Slack Channels. This is most effective when: 1. Key decisions and takeaways from meetings are regularly shared. 2. Any changes in direction from the last understanding are communicated. 3. Any anticipated blockers for the release are discussed after prioritization. 4. A release note is published, revisiting the expected impact. 5. Regular metric updates for the initiative are provided post-release.

There's no sugar coating and I admit that managing conflicts is a tough nut to crack, especially when you're juggling different stakeholder priorities but even with diverse viewpoints, we can still be professional and find common ground. The key is finding that sweet spot where we can be respectful and heard while also being willing to compromise on some aspects to achieve the bigger picture: the product's success. This might involve some give and take, tactical negotiations to tick everyone's boxes. Avoid playing politics and power games, they may seem to give you an edge for the moment but the chances of having bitter experiences in the journey or at the end are way more higher.

While stakeholder priorities are important, it's good to compare them against the larger department and then company priorities. In the often case when it's a competing priority, using the "essentialism" mindset, there is a need to assess your trade-offs: what would the impact be to the customer if this is not done now. Once that is sorted out, the next best thing is to make a decision and owning it without giving into fear of failure or success.

It is a reality that conflicts will arise in all types of projects, and as a PM, you must have the ability to manage them effectively. Conflicts will emerge due to different expectations, priorities, and goals among stakeholders. It is essential to address these conflicts proactively and constructively. In my experience, the first thing you need to be clear about is that you must be objective, and to achieve this, you should have done your homework in identifying the priorities of the needs and the potential business impact. Once you have that understanding, you need to identify and comprehend the sources of conflict through open and honest communication with all involved parties.

It’s about addressing disagreements quickly, facilitating open communication, and making sure everyone feels heard and respected. This not only keeps the project on track but also builds a stronger, more cohesive team. Without someone to step in and handle disagreements, things can quickly get out of hand, causing delays and stress.

Conflict arises in a product roadmap arises due to lack of funding, resources, priorities of existing customers, pressure from sales team for advanced features to new customers in sales process. To resolve these conflicts, the product manager need to understand the (a) market & competition (b) priorities of existing customers (c) approach of sales & marketing team (d) revenue/growth targets. Conflict Mitigation Suggestion (1) Clear Communication (2) Prioritization Framework: Use data-driven decisions. (3)Stakeholder Involvement: Ensure balanced representation. (4) Negotiation and Compromise: Be transparent about constraints and seek win-win solutions. (5) Conflict Resolution: Use mediation and escalation path. (6) Documentation

Continuously collect feedback from all stakeholders and use it to refine our strategy and roadmap. This dynamic approach enables us to adapt to market changes, new customer insights, or shifts in business strategy. Engaging stakeholders in ongoing conversations about the product’s direction fosters collaboration, ensuring the roadmap remains a living document that evolves with everyone’s input.

Continuous feedback on a product roadmap is critical to align with stakeholder needs and market demands. Effective feedback loops enable timely adjustments, preventing costly missteps, enhancing product relevance and timely completion. Feedback increases the sense of ownership and satisfaction especially for Senior Leadership on ROI and to sales/account Management team the opportunity to upsell. It also allows for early identification of potential issues, facilitating proactive problem solving. Continuous feedback ensures the product evolves in line with end user expectations as well including the usability.

Here, it is important to create an open environment and encourage feedback and rethinking. The product lead needs to give this vibe and proactively seek feedback.

The roadmap isn't set in stone. Regular reviews and iterations allow you to adjust based on new insights and shifting priorities. This iterative approach keeps the roadmap dynamic and responsive. Remember, the goal is to find a balance that keeps the product moving forward while satisfying the key stakeholders. It's a juggling act, but with the right approach, it's entirely achievable.

It's natural, that priorities change over time. One thing, that helped me track and align stakeholder priorities with the roadmap is holding a weekly meeting. This way stakeholders get to communicate their priorities, ask questions and give feedback on the roadmap.

There are 2 stakeholder groups: Short-term focus: Impacted by day-to-day product function. Long-term focus: Investors/executives with a vision (funding). Effective communication is key: Use data-driven arguments. Collaborate and find common ground. Communicate clearly and assertively. Patience and skillful navigation are essential for long-term alignment.

At the end of the day, management and product teams should always ensure that the product roadmap is not built solely on their dreams but rather on market signals and insights. Any other route would lead to more stakeholder / product roadmap conflicts than necessary.

1. Always ensure to communicate realistic deadlines when it comes to tasks. Overcommitting and underperforming is never a good look. 2. Be humble and open to feedback. Nobody is out to get you and even if they are, try to consider the constructive part of the criticism and work on it. 3. Optimize for Effort vs Impact. If a task requires significant effort but the impact linked to it is not as much, you most probably don't need to do it.

I actually disagree with the notion of achieving a perfect balance. Striving for a perfect balance often leads to compromising the product strategy, as making everyone happy can be detrimental. Instead, it’s crucial to address all stakeholder priorities respectfully and provide data-driven reasons for either agreeing or disagreeing with each point. Once a consensus is reached & the plan is signed off, it should serve as the guiding document. Additionally, one should be ready for course corrections as we move forward, adapting to new insights & changing circumstances to ensure ongoing alignment with the overall strategy.

Listen. Listen. Listen. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Then listen even more. And I still think it's an understatement. If you're managing a product and not keeping the team and the users on the same page, then chances are you won't deliver the features that solve their problems...