5 steps for UX Researchers to successfully negotiate priorities and timelines with stakeholders.

As demand for research increases, we UX Researchers often find ourselves overwhelmed by an abundance of requests. Because we are motivated by a desire to help others, it can be difficult to turn our stakeholders down. We may also be hesitant to say no for another reason: fear of losing our value.?

We've worked so hard to gain this ground. If we say no, that we don't have the capacity, then they'll start not wanting us, not meeting us, or worse, they'll find other ways to do desired research without us, or do without it entirely.?

We have worked so hard to establish ourselves and our profession, and we really do want to keep contributing to the success of the organizations we serve. But how do we choose who gets our limited, and often in-demand, time and energy without losing the connection and reliance on our work??

The solution: Have a business priority conversation, rather than simply turning down requests.?

Most UX Researchers haven’t received much formal training in how to have a business priority conversation, but it is an important skill to have. Many of my own team members over the years have come to me with this problem. Through solving this as a researcher myself, and guiding others through it, I realized that I have a system for managing multiple research requests. I’d like to share it with you here—both to empower you to successfully manage your workload, and to help focus all stakeholders on organization-wide business priorities.?

Introducing the 5-step process for prioritizing UX Research requests.

My five steps can empower you to effectively prioritize your workload while meeting the needs of all stakeholders. This system also has benefits that extend beyond managing your current workload.?

Step 1: Create a written backlog.

The first step in having a business priority conversation is developing your own situational awareness. This includes having a written list of everything that you've been asked to do, not just the things that are currently on your roadmap. It's important to document all requests that come in, even if you don’t plan to take them on immediately. By creating and documenting this backlog, you’ll get a clear understanding of all the requests over time, which helps in prioritizing them.

Documenting your backlog also has benefits other than prioritization:

By keeping track of requests, you can see:

• Where they are coming from
• The sizes and frequency of requests
• The balance of strategic to tactical
• Whether you can actually help with them

It can help you make decisions about hiring by showing:

• How much demand there is for your work
• The volume of work you are doing
• How much you can usually support
• What needs the most planning
• Who else you could help, if you had more help to get it done

Creating a backlog not only creates documentation, but it also serves as a tool in the negotiation process. This is a valuable, but often overlooked use of a backlog— it can be a powerful mechanism to make the case for additional support.

Step 2: Use your backlog to have the business priority conversation.?

Show your backlog to the requester. It goes like this:

Let’s say you have five big tasks on your roadmap, and you have been asked to take on a sixth. You really want to please this sixth stakeholder, and you don't want to tell this person no. But you also don't want to let down the other five people you've already committed to.?

Time to be transparent: Bring this sixth person in and show them your whole backlog, including all the tasks that are currently scheduled, from one to five, and the timelines for each.?

This will serve as a wake-up call for them to see how much demand there is for your time. By showing your backlog, you're creating awareness, not just saying, "Sorry, I'm too busy.” It also opens the opportunity for a conversation to discuss priorities and find a solution that works for everyone within your organization.

Step 3: Have them rank the importance of their own project in the context of organizational goals.

This is where you educate them about the projects that are currently on your roadmap and ask them where they think their task should be prioritized. By treating them as a partner, you're inviting them to help you, and help the whole organization.

When I take this step, I often find that stakeholders tend to be more honest about where their task should be placed on the priority list. It's kind of breathtaking how often they'll put themselves second or third. While they probably won't put themselves fifth or sixth, they will see their own work in the context of everything else that is happening in your organization.

Step 4: Negotiate with other requesters.

Go to Step 4 when Step 3 didn’t have the intended effect, and making changes to your backlog will affect the other stakeholders you’ve promised to help.

Sometimes that sixth stakeholder really feels that they can’t wait. Let’s say number six wants to be prioritized as number two. Go to the current number two requester and explain the situation. Show them your backlog and ask them to consider whether their request can move lower or wait a few weeks to make room for the new one. You may also have to repeat this process with any other requesters who may need to adjust their priorities in order to accommodate the new request.?

It can help to frame the request in this context: you want to ensure that all requests are considered and prioritized fairly.?

When you handle it this way, you're showing that you value open communication and collaboration among all stakeholders. You’re also exemplifying a commitment to transparency and building trust with you, and your entire organization.?

Step 5: Refer them to each other to negotiate who comes first.

Sometimes no one wants to budge on their sense of their own priority. That’s when you bring the requesters into the same room. Have them talk about how to prioritize the tasks for the benefit of the whole organization.?

By having the requesters talk with each other, it allows for open communication and collaboration, revealing things that wouldn't have been revealed otherwise. It puts a human face on the situation, opening up a business negotiation between the two parties directly impacted. It also allows them to come to a mutual understanding of the importance of each request.?

When you nurture work-flow transparency, you nurture teamwork and ownership.?

Our role as UX Researchers is to help reduce friction, accomplish tasks, and meet business goals. When you involve stakeholders in the priorities of your backlog, it helps shift their focus from individual concerns to those of your organization as a whole. This approach not only promotes a sense of ownership and buy-in among stakeholders, it also helps to avoid the perception of you as the "bad guy."?

My five-step prioritization process is based on my core beliefs about the success of the UX Research profession: create your systems and execute your processes in ways that build trust, credibility, and respect for the UX Researcher. When we focus on those outcomes, business goals are met and we succeed in our own very important work. Be prepared for one significant outcome though: by being a great business partner, you may just invite even more demand for your work!