What s your strategy for balancing stakeholder and end-user priorities

Question

Sometimes, decision-makers push for features or priorities that don’t really serve the people using the product. Stakeholders have their own vision, and users have their own needs. How do you find a balance so both groups are happy?

Answer 1

Finding a balance between stakeholder vision and user needs requires a strategic approach:

1. Understand Both Sides: Collect information on user needs and stakeholder goals through research or feedback.
2. Prioritize Based on Impact: Prioritize features that bring value to both using Impact vs. Effort frameworks.
3. Communicate and Align: Conduct conversations to make sure everyone is aligned, illustrating how user needs can help drive business objectives.
4. Find Compromise: Seek solutions that meet user needs as well as benefiting the business, such as features that engage users.
5. Iterate and Test: Create prototypes or MVPs to test assumptions with stakeholders and users and iterate accordingly.

This method guarantees the product meets both stakeholders and users without compromising either party.