Considering diverse stakeholder perspectives and business objectives, how do you ensure organizational alignment for product development?
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no title2 years ago
I agree with this! I've had success following this model. I think writing and communicating the goals in a meeting/discussion is super key. There is no substitute for conversation. <br><br>I do think the challenge/magic comes in the understanding that product goals generally do not happen without the buy in and work of other teams/organizations. As you note above, making sure that work is part of their goals and prioritized is key to success.
This is difficult at best, but a fun process to continually iterate on.
For me at Gartner, here are some of the things that work well:
>> Sharing written / documented goals and objectives of each team and platform across senior leader stakeholders for their input and buy-in. Doing this early and often (at least once a quarter)
>> Creating overlapping goals across different teams to ensure that priorities for one are aligned to the other - it's important to have this be a measurable objective for teams across aisles, otherwise it'll just be a 'kick the tires' project
>> Provide regular updates via a 30m 'standup' and invite stakeholders to listen in. Even if its a broadcast, it goes a long way in educating folks on where we are together in the project/initiative
>> Lastly, monthly 1/1s with some senior leaders to get candid feedback that may be difficult to attain in group settings
What has not worked well (at large, not specific to Gartner)
>> Expecting internal stakeholders to visit the internal/company website regularly to read updates
>> Expecting people to use their 'free time' to move a project forward -- if it doesn't align to goals, it does not get done
>> Expecting success without any specific criteria for success (measureable)
>> Expecting success without buy-in and jamming stuff down people's throats