Your product innovation timeline faces unexpected delays. How will you engage stakeholders effectively?
When product innovation timelines stretch unexpectedly, maintaining stakeholder trust is key. To engage stakeholders effectively:
- Communicate transparently about the delay causes and new timelines.
- Provide regular updates, even if there's no progress, to maintain trust.
- Offer solutions or alternatives to mitigate stakeholder concerns.
How do you keep stakeholders engaged during project delays?
Your product innovation timeline faces unexpected delays. How will you engage stakeholders effectively?
When product innovation timelines stretch unexpectedly, maintaining stakeholder trust is key. To engage stakeholders effectively:
- Communicate transparently about the delay causes and new timelines.
- Provide regular updates, even if there's no progress, to maintain trust.
- Offer solutions or alternatives to mitigate stakeholder concerns.
How do you keep stakeholders engaged during project delays?
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I believe stakeholders can contribute to support decisions and compromises in product innovation to bring timeline back or if not possible explaining what is the challenge and by not delaying what could be the consequences.
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Reuniões de governança para o acompanhamento do cronograma são pilares essenciais para o sucesso de um projeto. Atrasos são inevitáveis, pois o cronograma envolve diversas variáveis, como serviços ou produtos de fornecedores, retrabalhos de protótipos e a aplicação de peças nos clientes. Esses fatores frequentemente estão fora do controle direto do Gestor de Projetos. Por isso, a rapidez na reação a um atraso é fundamental para minimizar impactos, e o acompanhamento próximo, aliado ao envolvimento dos stakeholders, torna-se indispensável para garantir o andamento e a eficiência do projeto.
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Keeping stakeholders engaged during project delays requires clear communication and proactive management. Here are some effective strategies: 1. Transparent Communication: Be open about the reasons for the delay and share revised timelines. This helps set realistic expectations and shows accountability. 2. Regular Updates: Even if there’s little progress, provide consistent updates to reassure stakeholders that the project is still on track, building trust over time. 3. Propose Solutions: Offer alternatives or solutions to mitigate the impact of the delay, such as interim deliverables or adjusted plans, demonstrating commitment to moving forward.
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There's a popular saying: "No news is good news". Its very, very wrong. Here's a new twist on ABC; Always Be Communicating. Stakeholders in many and variable ways, have taken a bet out on you. To not disappoint them, you need to deliver and when you can't deliver because <Murphy/suppliers/overly aggressive timelines/whatever>, you have a responsibility to let people know. Not only the issue causing the delay but also, to let them know what your plans are to deliver. You have to keep letting them know, every step of the way until you can close out the issue. There's a beautiful model from Stanford on communication and what it boils down to is that talking in times of trouble builds trust. Silence builds chasms. ABC.
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Innovation timelines can suffer from the uncertainty derived from the usage of new technologies, new team set-ups operating under new methodologies, complex learning curves or unexpected blockers… Expectation management around a company horizon 1 (core business) is different from horizon 2 or 3 initiatives and the narrative building effort towards decision makers requires powerful storytelling from the innovation team that drives engagement and excitement - even if sometimes progress just means extracting learnings from taking a wrong turn. Certainty and predictability are luxuries in early-stage innovation and it’s definitely not suited for some faint-hearted stakeholders out there. Beware of those and engage them from the start.
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Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Did I mention communicate? Your stakeholders should be aware of what is going on the whole time so if anything is at risk, it's important to call that out early so contingency plans can be made if needed. It's very important to paint a clear picture.
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This is a very common situation and the main focus should be in understand the reason of the delay to learn how mitigate it not only in the current project but even on the other next one.
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Transparency is essential. Make sure the communication reaches the stakeholders, with context, impacts, alternatives and action plan. Two things that can help them to feel motivated: 1 - Materialize the action plan in waves of deliverables, so the stakeholders can see the advances happening in fact 2 - Additionally, make sure that stakeholders validate each small value-deliverable package of the product/solution. Its powerfull to provide ownership feeling for them and also to promote a healthy feedback environment. Both suggestions, the agile methodologies can help to make it happen.
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Delays can be unexpected and unavoidable. The key to managing effectively is strategic planning 1. Define a Realistic Scope Avoid creating an overly ambitious scope. The larger scope, the higher possibility of delays. Break the work into stages or phases. 2. Build in Buffer Time Never assume the initial estimate is final. If a task is estimate to take 1 month, add extra time as a buffer. 3. Address Delays Proactively If delays occur, regroup with the responsible team to reassess & develop revised strategy (return to step 1). Communicate with stakeholders, provide logical & reasonable explanations. Share new timeline that has been discussed & agreed. By planning thoughtfully & respond strategically, you can minimize the impact of delays.
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Explain Why, and always prioritize quality over speed. If the stakeholders do not understand this, that is not the place for you!
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