Lean Stakeholder Engagement

I’ve been in L&D for 25 years now. If there’s one thing that’s as true now as it was back then, it’s that we’ll never be afforded enough time to complete all the analysis we actually need with stakeholders. And yet, this isn’t enough of a reason for not digging up data points or uncovering insights. There are still plenty of ways of getting enough information to make the required impact. Here are 3 ways I’ve learned along the way: 1. Always be analysing from the first conversation. Guy W Wallace and Dawn Snyder said this best: Always be analysing. From the very first conversation we’re invited into, don’t waste a moment in a meeting with key stakeholders to understand the problem, the context, the players and the consequences of things being the way they are. If you think you’ll come to the end of the initial briefing conversation with permission to complete exhaustive analysis, you’ll likely be mistaken. But go in thinking you’ll get the information you need anyway and you’ll feel empowered and excited. Listen with purpose, ask open-ended questions, and let them talk more than you do. Drawing out info from stakeholders is an art form, especially when in casual, everyday conversation. 2. Seek out the data that would result if things stay as they are. What are the consequences if nothing changes? Make this your killer question and find out. This is often the question that excites your stakeholder and highlights the real reason you’re there to help. What would happen - in real terms - if nothing changed? Missed targets? Loss of sales? Unhappy customers? Disgruntled employees? A higher incidence of workplace injuries? These data points become the enemy you’re up against. This is the motivation for change for all concerned. This is also your ground zero for measurement. “If we don’t do anything, this is likely what will happen.” For every action, there is a reaction. And for every inaction, there is only pain. 3. Run workshops with those responsible for performance and results. When your stakeholder asks for training it’s likely they’ve sold this to their team already. It would be rude to say ‘no’. It was Guy Wallace who said this boldest: Say ‘yes’ but do what’s needed, not what’s asked for. Your stakeholder doesn’t want to hear you say ‘no’. Anyway, why pass up an opportunity for more analysis? Book that room! Invite those who should attend. And then explore their experience of the issue raised by your stakeholder. Explore their actual experience: What’s not working? What is working? What have they tried? What do they think they need? I was part of a team who did precisely this exercise and one participant shook my hand at the end and told me that was the best training course they’d ever been on. No word of a lie. So let’s not convince ourselves that the required analysis can’t be done. It absolutely can - and perhaps even better than we’d imagined possible. But remember, always be analysing.

🎄 Day 14 of the #AdventOfOR 2025! The single biggest mistake in optimization projects? Engaging stakeholders once. Most teams nail the "Early" part (kickoff, problem framing, initial requirements). But then they disappear into complex code. Weeks later, they return with the perfect solution... but trust has eroded. Engagement isn't a single event. It's a continuous cadence: Early AND Often. Why is this continuous interaction essential? 🤝 Maintains trust: Consistent updates prevent the project from becoming a black box. 🎯 Ensures relevance: Requirements shift; regular check-ins keep your model aligned with business reality (just like we got new requirements on Day 12!). 🪡 Drives adoption: Stakeholders own the solution when they help build it. The secret to making it work is lowering the cost of understanding the model's progress. But you don't need to do heavy presentations; do easy, frequent demos with tools that help: 🔹 GAMS MIRO for interactive apps stakeholders can explore 🔹 Streamlit or Taipy for quick Python dashboards 🔹 Nextmv for comparing runs and sharing scenarios When showing progress becomes easy, you'll do it more often. When you do it more often, trust compounds. 🫵 Your turn: What's the single biggest piece of friction that currently stops you from sharing model progress (work-in-progress, not final results) with your stakeholders more often? (e.g., "It takes too long to clean the output," "We lack visualization tools," "I only share final numbers.")

You can’t call it partnership if stakeholders only hear from you once before launch. True engagement isn’t a courtesy email. It’s about making stakeholders 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 from day one to follow-through. 4 shifts that make the difference: 1. Map before you move Not all stakeholders need the same level of attention. Use mapping tools to identify who has influence, what they care about, and how they prefer to engage. 2. Align objectives early Don’t wait until the end to prove impact. Bring stakeholders into planning to set KPIs, success metrics, and business outcomes together. 3. Keep communication alive Use clear, jargon-free updates. Share progress, invite feedback, and celebrate wins. Trust grows when stakeholders feel part of the journey. 4. Champion transfer, not just learning Make managers and sponsors active player, e.g. mentors, accountability partners, and reinforcement leaders. Because learning in the classroom means nothing if it doesn’t show up on the job. When engagement is tailored this way, L&D stops being a service provider… and starts being a strategic driver of business results. A question for you: What’s worked best in your experience: mapping, alignment, communication, or transfer support? _____________ High functioning ≠ high capacity. I consult with L&D teams to turn busyness into business impact.

I was once working on a project where one key stakeholder was… let’s say, not easy to work with. Constant last-minute changes, strong opinions, minimal responses on Jira or emails — and feedback always came in after we moved ahead. At first, I felt frustrated. I mean, as a Business Analyst, all I want is clarity, alignment, and moving forward together. But here’s what I did differently: 1) I scheduled short weekly syncs just with them — no agenda, no pressure, just a space to talk. 2) I stopped expecting structured feedback. I let them speak freely, took notes, and turned their thoughts into proper user stories. 3) I started sending back short summaries after every call — just to confirm, reduce misunderstandings, and track evolving requirements. 4) I noticed they weren’t active on Jira or long email chains, so I casually asked how they prefer to communicate. Turned out, they liked WhatsApp and quick voice notes — so I adapted. 5) I collaborated with the dev team to create quick mockups and visuals. They responded much better to that than documents. 6) Instead of defending timelines, I started showing how their feedback was shaping the product — and how it helped the end user. 7) I even built a “wish list” backlog for their ideas — not everything made it to the roadmap, but they felt heard. It wasn’t overnight. But slowly, they became more engaged, more trusting, and less reactive. One day, they said: “Thanks for your patience — I know I haven’t made this easy.” And honestly? That meant more than any formal feedback ever could. Lesson learned: Tough stakeholders aren’t always difficult — sometimes, they just need someone to translate their thoughts and make them feel heard. Ever been in a similar situation? Would love to hear how you handled it. #BusinessAnalysis #StakeholderManagement #ProjectLife #ProductDevelopment #RealTalk #LessonsFromTheField #Opentowork #UnitedArabEmirates

Most stakeholder ‘engagement’ is just a Slack message and a prayer. But engagement doesn’t happen at the end of research. It happens in the middle. If you’re just sending people a link to your insights repo and hoping something sticks, you’re not activating research, you’re archiving it. This is the mindset I’ve been building into my workflow with Condens. Not just to store insights, but to make stakeholder engagement actually happen as the research unfolds. Here’s what that looks like in practice: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 Set up a leaderboard: +1 point: attends a session +2: submits a question +3: shares a takeaway Track it in Condens. Celebrate the MVP. 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 Drop a random 30-second highlight from Condens into Slack. Ask: “What would you build based on this?” Best answer gets pinned. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗼 Build a bingo board with your most common tags in Condens: “User skipped onboarding” “Trust issue” “I guess I expected it to…” Let stakeholders fill it in during playback. It’s research, gamified. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 Use Condens clips + emoji reactions in Slack: 👍 = makes sense 👀 = didn’t expect that 💡 = sparked something Engagement without a meeting 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 Host a 30-min co-synthesis jam. Highlight a few clips in Condens. Play music. Invite reactions. Low-stakes, high-reward collaboration. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗮𝘀-𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆 Have a stakeholder narrate their experience using the product. Upload their recording to Condens. Compare it to real user clips. Perspective unlocked. These are systems for participation and Condens is the infrastructure that makes them possible, fast, flexible, and friction-free. If you want stakeholders to care, stop sending them links. Start giving them reasons to show up. Check out five other ways I engage stakeholders through the research process below. What’s the most creative thing you’ve done to get stakeholders involved?

Projects don’t fail because of tools. They fail because of relationships. Stakeholder mapping isn’t bureaucracy — it’s how you build trust before you need it. It’s how you identify the voices who can accelerate progress… and the ones who can quietly stall it. Too often, teams treat stakeholders as obstacles — people to manage, not engage. But here’s the truth: if you don’t bring them in early, they’ll slow you down later. I use my Audit–Align–Act approach for every complex initiative 👇 1️⃣ Audit – See the full landscape Identify everyone touched by the work — directly or indirectly. Decision-makers, downstream users, quiet influencers. Understand the landscape early so you can anticipate tension and find allies. Stakeholders aren’t roadblocks. They’re early warning signals and success partners — if you know how to engage them. 2️⃣ Align – Understand influence, interest, and motivation Not every stakeholder carries the same weight. Audit for interest (who cares) and influence (who decides). Then go deeper: ↳ What’s their background? ↳ What’s their currency — recognition, data, control, speed? When you understand what drives people, you can advocate with them, not around them. 3️⃣ Act – Plan how you’ll engage This is where trust turns into strategy. Plan engagement based on what you’ve learned about each stakeholder: ↳ Who needs visibility and consistent updates? ↳ Who prefers a one-on-one conversation? ↳ Who values brief summaries versus detailed decks? ↳ Who can be a bridge to other groups? And yes — this also means making time for the informal moments. ↳ The hallway check-ins, coffee chats, or casual lunches where people let their guard down and share what’s really on their mind. ↳ Those touchpoints often reveal more than formal meetings ever will. ↳ Because influence is built one genuine interaction at a time. Stakeholder mapping isn’t a kickoff exercise. It’s a living process that strengthens alignment, relationships, and culture. If you’re not mapping your stakeholders, you’re leaving your success to chance. How do you ensure all stakeholders are seen and heard in your projects? ♻️ Repost to share with your network. ➕ Follow Janet Kim for more stories on leadership and career transformation. ~~~~~~ 📩 Want more strategies like this? Subscribe to Level Up Weekly - link in the Featured section. ~~~~~~ I leverage 19 years in Stanford tech to help emerging leaders think strategically, build influence, and execute with confidence, so you’re seen, heard and valued.

The one strategy every product leader needs before attending high-stakes large stakeholder meetings: Ever walked into a high-stakes meeting only to watch it derail in minutes? You're not alone. The most successful executives I know never attend big meetings without doing this first: Shuttle diplomacy, which is all about meeting key players one-on-one before the group convenes. This practice transforms outcomes. Why it works: ◻️ Surfaces objections in a low-risk environment ◻️ Let's you tailor your message to each stakeholder’s priorities ◻️ Builds coalition support before anyone's in the room ◻️ Gives you time to refine your approach based on feedback ◻️ Prevents public disagreements that create lasting friction How to do it effectively: ◻️ Identify 3-5 critical stakeholders (the decision-makers) ◻️ Schedule brief 1:1s at least 48 hours before the meeting ◻️ Present your core idea in their "language" and genuinely ask for input ◻️ Adjust your proposal to address their concerns ◻️ Acknowledge their contributions during the group meeting ◻️ Frame your pitch around company goals so stakeholders see it through that lens This simple practice has saved me countless hours and dramatically improved my implementation success rate. What has saved you countless hours in stakeholder engagement?

😅 Ever build an awesome new process, then realize you forgot to tell anyone about it? Yeah, me too. (Oops.) It's tempting to just flip the switch and say, "Ta-da! Go forth and use!" But we know how that ends... usually with confusion and some creative excuses. 🥴 The truth is: building it is the easy part. Bringing people along—that's where the real leadership magic kicks in. ✨ Here's what actually works (learned the hard way!): 👉 Admit you’re late to the party. A simple, “Hey, we built this, and honestly should’ve talked to you earlier—can we talk now?” goes a looooong way toward trust. (Transparency wins!) 👉 Swap "any feedback?" for real talk: "How would your team break this?" (Yes, seriously.) "If you could tweak one thing to make life easier, what would it be?" "Does this feel like it'll actually help, or did we just invent more busywork?" 👉 Context, not commandments. People resist "because I said so." They embrace "here's why this helps, and what we're trying to achieve." (Clarity unlocks buy-in faster than authority ever could.) 👉 Tiny moments of teamwork. Pilots, feedback loops, quick huddles, group chats—give stakeholders a chance to shape the outcome, even if it’s small. Ownership is a powerful motivator. 👉 Prepare for adoption (for real!). No documentation, training, or support? Congrats, you've built a shiny new paperweight! 🥳 At the end of the day, people don't resist change—they resist change done TO them instead of WITH them. I'd love to hear your stories! 👇 Ever rolled out something great (or not-so-great) and learned these lessons firsthand? Share your wisdom (or hilarious fails!) in the comments. #Leadership #RealTalk #ProcessAdoption #Collaboration #StakeholderEngagement #ChangeManagement #LaughAndLearn #PeopleFirst

How I turned chaos into collaboration. All by asking the right questions. Stakeholder engagement isn’t easy. I once worked with a stakeholder who didn’t trust her team. She believed control was the only way to get results. Her working style caused chaos: → She would agree one day. → And, change her mind the next. The team was frustrated. → Deadlines were slipping. → Team morale was dropping. And I needed to fix this issue. Here’s how I shifted her mindset and got her to trust the process: 1. I asked, “What’s your biggest worry?” → I genuinely listened to her concerns. → I realized her constant changes came from fear of failure. 2. I asked, "How can we stick to a plan?" → I shared a roadmap with defined milestones and explained the impact of last-minute changes. → She agreed to revisit decisions only during weekly reviews. 3. I asked, " Can you take ownership here?". → I assigned her specific deliverables to oversee. → Sharing regular updates reduced her doubts. 4. I asked, "What type of data will build your trust?" → Every week, I showed progress with data. → She saw the team could deliver. The result? → No more frantic emails. → No last-minute changes. → She trusted the team and the plan. Takeaways: 1. Listen to your stakeholders’ concerns. 2. Set clear boundaries. 3. Give ownership so they can drive without control. 4. Build you trust by consistently supporting them. In just three weeks, I turned chaos into collaboration. This wasn’t just a win for the project it transformed how we worked together.   So, I always say, you don’t manage stakeholders; you engage them. Ask questions → Set boundaries → Build trust. PS: What’s your story of turning a difficult stakeholders around?

Project success doesn't always mean stakeholder satisfaction You delivered on time. You stayed on budget. You met the project's scope. So the project was a success, right? Then feedback comes in. "I should've been looped in sooner." "This isn't what I expected." "My team wasn't considered with this implementation." Delivery is only half the job. Stakeholder/customer experience is the other. Here's how you successfully drive both: ✅ Align on what success FEELS like, not just what it is Go beyond metrics. Ask stakeholders "what would a great outcomes look like to you?" Then listen and work to mirror your implementation & delivery to their expectations. ✅ Communicate early and way more often than you think Stakeholders start to get nervous when they don't hear from you. And with other priorities + day-to-day duties, they aren't going to seek you out. Make sure they're aware of every step being taken. ✅ Measure engagement, not just execution Did your stakeholders feel heard? Did you give them space to weigh in? People support what they help build. A successful project no one feels good about isn't a success at all. Balance delivery with stakeholder trust and satisfaction. It'll lead to better outcomes and a solid reputation. 🤙