Justify Your Product Decisions and Get Stakeholder Buy-in by Teresa Torres

[gyp]

speaker: Teresa Torres
topic: Justify Your Product Decisions and Get Stakeholder Buy-in
video: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/justify-your-product-decisions-and-get-stakeholder-buy-in-by-teresa-torres/
length: 32:22

In this closing keynote from #mtpcon San Francisco, product discovery coach Teresa Torres shares her insights on how product managers can co-create solutions with stakeholders and better manage expectations.

Teresa starts by pointing out that we all find comfort in getting the right answer. She points out that product managers typically advocate for their own point of view in meetings with stakeholders, and resist suggestions for change. When we’re asked to build something other than what we’ve suggested we complain to whoever will listen. It means that we create the problems we have with stakeholders. By only presenting the final answers we ask stakeholders to give their opinions about our answers, and not about our work, so it shouldn’t be surprising if they don’t agree with us.

It’s therefore critical to provide data, return on investment, and business cases with your answers. But the increased stakeholder engagement that comes with this means there is also an increased likelihood that you run into the trap of “mine vs yours” ideas, says Teresa. How do you engage in high-stakes conversations with stakeholders when there is “not one best idea”?