A guide to continuous stakeholder interviews

Navigating stakeholder management is a critical and challenging aspect of a product manager's role, often due to conflicting priorities, miscommunication, and internal politics. To effectively address these issues, the article highlights the importance of developing a stakeholder management system, with a primary focus on conducting structured stakeholder interviews. These interviews involve identifying the right stakeholders based on their impact and interest, setting clear objectives rather than rigid agendas, and fostering both work-related and personal connections. The process comprises four key steps: choosing the appropriate audience and meeting frequency, defining meeting goals, conducting the interviews with a balance of formal and casual interaction, and debriefing to document key agreements and action points. Though often overlooked, regular stakeholder interviews can significantly enhance relationship-building, preemptively resolve potential issues, and ultimately save time, offering a high return on investment for the effort spent.