How to manage 20+ stakeholders without losing your mind

Stakeholder management is a complex aspect of being a Product Manager (PM), especially when dealing with over 20 stakeholders, as traditional strategies often fall short. The text details the author's personal experience in managing a large number of stakeholders at Zalando, an e-commerce platform, by categorizing them using a modified influence-interest matrix, which helped prioritize their involvement based on influence and interest. The author emphasizes the importance of a single source of truth for feature requests, using a shared Google Sheet to streamline communication and reduce redundant requests. Structured communication rituals, such as weekly digests and quarterly stakeholder calls, help keep stakeholders informed and engaged, while transparent communication of trade-offs and a structured escalation process aid in conflict management. The author suggests that having a consistent framework and process in place is critical for effectively managing large stakeholder groups and achieving alignment without derailing execution.