{"id":15875,"date":"2017-09-01T18:17:58","date_gmt":"2017-09-02T01:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/?p=15875"},"modified":"2020-04-28T15:23:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T22:23:37","slug":"preventing-stakeholder-swoop-poop-enterprise-ux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/blog\/preventing-stakeholder-swoop-poop-enterprise-ux\/","title":{"rendered":"Preventing the Stakeholder \u201cSwoop and Poop\u201d in Enterprise UX"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stop me if you\u2019ve heard this one before: You\u2019re in the home stretch of development and heading toward launch when people in the organization you\u2019ve never heard from<\/em> suddenly swoop in and mandate changes to everything you\u2019ve done<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Most of us know this scenario as the \u201cswoop and poop”.<\/p>\n

It happened because, from day one\u2014from initial planning to requirements sessions to prototyping\u2014they weren\u2019t at the table<\/b>. Perhaps they weren\u2019t invited, or maybe they aren\u2019t willing to make time to be \u201cwasted\u201d on project work.<\/p>\n

Why do these hidden stakeholders have so much influence?<\/p>\n

Because they carry the mostrisk<\/b>. If the project fails,their necks<\/i> are on the chopping block. They\u2019re usually removed from the development process, which means they\u2019re placing a very large bet on something they don\u2019t know much about.<\/p>\n

If you fail to recognize this\u2014and proceed without their input\u2014the above scenario will play out repeatedly. You\u2019ll go down one, two, six, or eight sprints, and the scope keeps changing.<\/p>\n

For more practical advice, download the e-book<\/i> Fixing the Enterprise UX Process<\/i><\/a> by Joe Natoli.<\/i><\/p>\n

Involve stakeholders by calming their fears<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not unheard of for designers, developers, and organizations to get stuck in a cycle of endless iterations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll know it when I see it\u201d or \u201cThat\u2019s not what I envisioned\u201d are all running jokes, at this point.<\/p>\n

This is often a ping-pong game of guesswork: the team is guessing at what the stakeholder wants, while the stakeholder becomes increasingly frustrated that what they\u2019re seeing isnot it<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"Sumo<\/p>\n

Photo credit:Sumo Logic<\/a><\/p>\n

What happens next is that team members start excluding the stakeholder from the process. Sprint plans include fewer iterations, and designs or builds are simply thrown over the fence for review, instead of taking the time to explain decisions.<\/p>\n

Here are some tips that have helped my enterprise teams avoid these issues:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Invite them into the process early<\/b>. You\u2019d be shocked at how many times stakeholders aren\u2019t involved simply because no one asked them. In at least half of the organizations I\u2019ve worked with, they\u2019re excluded (often on purpose). But the more you exclude them, the more concerned they become\u2014and the more influence they try to exert as a result. So start by asking them to be involved. If you feel alienated from them, I guarantee you they feel the same way.\n<\/li>\n
  2. Explain that their vantage point is critical<\/b>. Tell them you can\u2019t do it without them. Invite them to share their pressure and pain, explaining that solving those things are part of the mission. Ask them what success meansto<\/i> them<\/i>. In doing so, you are giving them a sense of control and ownership. They feel like they\u2019re beingheard<\/i>, which is fundamentally a human need.\n<\/li>\n
  3. Educate them about the design process<\/b>. Explain how their information integrates into your work. Fear comes from the unknown; fill in the blanks and the fear disappears. In many cases, it doesn\u2019t take much to change a stakeholder\u2019s position from critic to advocate. When that happens, they\u2019re less likely to reject the results they see (and more likely to endorse your work to other decision makers).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When the Answer is Still \u201cNO\u201d<\/h2>\n

    Yes, you will encounter situations where stakeholders will outright refuse to be involved. When this happens, you have one play left.<\/p>\n

    Request thatall department heads be present for the first working meeting<\/b> (and to me, they\u2019reall<\/i> working meetings).<\/p>\n

    With very few exceptions, you\u2019ll hear some variation of \u201cthat\u2019s unusual \u2026 we don\u2019t normally involve everyone in these projects,<\/i>\u201d or \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s something we can afford to do<\/i>.\u201d You should expect this, so prepare to ask two very simple questions in response:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Over the last 3-4 internal projects, how many of them weresignificantly late and over budget<\/b>?\n<\/li>\n
    2. How many of themfailed to deliver the desired outcome<\/b>, in the eyes of one or more of those stakeholders?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The answer to both of those questions isalmost always<\/i> some variation of \u201cthe majority of them.\u201d When that\u2019s the case, it\u2019s also usually true that they weren\u2019t involved upfront in any of those projects, either.<\/p>\n

      After posing those questions, tell them this is your collective opportunity to change the answer. With very few exceptions, this conversation will put you all on a path to capitalize on that opportunity.<\/p>\n

      For more practical advice, download the 91-page e-book<\/i>Fixing the Enterprise UX Process<\/i><\/a> by Joe Natoli.<\/i><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Quick tips from Joe Natoli. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":15880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,174],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-enterprise-ux"],"yoast_title":"","yoast_metadesc":"Swoop and poop is the nightmare scenraio when a stakeholdwer questions all you have done at a late devolopment stage. How do you avoid it?","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPreventing the Stakeholder \u201cSwoop and Poop\u201d in Enterprise UX | UXPin<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Swoop and poop is the nightmare scenraio when a stakeholdwer questions all you have done at a late devolopment stage. 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