Resolving Disputes Among Stakeholders on Feature Prioritization
Stakeholders often have differing opinions on which features are most valuable. Addressing these disputes effectively is crucial for making informed decisions that maximize value delivery.
Exam Question
Your stakeholders are struggling to come to an agreement about which features are most valuable. What should you do to resolve the dispute?
(choose the best answer)
A. Implement a small part of the feature, deliver it to customers, and gather their feedback.
B. Facilitate a workshop in which stakeholders are allocated imaginary funds they can use to “buy a feature.”
C. Have someone who is “higher ranking” than the stakeholders make the ultimate call on feature priorities.
D. All of the above.
Correct Answer
A. Implement a small part of the feature, deliver it to customers, and gather their feedback.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A. Implement a small part of the feature, deliver it to customers, and gather their feedback:
When stakeholders cannot agree on feature priorities, the most effective way to resolve the dispute is by gathering empirical data. By implementing a small part of the feature and delivering it to customers, you can collect feedback directly from the users. This approach provides tangible insights into what customers find valuable, helping to inform feature prioritization based on real-world data.
Why the Other Options Are Less Effective
B. Facilitate a workshop in which stakeholders are allocated imaginary funds they can use to “buy a feature”:
While this approach can help in gathering stakeholder preferences, it does not provide empirical evidence from actual customers. It is a good supplementary activity but not the primary method for resolving disputes.
C. Have someone who is “higher ranking” than the stakeholders make the ultimate call on feature priorities:
This top-down approach can lead to biased decisions and may not reflect the true needs of customers. It undermines the empirical process by relying on authority rather than data.
D. All of the above:
While each method has its merits, implementing a small part of the feature and gathering customer feedback remains the most effective and reliable approach.
Benefits of Gathering Customer Feedback
- Empirical Data: Real customer feedback provides concrete evidence about the value of features.
- Reduced Risk: Testing features on a small scale minimizes the risk of investing heavily in low-value features.
- Informed Decisions: Data-driven insights lead to more informed and objective decision-making.
- Customer-Centric: Aligns product development with actual customer needs and preferences.
EBM Framework Insights
- Current Value (CV): Customer feedback helps assess the current value of features and their impact on customer satisfaction.
- Unrealized Value (UV): Identifying features that resonate with customers can reveal opportunities for future value.
- Ability to Innovate (A2I): Experimenting with features and gathering feedback fosters a culture of continuous innovation.
- Time to Market (T2M): Quickly testing and iterating on features can accelerate the time to deliver valuable functionalities to the market.
Relevance to the PAL-EBM Exam
Understanding how to resolve stakeholder disputes and prioritize features based on empirical data is crucial for the PAL-EBM exam. This knowledge demonstrates the ability to apply evidence-based management principles to drive value delivery and continuous improvement.
Key Takeaways
- Gathering customer feedback through small feature implementations provides empirical data for informed decision-making.
- Empirical data reduces risk and aligns feature development with customer needs.
- Facilitating workshops and top-down decisions are supplementary methods but less effective than data-driven approaches.
- EBM principles guide feature prioritization by focusing on customer value and continuous improvement.
Conclusion
Resolving stakeholder disputes on feature prioritization through empirical data collection is essential for making informed decisions that maximize value delivery. Implementing small parts of features and gathering customer feedback ensures that product development aligns with actual customer needs. For more information on preparing for the PAL-EBM exam, visit our Professional Agile Leadership PAL-EBM™ Exam Prep.
