I am currently working on a project where the primary stakeholders have conflicting visions and very little time for interviews. What elicitation techniques work best in high-pressure environments? I’ve tried standard interviews, but I'm thinking of moving toward "Joint Application Design" (JAD) sessions or prototyping. How do you handle a stakeholder who constantly changes their mind?
3 answers
Handling conflicting stakeholders is the "bread and butter" of a Senior BA. In high-pressure situations, "Collaborative Games" or "Prototyping" are much more effective than interviews. When stakeholders see a visual representation of their ideas, they realize the contradictions themselves. I suggest using a "Prioritization Matrix" (like MoSCoW) during a JAD session. Force them to agree on what is 'Must-Have' versus 'Should-Have' in a group setting. This creates a collective accountability that makes it much harder for an individual to change their mind later without justifying it to the rest of the group.
Have you tried using "User Story Mapping" to show them the entire journey and where their specific requests fit into the bigger picture?
Always document the "Rationale" behind every decision. When they try to change their mind, you can politely point back to the agreed-upon reason from the last meeting.
Karen is right. A "Decision Log" is your best friend when dealing with stakeholders who have short memories or changing priorities.
Charles, I haven't tried Story Mapping with this group yet. I usually keep that for the dev team, but I can see how it would help the stakeholders see the "flow." If I can show them that their new "priority" request actually breaks the user journey three steps later, it might help them understand the impact of their changes. I’ll try to set up a mapping session next Tuesday to see if we can get everyone on the same page before the next steering committee meeting.