- Comprehending multiple opposing stakeholders' viewpoints - Creating a framework for open communication - Executing without ambiguity

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Prioritization with Stakeholders by
Instacart Product Lead

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5. Gaurav Kumar
T O N I G H T ’ S S P E A K E R

6. Product Prioritization 101
Typical “day in the life” PM prioritization within your org:
● What should your team be working on?
● Why is it important?
● What are your costs/timelines/budgets?
● What is your time to market?
● How will this push/change a key metric?
● What are your tradeoffs?

7. Where Prioritization gets tricky...
● The stakeholders are external
● They all have conflicting beliefs and success criteria
● There are multiple stakeholder personas
● No one has priorities that line up..
● Yet, you have to build one solution that satisfies everyone!

8. Case in Point: Instacart’s Stakeholder Personas
● Customers - “we want 1 hour delivery with no errors!”
● Shoppers - “we want batches that are efficient to shop!”
● Retailers/Grocery Partners - “our own digital properties need to grow!”
● Legal/Compliance Entities - “per Regulation 1.a.3.xi the feature needs to..”
● Vendor Partners/Relationships - “that’s not on our Q3 roadmap!”
● Internal Teams at Instacart - “that’s not on our Q3 roadmap either!”

9. Step 1: Comprehend stakeholder problems
For each stakeholder persona, engage them in a 1:1 dialog first.
● Listen first, ask questions later
● Refrain from solutioning
● Peel back the layers to get to the core problems - ask for data!
● Track where the core problems overlap with other stakeholders
● Then, tie those to your own product goals and metrics

10. Step 2: Open up lines of communication
Bring multiple stakeholders to the same conversation.
● Establish standups between the groups
● Avoid being the messenger between parties
● Lay out where they agree and how it solves a problem for them
● Create a shared roadmap that addresses points of conflict
● Follow up with clear but concise decision points

11. Step 3: Execute without ambiguity
Once the goals and metrics are clear;
● Rinse repeat Steps 1 & 2 throughout - it helps close the conflict gap!
● Break down large efforts into smaller pieces - demo often!
● When things start to go off track - escalate!
● Celebrate shared wins, while acknowledging differences - keep smiling!

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