In an environment where projects are born and die in the blink of an eye, the key to success lies in skillfully navigating challenges and opportunities. In this navigation, stakeholder interviews are a compass that guides us towards a safe harbour: project success.

What are Stakeholder Interviews?

A stakeholder interview is a conversation with a stakeholder, a person who is interested in your project and aims to gather insights to guide its success.

How to Conduct an Effective Interview

Conducting stakeholder interviews is an activity that can be done at any time throughout the project's journey, but it is advisable to do so at the beginning of the journey. In this delicate phase, the information collected can significantly influence the project's design and development.

Here are the steps to conduct a good interview:

1. Establish the Objective: Understand what you want to achieve from the interview, whether it's gaining stakeholder support or identifying their communication preferences.

2. Prepare the Questions: Use a discussion guide with open-ended questions to achieve your goal.

3. Introduce and Build Rapport: Start the interview by introducing yourself and explaining its purpose. Create a friendly environment and encourage stakeholders to be open and honest.

4. Conduct the Interview: Listen carefully to the responses and ask follow-up questions to delve deeper. Maintain a neutral demeanour and focus on gathering information.

5. Conclusion and Follow-up: Thank the stakeholders for their time and email them summarising the key points discussed.

If stakeholders are unavailable for an in-person meeting, you can email them the questions. In this case, select only the most important and relevant questions.

Benefits of stakeholder interviews

Stakeholder interviews allow you to:

• Understand the Context and History: Interviews help you understand the landscape and identify potential obstacles that may arise along the way.

• Align on Objectives: Your stakeholders have a different perspective than your end users. Interviews allow you to understand their priorities and business goals for the project.

• Create a Shared Vision: All stakeholders must be aligned on the project's vision. Interviews allow you to create a shared vision and identify any discrepancies.

• Increase Support and Communication: Interviews make stakeholders feel heard and involved. This increases their support for the project and facilitates communication throughout the process, avoiding misunderstandings and tensions.

Stakeholder interviews are a valuable tool for gathering information, building relationships, and increasing the success of your project. Investing time in this activity will help you avoid problems, gain stakeholder support, and create a product or service that meets their needs.

References:

• https://www.nngroup.com/articles/stakeholder-interviews/