For large, potentially controversial projects, dedicate significant time upfront to meet every stakeholder group—from supporters to critics. By socializing the idea and framing its benefits for each party, you can build widespread support that preempts future opposition.

To create a cohesive product across multiple teams, GitHub uses a framework that forces alignment upfront. By ensuring all teams first deeply understand the problem and collectively identify solutions, the final execution is naturally integrated, preventing a disjointed experience that mirrors the org structure.

The goal of asking questions isn't just for you to gather information. It's a Socratic dialogue designed to help stakeholders think differently and arrive at the real need themselves. By guiding their thought process, you build deeper alignment and co-create a better solution, rather than just extracting requirements for yourself to fulfill.

Product managers frequently receive solutions, not problems, from stakeholders. Instead of saying no, the effective approach is to reframe the solution as a set of assumptions and build a discovery backlog to systematically test them. This builds alignment and leads to better outcomes.

Enterprise deals often stall because the large buying committee isn't aligned. A mutual action plan (MAP), ideally in a shared digital sales room, gets everyone on the same page by outlining the necessary steps for the deal to close, preventing delays and confusion.

In siloed government environments, pushing for change fails. The effective strategy is to involve agency leaders directly in the process. By presenting data, establishing a common goal (serving the citizen), and giving them a voice in what gets built, they transition from roadblocks to champions.

Ensure the person who can ultimately approve funding for new initiatives is an active participant in the workshop. Their presence builds early buy-in and momentum, preventing promising ideas from being rejected later by a decision-maker who lacks context on their origin.

When pitching a long-term strategic fix, regional leaders prioritized immediate revenue goals. The product team gained traction not by dismissing these concerns, but by acknowledging their validity. This respect builds the trust necessary to balance short-term needs with long-term investment.

Instead of arguing for more time, product leaders should get stakeholder buy-in on a standardized decision-making process. The depth and rigor of each step can then be adjusted based on available time, from a two-day workshop to an eight-month study, without skipping agreed-upon stages.