Your product release timeline just got pushed back. How do you handle stakeholder expectations effectively?

Começo comunicando imediatamente as razões do adiamento, apresentando uma análise clara dos riscos envolvidos e os passos que estão sendo tomados para mitigar esses riscos e garantir a qualidade do lançamento. Compartilho um cronograma revisado e me comprometo com atualizações regulares sobre o progresso, mantendo todos informados e engajados. Além disso, demonstro que essa decisão foi tomada para garantir que o produto atenda aos padrões de excelência da empresa, reforçando a confiança das partes interessadas no compromisso com a entrega de valor a longo prazo.

Transparency is crucial, but also emphasize the "why" behind the delay — whether it's quality improvement, unforeseen challenges, or market shifts. Provide a clear revised roadmap that breaks down key milestones, allowing stakeholders to see how the project is still progressing. Offering alternatives, such as partial releases or additional support, shows proactive problem-solving. Lastly, align expectations by reiterating shared goals, reinforcing that the delay is ultimately in their best interest.

Unfortunately, this scenario isn't uncommon. I would suggest that you ask the difficult questions ahead of launch in a proactive manner and try to create a confidence scale that can be included with your launches. This confidence scale could look something like acknowledging the release date (September 15), including a confidence scale (75%), and identifying any potential reasons for missing the launch (Engineering resources are highly focused on a separate project, which could pause work on this release and delay minimally). Of course, your Product Manager counterparts need to buy into this, and a baseline needs to be agreed upon to measure against a realistic and effective confidence scale.

Be prompt. Be honest. Delaying only makes it worse. Empathize with their concerns (especially if the customer is impacted by this). Take the hit like a "duck in water" - let it roll off your back so you can move on with your day. In the majority of cases, once frustration is expressed (and most importantly, acknowledged by the other side) - that is usually the end of it. People understand that "stuff happens". No need to dwell or stew on it. Just take care of it (even if it's sometimes easier said than done).