First, I talk with stakeholders to understand the importance of their requests. I also check how these requests fit with the product goals. I check how the new feature can help the users and the business. If it has a big impact, I try to make it part of the roadmap. If their request doesn’t fit now, I tell them why and when we can consider it.

It's always a familiar situation where everyone has a stake (or atleast should) in the Product Roadmap. Here's how I juggle: 1. Establish Goals into major sets, mostly 3-5. Goals that has direct influence on organisations Vision, targets and aspirations. 2. Collate and Present relevant features supporting these goals from involved (internal and external) stakeholder sources. 3. Discuss this in a team wide event. Delegate team members to make suggestions and inputs. 4. Educate the team on Prioritisation methods being used. Mostly Kano, Rice. 5. Using a ranking system, based on the urgent and important priorities through to less urgent and important tasks, rank the Product Backlog accordingly.

Balancing stakeholder feature requests with the product roadmap requires a strategic approach. First, prioritize alignment with the product vision and long-term goals. Evaluate requests based on customer impact, business value, and technical feasibility. Communicate transparently with stakeholders, explaining trade-offs and setting realistic expectations. Ultimately, the key is collaboration, clear communication, and a focus on value delivery. And remember, nobody knows your product better than you. So, the final word should always be yours:)

First of all, there is no 'perfect' balance. It is always a judgement call after some basic maths. The math is to factor the cost of the feature vs the impact it brings to the business. Both cost and impacts are estimates and not real values so again there is a balancing act here. As a PM you judge a feature on its merit not whether it is a stakeholder feature request or otherwise. All you need to know is if users need it or not. If yes, treat it like other features. Your duty is to please users and not stakeholders. However stakeholders are called so because they have a 'stake' in the product. When you present your math for impact, involve them and include their inputs with an open mind. They'll agree if you put users' needs first.