You're leading an agile project. How do you keep stakeholders engaged from start to finish?

It depends on the project manager. Some will work on communication management to engage the stakeholders. I personally use the stakeholder influence and interest matrix. The stakeholder who has influence in the project and have interest as well this stakeholder will be very engaging and needs to be updated in every development of the project. But for the opposite case it will not be an engaging stakeholder. On the other hand a stakeholder with interest but less influence will not be engaging as well.

I establish a clear communication plan at the project's outset, scheduling regular stakeholder meetings and demos to showcase progress and gather feedback. Throughout the project, I maintain transparency by sharing sprint goals, burndown charts, and updated product backlogs, ensuring stakeholders understand the evolving product and can contribute meaningful input. I also proactively address concerns, celebrate milestones, and continuously emphasize the value being delivered, fostering a sense of ownership and excitement among stakeholders from kickoff to final delivery.

In order to maintain the interest of the stakeholders during an agile project, I would invite them to participate in various sprint reviews and planning meetings to gain feedback as well as realign project objectives if they were off track along the way. Getting stakeholders’ attention and interest and keeping these is important communication through emails, reports on the project, and text as well as visual presentations with a working version of the project. In addition to this, inviting inputs for such key decisions from stakeholders and providing insights into how the various tasks will be prioritized will greatly enhance the commitment of stakeholders to the project.

Regular Communication: Hold frequent updates and sprint reviews to keep stakeholders informed of progress and changes. Involve Early and Often: Include stakeholders in initial planning, backlog refinement, and sprint demos to ensure their input is integrated. Set Clear Expectations: Define roles, responsibilities, and expectations for stakeholder involvement from the beginning. Showcase Progress: Regularly demonstrate completed features and gather feedback to maintain interest and alignment. Adapt to Feedback: Be responsive to stakeholder feedback, making adjustments to the project as needed. Build Relationships: Foster open communication and trust through consistent engagement and transparency.

Como he defendido y expuesto en gran cantidad de ocasiones, no hay más secreto que la comunicación con los stakeholders. Mantener informadas a todas las partes del proyecto es clave para que todos estén alineados y comprometidos y poder actuar ante imprevistos de una forma ágil.