Mastering the Art of Managing Expectations: A Guide

At the core of expectation management, whether in product development or any other stakeholder scenario, lies the principle of Document-Agree-Communicate. This universal approach is essential for setting clear expectations and ensuring alignment among all parties involved. Let’s delve into how this process works:

Document-Agree-Communicate: The Three-Step Process

1. Document: The first step is to create a record of expectations. Documenting expectations provides all stakeholders with a clear and concrete reference point. This documentation is crucial for expressing both scope and priority, ensuring everyone has a shared understanding of what is expected. Without this key artefact, it is impossible to clearly communicate the scope and priority of tasks, making agreement and alignment difficult to achieve.
2. Agree: The next step is to secure explicit agreement from key stakeholders that the documented expectations are accurate and acceptable. Simply having the scope and priority documented is not sufficient; there must be a consensus that these elements are correct. Agreement ensures that all parties are on the same page and committed to the outlined expectations. This step is crucial for stakeholder management, as it solidifies the mutual understanding and commitment to the documented goals.
3. Communicate: The final step is to maintain regular communication about progress towards meeting the documented expectations and any changes that may occur. Regular updates are essential for keeping stakeholders informed and engaged. This step is vital for managing expectations effectively, as it ensures that any deviations from the original plan are promptly communicated and addressed. Without regular communication, stakeholders may be left in the dark, leading to misalignment and potential dissatisfaction.

This Document-Agree-Communicate process is not only fundamental in product management but also applicable in any scenario where managing stakeholder expectations is crucial.

Application in Product Management

In product management, this three-step process is applied at both the macro level—through roadmapping—and the granular level—through managing specific features and capabilities.

Macro Level: Roadmapping

A well-designed roadmap is a powerful tool for managing expectations This is the Documenting and Agreeing stage of effective expectation management. However, it’s essential to focus on outcomes rather than outputs. Outcomes represent the value and benefits the product delivers, whereas outputs are merely the features and capabilities developed along the way. Where you have a clearly expressed roadmap focussed on outcomes and agreed by key stakeholders you are 2/3 of the way to effective stakeholder management.

Key Steps in Roadmapping:

1. Define Clear Outcomes: Establish what success looks like in terms of user and business value, shifting the focus from feature delivery to achieving meaningful results.
2. Regular Reviews: Frequently review the roadmap with key stakeholders to discuss changes in priorities or new insights, ensuring everyone remains aligned.
3. Visual Communication: Use the roadmap to visually communicate why certain outcomes take precedence over others. For example, if a new contract requires accelerating a feature’s delivery, the roadmap can illustrate why this outcome is now a higher priority and how it impacts other planned outcomes.

Tip: Maintain Different Versions of Your Roadmap

• Internal Detailed Version: Includes specific dates for managing budgets and staffing.
• Internal General Version: Shows expected outcomes by month for team alignment.
• External Version: Displays outcomes expected in each quarter, suitable for clients and broader stakeholders.

Creating a roadmap from scratch can seem daunting, but it is essential for successful communication and expectation management. Here’s how to approach it:

1. Identify Key Outcomes: Start by determining the primary outcomes your product needs to achieve.
2. Engage Stakeholders: Involve stakeholders in prioritising these outcomes to ensure their needs and expectations are considered.
3. Map Out a Timeline: Develop a timeline outlining when these outcomes are expected, keeping it flexible to accommodate changes.

Granular Level: Managing Features and Capabilities

Beyond high-level outcomes, managing expectations around specific features and capabilities is equally important. Stakeholders often make assumptions when agreeing to an outcome about what features will be developed or what capabilities will be included, leading to misaligned expectations.

Strategies for Managing Feature-Level Expectations:

• Maintain your backlog: A well managed backlog is your Document in this example, it includes scope and priority at a granular level.
• Prioritisation Involvement: Engage key stakeholders in backlog prioritisation using methods like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have). This ensures they understand what will and won’t be included upfront and forms the Agree in the stakeholder management process
• Sprint Planning and Reviews: Include stakeholders in sprint planning and review sessions in order to Communicate progress towards delivery and any changes to priorities. This keeps them updated on development progress, changes, and helps in reprioritising based on the latest insights.

Continuous Communication: The Key to Success

Managing expectations effectively is an ongoing process. It involves maintaining and utilising key assets like the roadmap and backlog, using them as tools for communication, and engaging stakeholders regularly.

In Summary:

• Focus on outcomes, not outputs, to communicate value.
• Maintain multiple versions of your roadmap for different audiences.
• Engage stakeholders in prioritisation and review processes.
• Communicate frequently and transparently to build trust and facilitate flexibility.

By honing these skills, product managers and CPOs can navigate the complexities of product development more effectively, ensuring that stakeholders remain informed, aligned, and satisfied with the product’s progress.

Want to enhance your product management skills further? Check out our previous blog post on the D.R.I.V.E.N competencies for product managers.

Let’s continue driving excellence in product management together!