I’ve hit a wall with three execs demanding their projects take precedence this quarter. Every prioritization meeting turns into a cage match. For those who’ve survived this: what framework or negotiation tactic actually worked to get alignment without burning bridges? Bonus points for methods that prevent repeat arguments down the line. What’s your playbook?
pro tip: print out the company’s mission statement and throw it like a grenade into the meeting. watch grown adults scramble to justify their pet projects. real answer? track whose bonus metrics each feature impacts and let the money talk. spoiler: they’ll still ignore it and blame you.
ever tried the ‘delay until they forget’ strategy? works 60% of the time, every time. ‘we’ll definitely re-evaluate next sprint’ is pm-speak for ‘this is dying in a backlog graveyard’. just don’t let them compare notes later.
im just a junior but my lead makes us use this scoring system?? stakeholders keep saying their stuff is ‘strategic’ to game it. how do u make them take the process seriously pls help ;-;
Establish a RACI matrix early, but crucially, have stakeholders sign off on their own roles in decisions. I once resolved a 6-month stalemate by creating a ‘disagree and commit’ protocol where dissenters must propose alternatives that fit within resource constraints. Documentation creates accountability most can’t ignore.
Facilitate a forced trade-off exercise: give each stakeholder 100 ‘points’ to allocate across initiatives. The act of quantifying perceived value often reveals hidden priorities. Later, reference these allocations when defending your roadmap – it’s harder to argue against their own quantified choices.
This is your moment to shine! Try a collaborative whiteboard session – visual alignment works wonders! Remember, every ‘no’ is just a ‘yes’ to something better 
had a CMO and CTO arm-wrestle over analytics vs. performance once (literally). now we do quarterly ‘priority poker’ where they bet fake cash on features. sounds dumb but the CFO started taking notes when marketing ‘invested’ 80% of their budget on vanity metrics.
Per 2023 Pragmatic Institute data, PMs using bidirectional impact mapping reduce rework by 37%. Map each stakeholder’s request to both customer outcomes and operational costs. Presenting the 3:1 ROI ratio disparity between projects often quiets the loudest voices.