stakeholder-alignment

What this skill does

# Stakeholder Alignment

## Scope

**Covers**
- Getting to shared understanding on **goal, decision, and success criteria**
- Mapping stakeholders (deciders/influencers/blockers) and tailoring messaging to what they care about
- Turning “opinions” into **decision principles + evaluation criteria**
- Running a **no-surprises** pre-brief loop to surface objections early
- Facilitating an alignment/decision meeting and locking follow-through with clear comms

**When to use**
- “Help me get exec buy-in for this roadmap change.”
- “We keep leaving meetings ‘aligned’ and then un-aligning—fix the process.”
- “Map stakeholders and create a plan to align them on a proposal.”
- “I need cross-functional alignment (Eng/Design/Sales/Legal) before we commit.”
- “Draft an alignment pre-read + meeting plan + follow-up comms.”

**When NOT to use**
- You don’t yet have a clear problem to solve (use problem definition first).
- You mainly need a decision framework/roles for a complex choice (use a decision-process skill; this skill assumes you can name the decision and stakeholders).
- You only need a polished deck (use a presentation skill; this focuses on alignment mechanics and artifacts).
- The request is interpersonal/HR/legal or requires specialist counsel.

## Inputs

**Minimum required**
- Alignment goal: **inform / align / decide** (and by when)
- The proposal (or decision) in one sentence + why now
- Stakeholder list (or org context to infer it)
- Constraints/non-negotiables (timeline, budget, policy, compliance, customer commitments)
- Current state: what’s already been discussed, and where alignment breaks down

**Missing-info strategy**
- Ask 3–5 questions from [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md) at a time.
- If key info is unavailable, proceed with explicit assumptions and label unknowns.

## Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a **Stakeholder Alignment Pack** (Markdown in-chat; or files if requested) in this order:
1) **Alignment Brief (1-pager)** (goal, decision/ask, why now, user value, success criteria, constraints, tradeoffs)
2) **Stakeholder Map + “How They Think” notes** (roles, incentives, likely objections, decision principles)
3) **Alignment Plan** (pre-brief sequence, artifacts, timeline, and “no surprises” plan)
4) **Alignment Pre-read + Meeting Plan** (agenda, vital questions, options/tradeoffs, decision capture)
5) **Decision Summary + Comms Draft** (what we decided, why, what changes, owners, next steps)
6) **Risks / Open questions / Next steps** (always)

Templates: [references/TEMPLATES.md](references/TEMPLATES.md)  
Expanded guidance: [references/WORKFLOW.md](references/WORKFLOW.md)

## Workflow (8 steps)

### 1) Define the alignment target (what does “aligned” mean?)
- **Inputs:** user context; [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).
- **Actions:** Classify the goal (**inform/align/decide**) and name the decision/commitment (or the output of alignment). Set a date and what “done” looks like.
- **Outputs:** Alignment Brief sections: Goal, Decision/Ask, Deadline, Scope boundaries.
- **Checks:** You can finish the sentence: “After alignment, stakeholders will commit to _____ by _____.“

### 2) Map stakeholders and decision rights (who matters, and why)
- **Inputs:** org context; prior meeting notes; known stakeholders.
- **Actions:** Build a stakeholder map: decider(s), approvers, influencers, implementers, blockers, and “silent veto” risks. Identify who must not be surprised.
- **Outputs:** Stakeholder Map (table) + “pre-brief required” list.
- **Checks:** Every critical function affected (e.g., Eng, Design, Sales, Support, Legal/Compliance, Finance) is either included or explicitly out of scope.

### 3) Decode “how they think” (principles, not just opinions)
- **Inputs:** prior feedback; exec writings/talks; observed patterns.
- **Actions:** Convert stakeholder feedback into 3–7 **decision principles** (e.g., “must feel like the future”, “minimize enterprise risk”). Note what evidence persuades them.
- **Outputs:** “How They Think” notes (per key stakeholder) + principles list.
- **Checks:** For each key stakeholder, you can explain: “In what world does their viewpoint make sense?”

### 4) Anchor on user value + business constraints (cut through noise)
- **Inputs:** proposal; user/customer context; constraints.
- **Actions:** Draft the narrative spine: user value (the “vital question”), why now, and the unavoidable tradeoffs. Make constraints explicit (compliance, monetization, go-to-market, reliability).
- **Outputs:** Alignment Brief sections: User value, Why now, Constraints, Tradeoffs.
- **Checks:** A skeptical stakeholder can’t dismiss the proposal as “nice to have” without disputing a stated assumption.

### 5) Define evaluation criteria and “what good looks like”
- **Inputs:** goals, constraints, stakeholder principles.
- **Actions:** Create evaluation criteria (and weights if helpful). Set expectations that agreement may feel uncomfortable at first; focus stakeholders on criteria over gut feel.
- **Outputs:** Criteria list (and optional criteria table) + “discomfort is normal” expectation-setting line for meetings.
- **Checks:** Criteria are few (3–7), mutually meaningful (real tradeoffs), and tied to stakeholder principles.

### 6) Run the pre-brief loop (no surprises; watch reactions)
- **Inputs:** draft pack; pre-brief list.
- **Actions:** Meet key stakeholders 1:1 (or small groups). Observe what lands (and what causes “dead eyes”), capture objections, and update the pack. Keep a change log.
- **Outputs:** Pre-brief notes + objections log + updated pack + change log.
- **Checks:** No major stakeholder sees the core ask for the first time in the live meeting.

### 7) Facilitate the alignment/decision meeting (commitments, not vibes)
- **Inputs:** final pre-read; agenda; decision capture plan.
- **Actions:** Open with the alignment target and vital question. Walk through options/tradeoffs against criteria. Confirm the decision and commitments (owner + due dates). Record dissent and follow-ups.
- **Outputs:** Meeting notes + decision capture + action list.
- **Checks:** Everyone leaves knowing: what we decided, why, what changes tomorrow, and who owns what.

### 8) Communicate and lock alignment (prevent re-litigation)
- **Inputs:** decision capture; action list; stakeholder map.
- **Actions:** Send a crisp summary to all stakeholders (including those not in the room). Document rationale and tradeoffs. Set a review/checkpoint date.
- **Outputs:** Decision Summary + Comms Draft + review checkpoint.
- **Checks:** Follow-up comms contains: decision, rationale, tradeoffs, owners, dates, and what would trigger a revisit.

## Quality gate (required)
- Run [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and score with [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).
- Always include: **Risks**, **Open questions**, **Next steps**.

## Examples

**Example 1:** “We need exec alignment on a 6-week pause of Feature A to address reliability. Draft the alignment brief, stakeholder map, pre-brief plan, and the decision meeting plan.”  
Expected: Alignment Brief, Stakeholder Map, pre-brief plan + notes template, meeting plan + comms draft.

**Example 2:** “Sales and Legal are blocking a self-serve launch. Create a cross-functional alignment plan that surfaces constraints early and lands on a committed path.”  
Expected: explicit constraints, evaluation criteria, no-surprises pre-brief loop, decision capture, and follow-up comms.

**Boundary example:** “Make them agree with me; they’re irrational.”  
Response: refuse to ‘win politics’; reframe to an evidence-based alignment process (principles, criteria, tradeoffs). If the user can’t name a decision/goal, do problem definition first.