{"id":"39708274-85b1-4504-b79b-edde7c032ddd","shortId":"VmQ6Ej","kind":"skill","title":"stakeholder-alignment","tagline":"Align stakeholders and secure buy-in: stakeholder map, pre-brief plan, decision summary.","description":"# Stakeholder Alignment\n\n## Scope\n\n**Covers**\n- Getting to shared understanding on **goal, decision, and success criteria**\n- Mapping stakeholders (deciders/influencers/blockers) and tailoring messaging to what they care about\n- Turning “opinions” into **decision principles + evaluation criteria**\n- Running a **no-surprises** pre-brief loop to surface objections early\n- Facilitating an alignment/decision meeting and locking follow-through with clear comms\n\n**When to use**\n- “Help me get exec buy-in for this roadmap change.”\n- “We keep leaving meetings ‘aligned’ and then un-aligning—fix the process.”\n- “Map stakeholders and create a plan to align them on a proposal.”\n- “I need cross-functional alignment (Eng/Design/Sales/Legal) before we commit.”\n- “Draft an alignment pre-read + meeting plan + follow-up comms.”\n\n**When NOT to use**\n- You don’t yet have a clear problem to solve (use problem definition first).\n- You mainly need a decision framework/roles for a complex choice (use `running-decision-processes`; this skill assumes you can name the decision and stakeholders).\n- You only need a polished deck or talk track (use `giving-presentations`; this skill focuses on alignment mechanics and artifacts, not slide design).\n- The work is ongoing cross-functional coordination, not a discrete alignment push (use `cross-functional-collaboration`).\n- You need to influence or manage your relationship with your manager specifically (use `managing-up`).\n- The request is interpersonal/HR/legal or requires specialist counsel.\n\n## Inputs\n\n**Minimum required**\n- Alignment goal: **inform / align / decide** (and by when)\n- The proposal (or decision) in one sentence + why now\n- Stakeholder list (or org context to infer it)\n- Constraints/non-negotiables (timeline, budget, policy, compliance, customer commitments)\n- Current state: what’s already been discussed, and where alignment breaks down\n\n**Missing-info strategy**\n- Ask 3–5 questions from [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md) at a time.\n- If key info is unavailable, proceed with explicit assumptions and label unknowns.\n\n## Outputs (deliverables)\n\nProduce a **Stakeholder Alignment Pack** (Markdown in-chat; or files if requested) in this order:\n1) **Alignment Brief (1-pager)** (goal, decision/ask, why now, user value, success criteria, constraints, tradeoffs)\n2) **Stakeholder Map + “How They Think” notes** (roles, incentives, likely objections, decision principles)\n3) **Alignment Plan** (pre-brief sequence, artifacts, timeline, and “no surprises” plan)\n4) **Alignment Pre-read + Meeting Plan** (agenda, vital questions, options/tradeoffs, decision capture)\n5) **Decision Summary + Comms Draft** (what we decided, why, what changes, owners, next steps)\n6) **Risks / Open questions / Next steps** (always)\n\nTemplates: [references/TEMPLATES.md](references/TEMPLATES.md)  \nExpanded guidance: [references/WORKFLOW.md](references/WORKFLOW.md)\n\n## Workflow (8 steps)\n\n### 1) Define the alignment target (what does “aligned” mean?)\n- **Inputs:** user context; [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).\n- **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.\n- **Outputs:** Alignment Brief sections: Goal, Decision/Ask, Deadline, Scope boundaries.\n- **Checks:** You can finish the sentence: “After alignment, stakeholders will commit to _____ by _____.“\n\n### 2) Map stakeholders and decision rights (who matters, and why)\n- **Inputs:** org context; prior meeting notes; known stakeholders.\n- **Actions:** Build a stakeholder map: decider(s), approvers, influencers, implementers, blockers, and “silent veto” risks. Identify who must not be surprised.\n- **Outputs:** Stakeholder Map (table) + “pre-brief required” list.\n- **Checks:** Every critical function affected (e.g., Eng, Design, Sales, Support, Legal/Compliance, Finance) is either included or explicitly out of scope.\n\n### 3) Decode “how they think” (principles, not just opinions)\n- **Inputs:** prior feedback; exec writings/talks; observed patterns.\n- **Actions:** Convert stakeholder feedback into 3–7 **decision principles** (e.g., “must feel like the future”, “minimize enterprise risk”). Note what evidence persuades them.\n- **Outputs:** “How They Think” notes (per key stakeholder) + principles list.\n- **Checks:** For each key stakeholder, you can explain: “In what world does their viewpoint make sense?”\n\n### 4) Anchor on user value + business constraints (cut through noise)\n- **Inputs:** proposal; user/customer context; constraints.\n- **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).\n- **Outputs:** Alignment Brief sections: User value, Why now, Constraints, Tradeoffs.\n- **Checks:** A skeptical stakeholder can’t dismiss the proposal as “nice to have” without disputing a stated assumption.\n\n### 5) Define evaluation criteria and “what good looks like”\n- **Inputs:** goals, constraints, stakeholder principles.\n- **Actions:** Create evaluation criteria (and weights if helpful). Set expectations that agreement may feel uncomfortable at first; focus stakeholders on criteria over gut feel.\n- **Outputs:** Criteria list (and optional criteria table) + “discomfort is normal” expectation-setting line for meetings.\n- **Checks:** Criteria are few (3–7), mutually meaningful (real tradeoffs), and tied to stakeholder principles.\n\n### 6) Run the pre-brief loop (no surprises; watch reactions)\n- **Inputs:** draft pack; pre-brief list.\n- **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.\n- **Outputs:** Pre-brief notes + objections log + updated pack + change log.\n- **Checks:** No major stakeholder sees the core ask for the first time in the live meeting.\n\n### 7) Facilitate the alignment/decision meeting (commitments, not vibes)\n- **Inputs:** final pre-read; agenda; decision capture plan.\n- **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.\n- **Outputs:** Meeting notes + decision capture + action list.\n- **Checks:** Everyone leaves knowing: what we decided, why, what changes tomorrow, and who owns what.\n\n### 8) Communicate and lock alignment (prevent re-litigation)\n- **Inputs:** decision capture; action list; stakeholder map.\n- **Actions:** Send a crisp summary to all stakeholders (including those not in the room). Document rationale and tradeoffs. Set a review/checkpoint date.\n- **Outputs:** Decision Summary + Comms Draft + review checkpoint.\n- **Checks:** Follow-up comms contains: decision, rationale, tradeoffs, owners, dates, and what would trigger a revisit.\n\n## Quality gate (required)\n- Run [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and score with [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).\n- Always include: **Risks**, **Open questions**, **Next steps**.\n\n## Examples\n\n**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.”  \nExpected: Alignment Brief, Stakeholder Map, pre-brief plan + notes template, meeting plan + comms draft.\n\n**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.”  \nExpected: explicit constraints, evaluation criteria, no-surprises pre-brief loop, decision capture, and follow-up comms.\n\n**Boundary example (redirect):** “Set up a recurring cross-functional sync so Eng, Design, and Sales stay coordinated on the roadmap.”\nResponse: This is ongoing coordination, not a discrete alignment push. Redirect to `cross-functional-collaboration` for cadence design and operating rhythms. If there is also a specific decision that needs alignment, handle that decision with this skill first.\n\n**Boundary example (reframe):** “Make them agree with me; they’re irrational.”\nResponse: 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.\n\n## Anti-patterns (common failure modes)\n\n1. **”Alignment theater”** -- Running the pre-brief loop and meeting rituals but never naming the actual decision or commitment. The pack looks complete but nothing changes because there is no concrete ask.\n2. **Skipping the pre-brief loop** -- Going straight to a large meeting with new information. Surprises in the room create defensive reactions and kill alignment.\n3. **Treating all stakeholders the same** -- Sending one deck to everyone instead of tailoring messaging to each stakeholder’s principles and incentives. Leads to “polite nods” followed by private objections.\n4. **Confusing “inform” with “align”** -- Broadcasting a decision already made and calling it alignment. If stakeholders have no real input, label it “inform” honestly.\n5. **No follow-through artifact** -- Ending with verbal agreement but no written decision summary, owners, or review checkpoint. 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