Most project failures don’t come from bad solutions—they come from engaging the wrong stakeholders, in the wrong way, at the wrong time. In this session, you’ll learn how to understand stakeholders before your first requirements conversation, using tools like the onion diagram, stakeholder mapping, and the influence–impact grid. Each reveals a different dimension of power, proximity, and impact—and when viewed together, they expose stakeholder dynamics that org charts never show. Through a systems-thinking lens, we’ll treat stakeholders as a living, interconnected system that shifts over time. By recognizing this system early, you’ll start those conversations better prepared, anticipate resistance, ask more effective questions, and make better decisions in complex tech projects.

Outcomes
Use the onion diagram, stakeholder map, and influence–impact grid.
Reveal stakeholder dynamics that org charts don’t show.
Anticipate resistance before your first requirements conversation.

Can be presented as a talk or workshop