The Data Point #6: 6 Ways to Manage Stakeholder Requests

How you navigate stakeholder relationships is an important aspect of being a data analyst.

Project requests will come often and completing them takes more than technical ability. It requires strong communication and collaboration skills.

Let’s break down 6 ways to manage stakeholder requests well.

1| Understand the end goal of the request

Sometimes you can begin working on a project without a clear idea of what is being asked.

This can result in delivering a product that doesn’t solve the issue, despite all your hard work.

It can also result in having to ask questions later on that you should have asked in the beginning.

Sometimes, stakeholders aren’t even sure what they’re looking for either. Asking for the “Why” behind the report gets to the bottom of this. It can help you determine whether this project is a “need to have” or a “nice to have.”

2| Ask lots of questions

Like the first point, ask lots of questions during the discovery phase of the project.

This goes beyond the “Why” and extends into the details of the project as well. Try to make sure you get a grasp on as many details about the project as possible.

This will ensure you’re fulfilling everything as desired, and even more!

3| Give a Timeline

It’s often good to ask when they need it by, but if there’s no rush then give them a timeline. Will it take a week? A month? A few days? It’s a good move to let them know what they should expect.

If they do provide a date or a range of dates that are unrealistic, don’t be afraid to push back and manage expectations. To a reasonable extent of course.

But generally do your best to abide by the timeline they ask for, as long as it’s realistic. Let them know when they might be hearing from you again or when you might have an initial draft ready. These moves will help build trust!

4| Be proactive in giving updates

Say your project will take a few weeks. Well, don’t wait until a few weeks have gone by to get in touch with them. Provide them with some updates throughout the process to continue garnering trust.

Say a week has gone by. You can check in with an email and say “Just letting you know we’re making steady progress! We should be done with everything by X date.” This lets them know you’re on top of it and working on it.

On the other end, if there’s a hiccup that might delay the project, communicate that as well! “We’re having some issues with X, but we’re working through it. We may need to extend the due date of the project to X date. Does that work for you?”

Being proactive in this way helps as opposed to letting them know at the due date that there will be a delay. That might not make them happy. So be proactive and communicate early!

5| Provide a draft and get feedback

When you’re done with the project, provide them with a draft that they can review. This allows them to make sure everything looks as it should and point out any issues if they see them. It also allows them to request extra features to make the end result even better.

Once you have that feedback, give another timeline, and go work on the adjustments. When completed, provide them with another draft until everything is to satisfaction.

6| Monitor completed project for improvements

You don’t want to complete the project and bail. Keep an eye on it or continue getting feedback to make sure the final product is working smoothly. Perhaps you’ll catch some improvements you want to make.

This depends on the nature of the project a bit. If you’re creating a report requested via ticketing platform in another department, it may be tough to track it once it’s done. However, you can check in with the stakeholders after a few days. For projects that you consistently run with, monitoring them will be much easier.

Being an analyst is more than doing deep work all day. It’s also collaborating with stakeholders day in and day out!

That’s it for this week.

See you next time ✌️

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