The artwork of claiming “no” as a product supervisor

Saying “no” to numerous stakeholders, concepts, and requests is a routine a part of each product supervisor’s job. To some extent, how good you might be at saying “no” straight interprets into how effectively you do your job as a product supervisor.

On this article, I’ll share my tips about the best way to say “no.” It’s a part of the job — studying the best way to do it successfully is necessary to forestall anybody from losing time or assets.

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Desk of contents

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Why product managers should discover ways to say no

There’s this saying {that a} correct technique is what you don’t do, relatively than what you truly do. It is sensible.

In actuality, there are all the time extra ache factors to be solved and alternatives to pursue than you probably might deal with:

For those who pursued all of them, you’d bury your self in an unfocused catch-up sport making an attempt to make everybody comfortable. However your job is to not make everybody comfortable. It’s to drive lasting enterprise outcomes.

Mastering the best way to reject unrelated requests that don’t contribute to your product technique is important to remain on observe for long-term success.

Learn how to mitigate poor requests early

The very best factor you are able to do is to keep away from conditions when you need to say no within the first place.

You are able to do that by constructing transparency and understanding how issues are determined and what you might be specializing in and why, in addition to by speaking with key stakeholders continuously.

As a substitute of telling individuals no, educate them the best way to filter their concepts earlier than even approaching you.

You do this by:

• Being clear along with your roadmap and backlog
• Having common 1:1s with key stakeholders

Be clear about roadmaps and backlogs

Maintain your roadmap and backlog clear always.

It will scale back duplicate requests. When a stakeholder can see {that a} comparable thought is already within the backlog, there’s a decrease likelihood they’ll come to you with “the same but completely different” thought.

It additionally reveals what you at present have in your plate. When you have 5 large but invaluable initiatives deliberate in your roadmap, it’ll be a sign to stakeholders that you simply gained’t have time for his or her “nice-to-have” request.

If, alternatively, you retain your roadmap for your self, stakeholders may assume that you’re becoming bored and eager for a bunch of latest concepts from them.

Have common 1:1s with key stakeholders

Establish which stakeholders are most definitely to convey you concepts and requests and keep in contact with them often.

Routine 1:1 conferences are an important tactic right here. Attempt to have them a minimum of as soon as a month and extra continuously with extra engaged stakeholders.

Firstly, it’ll help you assist them perceive your product technique. Common catch-ups help you refresh your product technique in stakeholders’ minds. By consistently reminding them of your technique, route, and targets, you body their mind-set and maximize the probabilities that their subsequent pitch can be related to your targets.

It’ll additionally assist you to unpack concepts at an early stage. Touchpoints encourage stakeholders to share their concepts with you. And also you wish to hear them early on.

It lets you collaborate with them and switch their concepts into extra significant, strategy-related instructions. If the idea is totally flawed, it offers you an opportunity to reject it early on.

Then again, if a stakeholder works on their “new game-changing thought” of their silo, they’ll develop hooked up over time, and also you’ll have a considerably more durable time rejecting these concepts in a while.

Lastly, having common 1:1s with stakeholders will assist you to perceive them and their views. And the extra you perceive them, the higher. You’ll have the ability to perceive the place their concepts come from and also you’ll have a better time redirecting or rejecting these concepts — you’ll know the best way to speak to the stakeholders, their ache factors, and what they’re making an attempt to realize.

Learn how to resolve for those who ought to say “no”

So you have got a clear roadmap and targets and all the time keep in contact with key stakeholders. That ought to mitigate many pointless requests.

However loads of them nonetheless will come. Earlier than leaping to say “no,” first assess for those who truly ought to say no:

The truth that one thing will not be in your quarterly roadmap doesn’t essentially imply it’s a foul thought. And also you shouldn’t be scared of fixing the plan if a brand new, extra invaluable alternative arrives.

Perceive the request

Each request that comes your approach is, in actuality, a should be addressed. Nevertheless it usually comes hidden behind an excessively particular function request.

Don’t concentrate on the request. Deal with uncovering the underlying want and how one can remedy that.

Say a stakeholder requests that you simply implement a brand new function permitting customers to talk with buyer help. As a substitute of specializing in the function, attempt to unpack the place the request comes from. Why do they want that?

It would prove that buyer help is getting triple the variety of request tickets and might’t sustain, so the chat would assist ease their workload.

Now, take one other step again and decide why there’s such a spike in buyer help quantity. Whenever you dig deeper, you may uncover that 70 % of the tickets concern comparable points and {that a} new bug within the product causes the complaints.

As a substitute of implementing or rejecting the requested function, now you can remedy the underlying want by fixing the bug.

Finally, you catered to a stakeholder’s request, solved their ache level, and drove the product’s worth with out saying both “no” or “sure.”

Deal with issues stakeholders’ have, not function requests they create.

Run it by means of your prioritization technique

For those who recognized an underlying want and concluded that the function requested is certainly the optimum answer to cater to the necessity, give it a shot.

Assess the potential of the newly proposed initiative by operating it by means of your prioritization framework and see the place it lands.

Greatest case situation — You’ll uncover that it’s certainly pivot-worthy, and you must regulate your product roadmap to drive even increased affect than you anticipated. It’s okay to vary the plan if the request truly is sensible.

Worst case situation — You’ll arm your self with extra argumentation. There’s additionally the next likelihood that the stakeholder will really feel heard and revered because you assessed the concept relatively than simply rejecting it on the spot.

Be sincere

For those who did all of the earlier steps and also you…

• Have a clear roadmap and backlog
• Are aligned with the stakeholders
• Perceive the necessity behind the request
• Assessed the request and obtained the information to help your choice,

…then saying “no” is the simple half.

All you want is to be clear and sincere.

Clarify to the stakeholder what you might be at present specializing in, how costly the tradeoff can be, and your reasoning behind the choice. So long as you make the stakeholder really feel heard and revered and provides them stable argumentation behind the decision, they need to perceive.

Please, don’t disrespect them through the use of the widespread PM tactic of claiming, “I’ll put it within the backlog” for those who don’t intend to pursue the concept any time quickly. You solely do your self a disfavor and invite even harder discussions sooner or later.

Learn how to take care of powerful stakeholders

Typically, you may meet a stakeholder who’s so hooked up to their thought or so pushy that reasoning doesn’t work.

Invite them to an extra espresso chat and attempt to unpack the request step-by-step. And if it doesn’t assist, there are two issues you are able to do: redirect them and do some lobbying.

Redirect them

For those who don’t have the place to take care of them straight (for instance, the stakeholder is a giant fish in your organization), redirect them to somebody extra senior.

There’s no level losing your vitality on the dialogue if you realize you gained’t change the stakeholder’s thoughts your self.

What I love to do is to clarify the tradeoff and redirect them to a key stakeholder of the opposite initiative. You would say one thing like, “The function you wish to construct may convey us roughly $50,000 in income. We’re at present engaged on a brand new function for the advertising and marketing staff that’s estimated to convey us $80,000 in income. For those who nonetheless imagine your thought is best, then you will need to persuade the VP of promoting to drop their thought.”

Delegating an issue to another person is okay, particularly if that individual is best suited to deal with the problematic stakeholder.

Do some lobbying

Some particular instances may require lobbying. Get different key stakeholders in your aspect. Speak to your boss and others concerned in decision-making, clarify the scenario, and pitch them your choice.

Don’t body it as an “alliance versus the problematic stakeholder.” It’s unhealthy. Simply contact individuals and seek the advice of your choice with them for his or her opinion. In case your name was one, they need to help it.

Then, if the stakeholder pushes for the concept, you may again up that it’s not solely your choice but in addition seek the advice of it with different decision-makers.

In the event that they attempt to problem your name, they’ll need to take care of a number of individuals supporting you, not simply you.

It would appear to be messy politics, however hey, that’s a part of the job, whether or not you prefer it or not.

Abstract

Regularly saying “no” is part of each product supervisor’s job.

The very best factor you are able to do is to restrict poor requests within the first place. You obtain that by being clear with the subjects you pursue and why you pursue them and by continuously collaborating and discussing with key stakeholders.

When you get a request, don’t take it at face worth. Perceive the hidden want behind that request and work out if there’s an easier solution to obtain that want.

If there isn’t any, run the concept by means of your prioritization framework. The truth that it’s an unplanned request doesn’t imply it’s a foul thought. In case your evaluation tells you it’s extra invaluable than what you might be engaged on, deal with it as a brand new alternative, not an interruption.

For those who nonetheless need to say no, now you can transparently clarify what you might be specializing in, how the requests evaluate to different issues in your roadmap, and why you determined to not pursue the concept.

Some harder stakeholders may require extra 1:1s, redirecting to “higher-ups,” and even some lobbying.

Though nonetheless typically uncomfortable, for those who observe ideas from this text, saying “no” ought to change into simpler — each for you and the individual listening to the rejection.