The new A in SMART - Getting Agreement

Getting agreement becomes exponentially more complex as number of stakeholders increase. So how do you agree a goal, objective or deliverable, when everyone seems to have conflicting opinions?

Begin with the end in mind. When defining the scope, ask yourself what does success look like? How do I know I’ve reached my goal? Then ask your stakeholders the exact same question. If they are not able to answer now, they will not be able to answer three months down the road. Not knowing is worse than not agreeing, so make sure you define SMART objectives (se below) before you start.

When interviewing stakeholders, you will probably find that success looks different to different people. If this is not the case I’d be willing to bet your not getting into the necessary level of detail. Trust me, people have different agendas. Marketing wants something flashy, Finance wants something cheap, and the CEO wants it all yesterday. But don’t worry. Facilitate the process. Getting this right will be the difference between success and failure (literarily).

First start by listing all requirements. Highlight what is aligned, and what is at conflict. It’s much better to say “we agree on 70%, lets sort out the rest..”, than to only list the problems and complaining that “we’ll never be able to agree.“

Once you know the gaps, it becomes easier to discuss them. Get the key stakeholders in a room. Do a cost/benefit analysis, a prioritization exercise, map to the overall business strategy… Remember you are only facilitating. It’s up to the stakeholders to tell you what they want. Don’t let them out of the room before they have defined and agreed on SMART objectives.

S – Specific (Do we understand what we are trying to achieve?)
M – Measurable (How do we measure the result?)
A – Agreed upon (Do we all agree?)
R – Realistic (Is it possible to achieve?)
T – Time Bound (When should it be achieved by?)

Note: Some people argue that the A stands for Achievable, and the R for Relevant. I prefer the above since it better supports decision making.

Once you have your objectives, two activities remain. Sign, and Communicate. Yes, I know we’ve already said it’s agreed upon, but the power of Ink on Paper is remarkable. You’ll be surprised how much more people pay attention if they know they have to sign their name. Suddenly the “I never agreed to this”- argument isn’t quite as valid.

The second is communication. Once the stakeholders have agreed have them communicate it to their subordinates. Make it easy for them. Provide the material. Tell them what to say, but don’t communicate on their behalf. The act of actually saying it makes it their own. So the more they communicate the more they’ll agree.

So to summarize. Let the stakeholders state their opinion. Highlight where there are gaps, and help them work it out together. Make them physically sign a SMART objective, and finally have them spread the word. Only by fully engaging the stakeholders can you get their agreement. It’s a painful process, but compared to a painful project it’s short-lived pain.