In the UX/UI design world, success isn't solely about creating user-friendly interfaces; it's also about aligning with the needs and goals of stakeholders. One powerful tool in achieving this alignment is to conduct interviews/calls with the stakeholders. These conversations, are essential for gathering insights, defining project parameters, and fostering stakeholder engagement.

> **Stakeholders** are individuals, groups, or entities with a vested interest in a project's success. They can be internal, such as executives, employees, or project teams, or external, including customers, suppliers, or regulatory bodies. Understanding stakeholders' perspectives and interests through interviews is vital for aligning project goals, making informed decisions, and ensuring successful outcomes.

## Understanding Stakeholder Interviews/Calls

Stakeholder interviews act as a channel linking design teams with individuals or groups who hold significant stakes in the project's results. Unlike user interviews, which focus on understanding user behaviors and preferences, stakeholder interviews aim to uncover insights that shape the design process, define success metrics, and ultimately meet stakeholder expectations.

## The Why Behind Stakeholder Interviews/Calls

* **Gathering Context and History:** Every project carries a backstory – its origins, past solutions, and underlying constraints. Stakeholder interviews uncover this context, providing invaluable insights into the project landscape, thereby streamlining the design process and minimizing friction.

* **Identifying Business Goals:** While UX practitioners prioritize user needs, stakeholders are invested in business objectives. These interviews shed light on business challenges, objectives, and success metrics, ensuring alignment between user-centric design and organizational goals.

* **Aligning on a Shared Vision:** Stakeholder interviews facilitate collaboration by fostering a shared understanding of project vision and objectives. By addressing divergent perspectives early on, teams can cultivate a cohesive vision that guides project implementation.

## Timing Is Key

Although stakeholder interviews or calls are feasible at any point of the project, initiating them early on maximizes their advantages, making it imperative to conduct them at the beginning of the project. 

Ideally, these interviews kick off a project, onboard new stakeholders, or realign efforts in case of deviations from initial plans. Early engagement not only demonstrates stakeholders' importance but also ensures that their insights shape project trajectories effectively.

## Conducting Effective Stakeholder Interviews

* **Set Clear Goals:** Define interview objectives to guide discussions and ensure relevance. Whether seeking insights, securing support, or establishing communication preferences, clarity in goals fosters productive interactions.

* **Prepare Thoughtful Questions:** Craft a semistructured interview guide that prompts meaningful discussions while allowing flexibility. Focus on topics such as success metrics, priorities, historical context, and workflow preferences to elicit comprehensive insights.

* **Build Good Relationships:** Initiate interviews with introductions that establish good relationships and convey the purpose of the conversation. Encourage transparency and honesty, reassuring stakeholders that their input is valued and confidentiality maintained.

* **Wrap-Up and Follow-Up:** Conclude interviews by expressing gratitude, seeking additional contacts for further insights, and confirming the next steps. Follow up with a thank-you and a "wrap-up of the call" email, reinforcing stakeholders' contributions and maintaining open lines of communication.

## Leveraging Insights for Success

Post-interview, analyze collected insights to inform project decisions, refine research methodologies, and align design strategies with stakeholder expectations. Whether through informal documentation or rigorous thematic analysis, translate insights into actionable steps that drive project success.

## Conclusion

Stakeholder interviews/calls are essential tools in the UX/UI design toolkit, facilitating collaboration, aligning objectives, and enhancing project outcomes. 

By engaging stakeholders early, design teams can leverage diverse perspectives to create solutions that resonate with users and achieve organizational goals. Embracing stakeholder interviews as a foundation of the design process unlocks the full potential of UX/UI initiatives, driving innovation and fostering stakeholder satisfaction.

*After all, no project can kick off its journey without laying down a rock-solid foundation fueled by thorough understanding and collaboration, setting the stage for A-class solutions.*

How Essential Are Stakeholder Interviews in Crafting Solutions?

In the ever-evolving world of software development, one of the key decisions that impacts the efficiency and outcome of projects is the composition of the engineering teams. Should we lean towards teams filled predominantly with full-stack engineers, or should we opt for a more specialized mix of frontend and backend developers? Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, and understanding these can help us align our team structure with our organizational goals.

## Full-Stack Teams: Flexibility and Broad Skills

### Pros

#### Versatility

Full-stack engineers are equipped to handle both client-side and server-side programming. This means they can manage more aspects of a project from start to finish, offering greater flexibility in how tasks are assigned and managed.

#### Reduced Hand-offs

With full-stack developers, there are fewer instances where tasks need to be handed off between different team members. This can lead to faster development cycles as coordination overhead is reduced.

#### Holistic Understanding

Developers with knowledge of both frontend and backend systems are often better positioned to design solutions that are efficient and scalable, having a comprehensive understanding of how changes in one area affect the other.

### Cons

#### Jack of All Trades, Master of None

While full-stack engineers have a wide range of skills, they might not possess the same depth of knowledge in specific technologies as specialists. This can impact the quality of highly technical or innovative aspects of a project.

#### Potential Burnout

Managing multiple technology stacks can lead to quicker burnout among full-stack developers, as they are required to keep up with more areas of expertise.

## Specialized Teams: Depth and Expertise

### Pros

#### Deep Expertise

Specialized developers bring a depth of knowledge to their respective areas, whether it’s complex backend logic or cutting-edge frontend features. This expertise can lead to higher quality outputs and innovations.

#### Focus

With a clear focus on one area, frontend or backend developers can optimize their workflows and tools specific to their domain, leading to increased efficiency.

#### Learning and Growth

Specialization allows developers to delve deeper into their chosen areas, staying updated with the latest technologies and methodologies, which can be more challenging for full-stack developers.

### Cons

#### Dependency and Bottlenecks

A team of specialists might experience bottlenecks if tasks are queued up for a particular role, like backend or frontend, delaying the overall progress.

#### Communication Overhead

More specialized roles can lead to increased need for communication and coordination across different team members to integrate their work, potentially slowing down the development process.

### The Right Balance

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the ideal team composition. The choice between full-stack engineers and a mix of specialized developers depends on various factors, including the project requirements, the team’s existing skill sets, and the strategic goals of the organization.

### The HelloWorld Way

Regarding HelloWorld, I can say that we tend to move towards the full-stack direction mostly because we realize from time to time how expensive it is to get people on the same page when their hard skills are purely focused on frontend or backend.

On the flip side, people who have a holistic understanding can understand the full user journey end to end quite well, and this is extremely important when building user-centric applications.

### Bridging the Gap with Business

Regardless of the team structure, it is crucial that all team members understand the business goals and the user needs they are addressing. Technology is a tool to solve real-world problems, and losing sight of the 'why' behind the 'how' can lead to projects that miss their mark on delivering business value. By fostering a culture where developers closely collaborate with business people and decision-makers, we can ensure that our work not only showcases technical excellence but also drives meaningful impact.

At HelloWorld PC, our commitment to delivering high-quality, impactful products is at the forefront of our decision-making process. Whether we choose full-stack engineers or specialized developers, our focus remains on creating solutions that address real-life challenges and deliver tangible benefits to users and stakeholders alike. Cheers!!

Balancing Team Structure in Software Development: Full-Stack vs. Specialized Roles

### Rethinking Software Engineering Values
The prevailing wisdom in tech circles often places a premium on **coding prowess** as the sine qua non of software engineering. However, a deeper dive into what truly constitutes the essence of a great software engineer reveals a more nuanced picture. Drawing inspiration from a thought-provoking [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ryansmurphy1_i-dont-care-if-you-can-code-i-do-care-activity-7168508810729373696-BHtu/) post by Ryan Murphy, it's clear that while **coding** is a non-negotiable skill, it barely scratches the surface of what makes a software engineer truly effective.

### The Accessibility of Coding Skills Today
Coding, as fundamental as it is, can be learned through myriad channels today. From comprehensive tutorials on **Google** to community-driven solutions on **StackOverflow**, and even through AI-powered platforms like **ChatGPT** and **Copilot**, the resources to acquire coding skills are more accessible than ever. This democratization of learning coding underscores a vital point: **coding is just the beginning**.

### The Core of Engineering Excellence is Architecting Solutions
What sets apart a good software engineer is not just their ability to write code but their proficiency in **architecting solutions**. This involves a blend of critical **problem-solving skills**, **effective communication**, and a **forward-thinking mindset**. These attributes are essential for unlocking **business value**, which is, after all, the end goal of software development.

### The Critical Role of Problem-Solving and Communication
The ability to devise a possible solution through understanding complex problems, communicating these solutions effectively, and anticipating future needs or challenges is paramount. These skills enable an engineer to not just solve the task at hand but to do so in a way that is **sustainable**, **scalable**, and aligned with broader business objectives.

### Teamwork and Future-Oriented Thinking in Software Development
Moreover, software development is inherently a **team activity**. The capability to collaborate effectively, respect diverse viewpoints, and contribute to a positive team dynamic is crucial. It's about being a **team player** who can keep an eye on the future, anticipating and adapting to changes that could impact the project or the business.

### Beyond Coding - A Comprehensive Approach to Software Engineering
In essence, the journey of becoming a great software engineer involves **much more than mastering coding**. It's about nurturing the ability to solve problems in a **team environment**, communicate solutions effectively, and maintain a **forward-looking perspective**. These are the traits that are harder to teach but ultimately make the difference in delivering **value** and driving **innovation** in the tech industry.

This broader view of software engineering excellence challenges us to look beyond the code and focus on developing the **soft skills** and **strategic thinking** that are indispensable in today's fast-paced tech landscape.

The Real Value in Software Engineering: Beyond Coding

In the realm of management, success hinges on more than just hard work and strategic planning; it demands exceptional communication skills. The assumption that there exists a 'common logic' or a universally understood set of instructions within a team can lead to significant misunderstandings and inefficiencies.

This article argues that effective management is achieved through clear, straightforward communication and the utilization of S.M.A.R.T. goals to guide team efforts.

### The Importance of Clear Communication

**Avoiding Jargon**:
In an effort to sound professional, managers often resort to trendy, complex terminology that obscures the message they wish to convey. This practice not only alienates team members but also hinders their ability to understand and execute tasks effectively.

**Simplicity is Key**: Conveying messages in a simple, common language ensures that all team members, regardless of their background or level of expertise, can understand instructions and expectations. This approach fosters an inclusive work environment and enhances team cohesion.

### Hard Work and the Right Tools

**Equipping the Team**: Providing the right tools goes beyond physical resources; it includes giving clear, actionable instructions. When team members are well-informed, they can channel their efforts more effectively towards achieving the team's goals.

**The Role of Hard Work**: While hard work is a cornerstone of success, its impact is significantly amplified when guided by clear communication. Managers must lead by example, demonstrating dedication and a commitment to transparency in all aspects of their role.

<img src="https://cms.helloworldpc.com/storage/posts/smart.jpg" alt="Image with the names of each SMART acronym word letter" style="max-width: 300px; margin: 0 auto"/>

### Implementing S.M.A.R.T. Goals

**Specific**: Goals should be well-defined and clear to every team member. Vague objectives lead to confusion and lackluster results.

**Measurable**: Establish criteria for measuring progress toward the achievement of each goal. This clarity allows for real-time feedback and adjustments.

**Achievable**: Goals must be realistic and attainable to be meaningful. Setting impossible targets demotivates the team.

**Relevant**: Objectives should align with broader business goals and the team's capabilities, ensuring that every effort contributes to the overarching vision.

**Time-bound**: Providing a timeline for goal achievement creates a sense of urgency and helps prioritize tasks.

### In Conclusion: Success in management is not solely about what needs to be done but also about how instructions are communicated

The misconception of 'common logic' in management can lead to miscommunication and inefficiency. Success in management is not solely about what needs to be done but also about how instructions are communicated. By eschewing complicated jargon in favor of clear, simple language and by setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, managers can ensure that their teams are well-equipped to execute their tasks effectively.

This approach not only enhances team performance but also allows for the accurate evaluation of results and individual contributions. Ultimately, the key to effective management lies in clear communication, hard work, and the strategic setting of achievable goals.

The Myth of common logic in management: The key to success lies in clarity and S.M.A.R.T. directions

Imagine you're a chef trying to perfect a new recipe. You've got your ingredients (your objectives), but you're not 
sure how much of each to use or what the final dish should taste like (your key results).

That's where OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) come into play. They're like our recipe for success, telling us not 
only what we want to cook but how to know when it's cooked to perfection.

Here is an example of an OKR:

**Objective:** Enhance Our Customer Service Experience to Drive Customer Loyalty

**Key Results:**

1. **Increase Customer Satisfaction Scores by 20%** - By improving response times and providing more personalized 
   solutions, aim to raise customer satisfaction scores as measured through post-interaction surveys.

2. **Reduce Average Response Time to Customer Inquiries by 50%** - Streamline the customer service process and 
   introduce new tools to cut down the response time for customer inquiries by half.

3. **Implement a New Customer Feedback System and Achieve a 75% Response Rate** - Deploy a more user-friendly and 
   engaging feedback system and achieve a high response rate, ensuring customer voices are heard and acted upon.

This OKR is effective because it sets a clear, ambitious, yet achievable objective and outlines specific, 
measurable key results that indicate progress toward that objective. It focuses on tangible improvements in 
customer service, which are crucial for customer retention and loyalty.

### OKRs vs. KPIs: What's the Difference?

Now, you might be thinking, "Aren't OKRs just fancy KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)?" Not quite! Think of KPIs as 
the food critics. They judge the dish based on specific criteria but don't tell us how to make it.

OKRs, on the other hand, are your sous-chefs. They're actively involved in the cooking process, guiding us toward 
the desired outcome.

Here are some KPIs that correspond to the objective of enhancing customer service experience so we can compare them 
with the OKRs above:

1. **Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)**: This KPI measures the percentage of customers who rate their satisfaction 
   with the service as "satisfied" or "very satisfied." It directly reflects the immediate reaction of customers to 
   the service quality.

2. **Average Response Time**: This tracks the average time it takes for customer service representatives to respond 
   to a customer inquiry. A lower average time generally indicates more efficient customer service.

3. **First Contact Resolution Rate (FCR)**: This KPI measures the percentage of customer inquiries or issues 
   resolved on the first interaction with no need for follow-up. A higher FCR rate often leads to higher customer 
   satisfaction.

4. **Customer Retention Rate**: This measures the percentage of customers who continue to do business with the 
   company over a specific period. It's a crucial indicator of long-term customer satisfaction and loyalty.

5. **Net Promoter Score (NPS)**: This gauges customer loyalty and the likelihood of customers to recommend the 
   company's services to others. It's an indirect measure of overall customer satisfaction and perception of the brand.

These KPIs focus on quantifiable, outcome-based metrics that track the performance of customer service. While they 
provide valuable data, unlike OKRs, they do not set specific objectives or outline a strategy for achieving these 
targets.

### Doing OKRs Right: A Tale of Two Companies

Let's talk about two teams, "Team Chiefs" and "Team Eagles" (Yes I watch NFL 😎). Team Chiefs sets OKRs like "Increase 
customer satisfaction by creating a more user-friendly website." They check in weekly, adjust their strategies, and 
celebrate small wins.

Eagles team, however, sets vague OKRs like "Improve business performance." They rarely review their progress and 
are often unsure about their direction. The difference? Chiefs team uses OKRs as a roadmap, while Eagles treats 
them like a distant billboard throwing jargon to the team.

### Common OKR Pitfalls: Avoiding the "Oops" in OKRs

**The Overzealous OKR**: It's like planning to run a marathon when you've only ever sprinted to the fridge during 
commercials. Set achievable, realistic goals.

**The Vague Vision**: "Be the best" is a cheer, not an OKR. Be specific!

**The Forgotten Follow-up**: Setting OKRs and then ignoring them is like planting a garden and never watering it. 
Regular check-ins are crucial.

### How to Avoid OKR Pitfalls: Lessons from a Lemonade Stand

Remember your first lemonade stand? It was probably a simple goal: sell lemonade, earn money. But what if you had 
set an OKR like "Increase lemonade sales by experimenting with different recipes and locations, aiming for a 50% 
increase in customers." Suddenly, you're not just selling lemonade; you're learning about customer preferences, 
marketing, and sales strategies. That's the power of a well-set OKR.

### OKRs: A Two-Way Street Between Leadership and Teams

OKRs are often perceived as directives coming down from the C-suite or leadership 
teams, setting the course for the entire organization. However, this top-down approach is just one side of the 
story. In reality, OKRs thrive on a two-way street, where ideas and objectives can originate at any level of the 
organization.

This bottom-up approach empowers employees by giving them a voice in the goal-setting process, 
fostering a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility. When team members at all levels contribute to the 
creation of OKRs, it not only democratizes the process but also ensures that the objectives are aligned with 
on-the-ground realities and can be more effectively executed. This synergy between leadership and teams enhances 
engagement, innovation, and the overall success of OKR implementation.

### In Conclusion: OKRs, the Secret Sauce to Success

OKRs are more than just goals; they're the compass that guides our efforts and helps us measure our progress. By 
understanding their difference from KPIs, setting them correctly, and avoiding common pitfalls, we can turn our 
objectives into achievable, exciting journeys.

Remember, the right OKR is like a good recipe: clear, doable, and, most importantly, deliciously rewarding!

How OKRs affect organizational performance and success

Drawing from our experience in the tech industry, we've identified some common pitfalls and bottlenecks our teams
had to face throughout the years.

Naming just the problems isn't that valuable so for each issue we will share some techniques and practices that are 
battle-tested and have helped us to deliver some quite challenging projects. Let's dive in!

1. **Scope Creep Creeps Creepily**
    - **What it's about:** Just when you've nailed down what the project is about, a key stakeholder wants to add "just 
      one more thing". Sometimes it might be a small feature, other times it might be a whole new product though.
    - **Solution:** Successful projects start with successful Statements of Work. Detailed Statements of Work 
      that include "in" and "out-of-scope" sections can help you build a very strong and sincere relationship with your 
      customers, manage their expectations and protect them from getting carried away from their passion and 
      excitement. Arrange frequent catch-ups on a weekly basis with stakeholders to keep the project aligned and 
      feasible.

2. **The Never-Ending Planning Party**
    - **What it's about:** Endless planning sessions can lead to a cycle of meetings that plan more meetings and 
      producing useless artifacts that are never used. We've seen projects that spent months in planning, without 
      much progress or that they confused planning with execution and forget that someone should make the connection 
      between the two worlds, business and development.
    - **Solution:** Set clear, actionable milestones and deadlines to transition efficiently from planning to 
      execution. Above all, we are here to prepare for the development phase and ensure its success. This is why we 
      always start with a **Discovery Phase** to prepare meaningful documents and artifacts with user stories, 
      flowcharts, and clickable prototypes to put business ideas into a frame and spot deadends early enough.

3. **Budget, What Budget?**
    - **What it's about:** Budgets often underestimate the actual deliverables costs, leading to overspending and 
      financial strain.
    - **Solution:** Thorough upfront budgeting and splitting the whole project into phases and paid milestones. 
      This helps us build trust with the customer and stay on top of the financial control throughout the whole 
      project. **Discovery** and **Design** phases are the best way to get a clear picture of the project's scope and 
      budget and then plan accordingly. This is why we should never start a project without running a proper 
      **Discovery Phase** first.

4. **Deadline? More Like a Guideline**
    - **What it's about:** Deadlines often shift due to various unforeseen challenges, delaying project completion.
    - **Solution:** Realistic timelines and agile management techniques help us stay on track and adapt to changes. 
      Be careful, Agile can bite you seriously if you do it wrong though. Working against target dates and frequent
      checkpoints is the best remedy here as long as these dates make sense for both business and development teams. 
      Above all, we are here to deliver value to the business so both sides have to be aligned.

5. **Technology Tantrums**
    - **What it's about:** New technologies and experimentations can be unpredictable, causing delays and technical 
      issues.
    - **Solution:** We minimize tech-related disruptions by using proven technologies and well-known tools such 
      as Figma, ReactJS, TailwindCSS, Python Django, Docker, AWS cloud services etc. There is no room for 
      experiments when there are clear goals to accomplish.

6. **The Talent Tango**
    - **What it's about:** Retaining skilled team members or even onboarding new ones can be a major hurdle in project 
      completion.
    - **Solution:** Focus on hiring skilled, adaptable professionals and fostering a collaborative work 
      environment where transparency is king. Well defined handbooks with best practices and clear **Definition of 
      Done** principles can help hugely too. Above all, firms should help new team members accelerate and become 
      useful members of the team fast while adapting to predefined tools and techniques. Randomness is the perfect 
      recipe for chaos so this has to be eliminated by establishing a common language to communicate. 

7. **Communication Breakdown, It's Always the Same**
    - **What it's about:** Poor communication between teams can lead to misunderstandings and errors. Business 
      stakeholders and developers often speak different languages.
    - **Solution:** Emphasize clear, consistent communication channels, regular team meetings, and above all 
      high transparency levels. Again, we can't stress enough how important it is to run a **Discovery Phase** before 
      jumping into Development. This is the phase where we can align the business and development teams and we 
      prepare the ground for a successful project. Weekly catchups also are vital to keep the project aligned and 
      build trust with your customers.

8. **UATs Feature Frenzy**
    - **What it's about:** Stakeholders often demand additional features, complicating and overloading the project 
      during UATs since this is the very first time they deal seriously with the new platform. This is too late and 
      too dangerous.
    - **Solution:** Focus on the SoW deliverables, manage stakeholder expectations through clear communication and 
      involve them in demonstrations and feedback sessions from the very first milestone. Every week a demo takes place where we 
      present the progress of the project and we get feedback from the stakeholders. Such a feedback is priceless 
      and helps teams to stay on track and deliver value to the business. Don't forget that you need to manage 
      expectations and protect customers from their own excitement and anxiety which are quite high during 
      UAT periods so sometimes open and honest discussions might help them realize that they are pushing the project 
      over the cliff with their approach. It is your duty to remind this to them.

### Conclusion

So what is the key for a successful project? The key is embracing the powerful partnership with our customers. 
Casting blame or treating them as the enemy is a fundamental misstep. Instead, our greatest successes are born from 
collaborative efforts, where we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, navigating challenges together.

Our mission is clear: to assist ambitious customers in achieving their goals, transforming their vision into reality,
and boosting their business. This synergy, where consultation meets client aspiration, is where true innovation and 
progress are sparked. Together, we're not just solving problems; we're setting new benchmarks in the tech world. 
Cheers 🤝

Publications about "Project Management"

How Essential Are Stakeholder Interviews in Crafting Solutions?

Georgia Pandria

UX Expert

Balancing Team Structure in Software Development: Full-Stack vs. Specialized Roles

Marios Fakiolas

CEO

The Real Value in Software Engineering: Beyond Coding

Savvas Voumellis

Head of Delivery and Product Strategist

The Myth of common logic in management: The key to success lies in clarity and S.M.A.R.T. directions

Savvas Voumellis

Head of Delivery and Product Strategist

How OKRs affect organizational performance and success

Marios Fakiolas

CEO

Why most tech projects still fail?

Savvas Voumellis

Head of Delivery and Product Strategist