How to Resolve Stakeholder Disagreements During Defect Reviews

Joe Wynne is a versatile Project Manager experienced in delivering medium-scope projects in large organizations that improve workforce performance and business processes. He has a proven track record of delivering effective, technology-savvy solutions in a variety of industries and a unique combination of strengths in both process management and workforce management.

  Quality   Stakeholder Management   Testing/Test Management  

It’s near the end of the customer service system upgrade project and the daily defect review meetings are occurring. It won’t be long now and you will be documenting your great success in this project so that you will be able to select another high-profile project and advance your career.

But at the very next defect review meeting, your best-laid plans look like they will fall apart. An issue between stakeholders arises that threatens to cripple your project just as it reaches the finish line. You can be a victim of this problem or confidently manage it. To be successful, you must understand the defect impacts to stakeholders and use your knowledge of effective steps to resolve the problem.

Defect review meetings don’t seem too controversial on the surface. As the testing team finds potential defects, meeting participants simply go through a short presentation on each and decide whether to ignore the defect, fix it or defer the fix until after the project is over. Unfortunately, even though this activity comes near the end of the project, it can still generate significant changes. Stakeholder disagreements over how to handle the defects can force new critical project change decisions affecting scope and schedule.

When a Stakeholder Disagreement Arises
Prepare yourself for a successful resolution by getting the facts before facilitating a decision. …

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