A stakeholder is a person or group with an interest in, influence on, or impact from a project. For a lead developer, stakeholders are people whose goals and constraints need to inform the work—not just people who receive updates. They may include developers and nondevelopers affected by the software. section 6.2.1
Start by learning what stakeholders need and why. Discuss business goals, requirements, timelines, and constraints before settling on a technical approach. A shared understanding helps the team avoid misunderstandings and reduces the risk of scope creep. section 1.2.3 section 12.2.2
Useful conversations have two parts:
- Build trust: assess the person’s comfort with the project, listen to their point of view, and respond to concerns as a team. section 1.2.3
- Ask about the work: find out what slows developers down and ask nondevelopers about priorities, success measures, and pain points. section 6.2.1
When priorities change
A lead developer works with the project manager to weigh new priorities against development work already underway. Before a developer switches tasks, the lead makes sure the work reaches a sensible stopping point and is documented so someone can resume it later. section 1.2.2
Do not assume that developers know every business constraint or that nondevelopers can describe the code changes required. Bring both perspectives into planning and process improvements, then check that the proposed work serves the project’s goals. section 6.2.1 section 12.2.2
