Continuous and clear communication is must to keep all the stakeholders aligned towards common goal. Too less and unclear communications will lead to Conflicts.

Conflict is a communication problem. No conflict can be resolved without communication. Conflict occurs due to a desire that must be achieved while on the other hand there are those who do not agree with how to achieve it. Even though the goal is the same. For that, sitting together, discussing together, reviewing together is the key.

Managing stakeholders with conflicting goals can be quite challenging. It is crucial to identify commonalities and shared values among the groups involved. To achieve this, open-minded and participatory discussions are essential. Additionally, striving for a win-win solution is ideal; however, if that isn’t feasible, compromises may be necessary. To navigate towards a common objective, it’s important to listen to both sides, facilitate their interaction, and encourage dialogue. Clear communication plays a vital role in this process. By focusing on shared goals, it becomes possible to bridge the gaps between differing perspectives.

Everyone needs to understand the end goal; the problem we are solving. Even with conflicting agendas, common ground can be found. Clear and open communication means that there is no ambiguity about the end goal.

Managing stakeholders with conflicting project goals requires patience, empathy, and strategic facilitation. By focusing on shared objectives, fostering open communication, and driving evidence-based decision-making, it's possible to align diverse interests toward a common goal. Prioritisation, transparency, and a commitment to continuous collaboration ensure that all voices are heard while maintaining project momentum. In my business, this approach strengthens stakeholder relationships and delivers better outcomes for the company, engineers, and, most importantly, the customers.

A possible strategy: - Understand their incentives - Find common incentives - Align on a solution that satisfies those incentives - Address conflicting interests (by this point there should be fewer, maybe none?) - Rinse and repeat

Compromise is not always the best solution. Sometimes conflict can be resolved with constructive dialogue, held in person with all interested parties. A large meeting or workshop usually. Sometimes it needs an executive decision, in which case I would refer to the most senior decision maker I.e the project sponsor or the director in charge and discuss the relative merits of each point of view with the objective of facilitating a business decision and a way forward. Compromise often results in a sub-optimal solution, so I am compelled to act in the best interests of the business/project. Thankfully these situations are rare in practice.

The approach in the modern methodologies developing SW, tend to loose clear responsibilities like Quality. Its now the team or devs ownership. Which reminds the story of "everybody thought somebody would do it, but none did"...

“If you don’t plan, you plan to fail” Beginning with that, I think it’s essential to align realistic goals to pave a successful and mutually beneficial situation from the start. A well-structured plan fosters collaboration, builds trust, and drives projects to successful outcomes that meet everyone’s needs.