AMA: GitLab Director of Product Management, Fulfillment, Omar Eduardo Fernández on Stakeholder Management

GitLab is a fully remote company, we don't have any offices and have team members spread out throughout the world. The projects that my team work on are highly cross-functional. Here is what I've found to help with cross-functional alignment. Regular 1-1 check-ins with key stakeholders from other functions. I have monthly 1-1 (one to one) check-ins with key leaders from other functions that I often collaborate with. In our case as a Fulfillment team, that includes leaders between IT, Billing, Re ...Read More

The question asks about getting approval, but I'll instead focus on how you gain feedback and improve your roadmap so that there's alignment around it. This distinction is important, you are responsible of the roadmap. Instead of trying to get approval, focus on building the best possible roadmap after incorporating stakeholder input, and then communicate it. To do this, I'd recommend the following: Have a strong grasp and communicate how your roadmap aligns with company priorities. By telling a ...Read More

Depends on the stakeholders' seniority and role in the initiative, but here's a few guidelines that I use, which I outline below. However, one important GitLab cultural practice that is very helpful is that for every major initiative we have internally public channels where anyone interested in the initiative can join (the only exception are projects that must remain confidential). That way, as we make progress on the initiative anyone interested (all stakeholders and curious individuals) can jo ...Read More

Providing feedback or managing the work of someone that doesn't report to you can be challenging, but ultimately doing that well is very similar to managing a direct report. You should: Build rapport: the person should trust that you are competent, that you understand what is important and why, and you'd only ask them to do things that are worth doing. You should care about them and not just come to them simply to "get things done for you." Ask them about their other projects and goals and share ...Read More

In a nutshell: the product management function is tasked with clarifying and communicating what product investments that will help a company reach its goals, and working across teams to deliver these results. There are a lot of activities that a product manager does, but it will ultimately go back to that premise, at different levels of detail: Product Vision: articulate what the product can achieve in the long term for users, and how that will in turn achieve the company's goals. Product Roadma ...Read More

When senior executives disagree, you can help getting the situation unstuck by bringing in additional context, information, or factors to consider to the discussion. A few of these could be: Help structure the conversation by documenting arguments in favor and against the strategy. Document what are the arguments in favor and against the proposed strategy, try to do this in a way that's neutral and unbiased. Then focus the discussion on the merits of each of those arguments. Outline a framework ...Read More

Building partnerships across functions requires: Define a compelling shared goal. Define a clear and measurable goal that all functions involved would consider important and would prioritize. To the extent possible, align them to goals that already exist for all functions, such as your overall company goals. The more alignment and excitement you get around the shared goal, the better the team that you'll be able to build and the results that you'll deliver. Build the right team. Ensure that you ...Read More