A stakeholder is anyone with a vested interest in the product who is not part of the Team. You can think of Stakeholders as anyone with an interest in or an influence on the product. These are the people who’ll help discover, develop, release, support and promote the product. They include:
- customers
- key decision-makers in your organisation
- project sponsors
- colleagues who work with and understand your customers
- people from each part of the business needed to deliver the product
- professional worrywarts like legal (sorry, those in risk-sensitive roles)
- external parties such as donors or regulators.
You need to make sure all Stakeholders understand why you are working the way that you are and what they will get out of it.