# Run Stakeholder Alignment

> Plan and execute a stakeholder alignment process for a product decision or initiative. Use this skill when a team needs to build genuine alignment — not just sign-off — across multiple stakeholders.

- Skill: `alexe-ev/run-stakeholder-alignment` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add alexe-ev/run-stakeholder-alignment`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/alexe-ev/run-stakeholder-alignment/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Product & Planning
- Author: alexe-ev (https://skillmd.com/u/alexe-ev)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/alexe-ev/run-stakeholder-alignment

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# Run Stakeholder Alignment

## Purpose
Help teams design and execute a structured alignment process that builds genuine shared understanding and commitment across stakeholders — not just surface-level approval.

## Skill type
Conceptual skill

## Use this skill when
- A decision or initiative requires buy-in from multiple stakeholders who currently disagree
- Alignment has been declared but keeps breaking down in execution
- A cross-functional initiative needs to be aligned before resources are committed
- A difficult conversation with a key stakeholder needs to be planned

## Do not use this skill when
- The goal is mapping stakeholders (use map-stakeholder-influence first)
- The goal is executive communication content (use build-executive-narrative)

## Required inputs
- Decision or initiative requiring alignment
- Stakeholders involved and their current stances

## Optional inputs
- Stakeholder map
- Prior alignment attempts and what went wrong
- Decision timeline
- Key concerns or objections known in advance

## Upstream context
Works best when:
- Stakeholder map exists
- Decision is defined
- Options are prepared

## Downstream handoff
Output can feed:
- communicate-decisions-tradeoffs (aligned decision → communication)
- build-executive-narrative (alignment informs narrative framing)

## Instructions
1. Define the alignment goal: what specific agreement or understanding must be reached?
2. Identify who must align (vs. who just needs to be informed).
3. Map each stakeholder's current stance and known concerns.
4. Design the alignment sequence: who to engage first, in what order, through what format.
5. Prepare for each key conversation: their concerns, your response, what you're willing to adjust.
6. Define what success looks like (not just "they didn't object" — but genuine agreement on the key points).
7. Plan follow-up to confirm alignment holds.

## Output
Provide:
- Alignment goal
- Must-align stakeholder list with stances
- Engagement sequence
- Preparation per key stakeholder: concerns, responses, negotiable elements
- Success definition for alignment
- Follow-up plan to maintain alignment
- Contingency if alignment isn't reached

## Risks / caveats
- "No objections" is not alignment — ask stakeholders to restate their understanding
- Stakeholders who feel steamrolled become active opponents — engage concerns genuinely
- Alignment reached under time pressure is fragile — invest time early, not at the last moment