… to base your ask or collaboration on.
Let's say you wish two or more teams to work more closely with each other. Or you are about to ask another team to do something for you. Something that will depend on them freeing up time and resources, or change some of their plans.
Maybe they will agree to do so. If you understand their existing commitments, it will be easier for you to negotiate.
Business priorities
What company-wide business goals do they contribute to?
What about unit or team-specific ones?
Existing relationships
Who depends on them to deliver?
Who are they dependent on?
Expected deliverables
What are some of the key items in their roadmap?
What about their backlog?
The change
What kind of outcome would be relevant enough to make the proposal appealing?
Maybe your teams already share a goal. If yes, great! You might not agree (yet) on how to reach it, but you've found some common ground to start working on.
© Elisa Pyrhönen 2026