Align before design: Why stakeholder misalignment derails digital projects

Digital projects rarely fail because teams lack expertise. They struggle because stakeholders are not aligned on what success means or who matters most. In higher education and other complex institutions, digital initiatives operate within layered governance, competing mandates and long, multi-year user journeys. Even when teams are skilled and motivated, projects become difficult to scope, staff, design and launch. Scope expands. Decisions stall. Teams attempt to serve "everyone." Success becomes vague. This session reframes these familiar challenges as symptoms of stakeholder misalignment. Rather than treating unclear requirements, audience confusion, political friction and scope creep as separate problems, this talk introduces a unifying lens: when measurable goals are unclear and priority audiences are not agreed upon, every downstream decision becomes harder. Through case examples and structured reflection prompts, you will explore:

• Why unclear scope is often a symptom of misaligned definitions of success.
• How competing internal priorities create design paralysis.
• Why defining users without measurable goals leads to strategic confusion.
• How alignment simplifies prioritization, governance and resourcing decisions.

This session will be delivered as a presentation with guided reflection moments to help you diagnose alignment gaps in your own projects. You will leave with a practical framework for identifying misalignment early — and a clearer understanding of how measurable goals and audience prioritization reduce friction in complex digital environments.