DAC DAC Stakeholder Engagement & Communication 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'active listening' mean for a DA coach during stakeholder conversations?
- Taking detailed notes without making eye contact
- Fully concentrating, understanding, and responding thoughtfully to what is being said (Correct answer)
- Listening only to negative feedback
- Allowing stakeholders to talk while planning the next response
Correct answer: Fully concentrating, understanding, and responding thoughtfully to what is being said
Active listening involves fully focusing on the speaker, understanding their message, and responding thoughtfully rather than just waiting to speak.
Question 2: In DA, which approach to stakeholder engagement BEST supports a culture of continuous improvement?
- Conducting a single stakeholder survey at project end
- Regularly soliciting stakeholder feedback and incorporating it into process improvements (Correct answer)
- Limiting stakeholder interaction to formal milestone reviews
- Assigning a dedicated liaison to shield the team from stakeholders
Correct answer: Regularly soliciting stakeholder feedback and incorporating it into process improvements
Regularly soliciting and acting on stakeholder feedback creates a continuous feedback loop that drives ongoing process and product improvement.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a 'stakeholder map' in a DA coaching context?
- To rank stakeholders by their salary level
- To identify all stakeholders, their interests, influence, and engagement needs (Correct answer)
- To document stakeholder complaints for HR records
- To limit the number of stakeholders involved in a project
Correct answer: To identify all stakeholders, their interests, influence, and engagement needs
A stakeholder map helps coaches understand who is involved, what each stakeholder cares about, and how to appropriately engage each person.
Question 4: When facilitating a conflict between stakeholders with competing priorities, a DA coach should FIRST:
- Side with the higher-ranking stakeholder
- Make the decision for the group to save time
- Help stakeholders articulate their underlying interests rather than their stated positions (Correct answer)
- Escalate the conflict to the executive sponsor immediately
Correct answer: Help stakeholders articulate their underlying interests rather than their stated positions
Helping stakeholders articulate underlying interests often reveals shared goals and creates space for collaborative solutions beyond stated positions.
Question 5: A team's stakeholders frequently change requirements mid-sprint. As a DA coach, what is the MOST appropriate response?
- Lock down all requirements at the start of each sprint with no changes allowed
- Facilitate a conversation about prioritization and the cost of late changes with stakeholders (Correct answer)
- Ignore the changes and deliver the original scope
- Add all requested changes immediately without discussion
Correct answer: Facilitate a conversation about prioritization and the cost of late changes with stakeholders
Facilitating a conversation about prioritization and the cost of late changes helps stakeholders make informed decisions while respecting the team's capacity.
Question 6: Which communication channel is MOST appropriate for conveying complex technical risks to non-technical stakeholders?
- Dense technical documentation with code samples
- Visual dashboards and plain-language summaries that highlight business impact (Correct answer)
- Developer chat channels with raw metrics
- Automated email alerts with system logs
Correct answer: Visual dashboards and plain-language summaries that highlight business impact
Non-technical stakeholders understand risk best through visual tools and plain-language explanations tied to business outcomes rather than technical jargon.
DAC DAC Stakeholder Engagement & Communication 2
What does 'active listening' mean for a DA coach during stakeholder conversations?