Stakeholders · Expectations · Component
The interest analysis
The underlying interest behind each stated position — which is where agreement becomes possible.
The deliverable
What it is
Positions are what people ask for; interests are what they need. Fisher and Ury’s distinction holds because positions conflict far more often than interests do.
A stakeholder asking for a monthly report may want reassurance rather than data, and meeting the position without the interest satisfies nobody.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The position
What the stakeholder is asking for.
3 attributes: Expectation · Asking for · Priority
LearnThe interest
What the position is actually for.
3 attributes: Underlying interest · Source · Cheaper way to meet it
LearnThe overlap
Where different stakeholders’ interests coincide despite conflicting positions.
3 attributes: Stakeholders · Shared interest · Single action
Learn
Ask what the request would achieve for them. Stakeholders answer readily and are almost never asked.
The other components in expectations
The expectation record
What each stakeholder says they expect, in their own words, with the date it was established.
LearnThe conflict register
Where stakeholder expectations are genuinely incompatible, recorded rather than resolved on paper.
Learn