During your weekly retrospective you suggest the idea of adding a step before the initial kickoff workshop: meetings with each stakeholder individually. The agency’s owner pushes back hard, explaining that it would add a great deal of time to the engagement. Which of the following would be the BEST response?

The best response emphasizes the long-term value of individual stakeholder meetings. These meetings are crucial for building rapport, understanding diverse perspectives, and uncovering potential conflicts or misalignments early on. This proactive approach leads to a more tailored process and ultimately a more successful outcome for the client, justifying the initial time investment. The other options are less effective: Suggesting cutting user research is problematic because user research is a foundational element of GDD and should not be sacrificed. Agreeing with the owner without defending the value of the meetings misses an opportunity to advocate for a beneficial practice. Suggesting a group meeting with the CEO might not allow for individual stakeholders to express their unvarnished opinions as freely as in a one-on-one setting, and doesn't address the core benefit of individual conversations.