"Tell me about a time you needed an internal technical team to prioritize a client-facing project that they did not initially view as urgent. What was the situation, how did you influence them, and what was the outcome?"
This question tests whether you can influence without authority when priorities are competing and resources are limited. Interviewers want to see how you build urgency credibly, translate client needs into business and technical terms, and navigate trade-offs without damaging trust with engineering. It also reveals whether you take ownership for cross-functional outcomes instead of simply escalating or blaming another team.
A strong answer shows a real tension: the technical team had valid reasons not to prioritize the work, and you still found a way to align them. Good candidates explain how they gathered evidence, framed the ask in terms engineering could act on, and collaborated on scope rather than demanding a favor.
Use one specific example with clear stakes, a timeline, and named stakeholders. The best answers show structured influence: understanding the team's constraints, proposing options, aligning on trade-offs, and closing with a measurable business result plus a lesson learned.