Stakeholder Management 101: Collection of Resources and Tips to Help You Better Manage Project Stakeholders
Stakeholder Management Fundamentals
Effectively managing stakeholders typically involves determining how to satisfy their demands, keeping them informed, monitoring their input and keeping the project within scope. Involve your team members in gathering input from stakeholders. Establish a schedule for communicating critical details about your project status. Effective stakeholder communication makes the project flow smoother and prevents surprises later on.
Find out how to identify stakeholders, rate their importance, determine their knowledge and input levels, and establish a decision-making process so you can achieve project goals and prevent project failure. Learn how to manage a team with stakeholders located in other places. Find out how to get stakeholder approval for project risks. Learn how to use a stakeholder’s power to influence the outcome of your project, determine the level of legitimate authority he has, and set expectations about the urgency of completing the project.
- What Are the Fundamentals of Stakeholder Theory?
- Understanding Stakeholder Management
- 5 Key Aspects of Virtual Global Teams and Stakeholder Management
- Stakeholder Identification
- Tips for Managing Internal/External Project Stakeholders
- Engineering Definition of Stakeholder Theory
- How to Get Stakeholder Approval of Project Risk
- Understanding the Salience Model for Project Stakeholders
Project Management Fundamentals
Learn more about the role of a project manager in stakeholder management. Find out about the five major types of stakeholders, including project managers, team members, functional management, sponsors and customers.
Get information about how stakeholders contribute to a project’s risk analysis and risk management strategy. Find out about the different elements and knowledge areas defined by the Project Management Institute in the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Learn how a stakeholder can impact your project planning.
- Understanding the Key Roles of a Project Manager
- Stakeholders in Project Management
- Risk Analysis and Risk Management
- An Overview of PMBOK - The Nine Elements of Project Management
Stakeholder Analysis
Learn how to conduct a stakeholder analysis. Use stakeholder analysis techniques to assess project risks. Get tips on gathering requirements and handling conflicts of interest. Learn how to assess a stakeholder’s power, influence and impact using a grid.
Get more information about how the level of involvement a person has and their ability to change work conditions influence a project. Find out how to determine if a stakeholder has the ability to set deadlines and set the project’s critical path.
- Stakeholder Analysis - Spheres of Influence - Power, Attitude, Interest
- Project Management Stakeholder Analysis to Assess Project Risks
- Tips on Gathering Requirements from Different Stakeholders
- Conflicts of Interest Between Different Stakeholders
- Understanding the Influence/Impact Grid (Influence/Impact Matrix)
- Using an Influence/Impact Grid in Stakeholder Management
- Using a Power/Influence Grid (Power/Influence Matrix)
Effective Communication Techniques
Successful project managers use effective communication techniques to manage stakeholders. Learn about ways to keep stakeholders informed about project progress, employ good listening skills and gather stakeholder feedback to keep the project on track.
Find out how to use mind-mapping activities to communicate more effectively with stakeholders and sponsors. Learn why you need comprehensive stakeholder communication to manage risks, create alliances, and handle the needs of project stakeholders and clients.
- All About Stakeholder Mind Mapping Activities
- Ways to Keep Project Stakeholders Informed
- Using Empathic Listening Skills to Improve Stakeholder Communication
- Communications Management Matrix as a Project Management Tool
- Why You Need a Stakeholder Communication Plan
- Managing Project Risk in Project Management
- 5 Tips on How to Deal With Project Changes by Stakeholders
- PMP Test Questions for Project Communications Management
- Project Communications Management Process
Improving Relationships
To avoid misunderstandings that impact project outcomes, conduct a stakeholder analysis at the beginning of your projects. Determine what is really needed for the final product or service by gathering detailed requirements about actual planned uses. Make no assumptions. For larger projects, ensure that each stakeholder takes ownership for a project requirement.
Find out more details about conducting an analysis and controlling stakeholder input. Learn how to build alliances by involving stakeholders in decision making, setting rules and requiring constructive comments about the project.
- How to Work More Effectively with Stakeholders
- Tips for Creating Alliances With Stakeholders
- Deciphering the Needs of Project Stakeholders and Clients
- How to Gather and Control Stakeholder Feedback and Reaction
Examples
A simple stakeholder analysis matrix consists of an array of sixteen squares. Across the top, the labels are “Significant Influence,” “Some Influence,” “Little Influence” and “No Influence.” The left side is labeled “No Importance,” “Little Importance,” and “Some Importance” and “Significant Importance.” Fill in the matrix with the names of your stakeholders.
Find more examples of a stakeholder analysis matrix to help you assess stakeholders’ interests more effectively as you manage projects. Get samples of communications plans, a stakeholder register and a template for stakeholder verification.
- Simple Stakeholder Analysis Matrix
- Example of Stakeholder Analysis as a Project Planning Tool
- 3 Great Examples of a Stakeholder Analysis Matrix
- Example of the Salience Model in Stakeholder Management
- Examples of a Project Management Stakeholder Analysis
- Example of a Stakeholder Communications Analysis In Projects
- Example of a Stakeholder Register and a Stakeholder Register
- A Sample Communication Plan for the Project Manager
- Free Project Management Forms for Communication & Risk Management
Templates
A simple template includes space for the project manager’s name and the project name. The columns are labeled “Name of Stakeholder,” “Designation,” “Department,” “Role in Project,” “Type of Stakeholder,” “Type of Communication,” “Expectations,” “Interests” and “Influence on Project Outcome.”
Learn how to use a power influence grid to prioritize stakeholder needs. Use a power and influence grids template to guide you in managing your own stakeholders on challenging projects. Create four boxes. Label the top left box “Keep Satisfied” and label the top right box “Manage Closely.” Label the lower left box “Monitor” and label the top right box “Keep Informed.” The bottom row represents level of interest. The first column represents the “level of power.” Fill in your stakeholder names to assess their level of contribution. Find more templates to help you manage your stakeholders effectively.
- Template for Basic Stakeholder Register - The Project Management.
- Free Stakeholder Verification Template
- Power/Interest Grid (Matrix) for Stakeholder Prioritization
- Power Influence Matrix Example for Stakeholder Management
- Example of Power/Interest Grid for Stakeholder Prioritization
Got a question or comment about stakeholder management? We’d love to hear your ideas about best practices for managing stakeholders effectively. Leave a comment on any of the above articles to begin a discussion.
References
- Chemuturi, Murali, and Thomas M. Cagley Jr.. " PMI - the World’s Leading Professional Association for Project Management.” PMI - the World’s Leading Professional Association for Project Management. http://www.pmi.org (accessed September 19, 2011).
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