Engaging Stakeholders for Success
Let’s face it, the productivity of any organization depends heavily on the degree of stakeholder engagement in its enterprise-wide projects. Once the decision has been made to undertake any project, it is important that all internal and external stakeholders – the ones who own the project and are affected by its outcome, be kept informed and satisfied with project progress. Their approval and support must be gained in order for the project to be successful.
Stakeholders may vary from project to project and from organization to organization. What really matters to one group may be of lesser importance to another. At times there can also be shared requirements between stakeholders. It is therefore important for a project manager, in collaboration with the executive sponsor, to first identify stakeholders and determine their influence and effect on the project. The project manager must also fully understand stakeholder interests and behaviours so that an effective plan of communication can be established. Stakeholders may then be ranked according to their level of influence and extent of interests regarding the project in question. This information can be used to determine how the project team manages their various stakeholders and their degree of involvement and engagement; as well as the amount of detail contained in reports to them.
Generally, stakeholders all share a few expectations – that the project team is credible, trustworthy and delivers results. In order to be impactful, the key is for the project team to timely identify and communicate any risks that may affect the project, and any discord or attrition among staff. Timelines of deliverables and the associated parties responsible must also be clear and accurate for stakeholders, so that no confusion is created that can lead to unrealistic expectations. A change management process for the project must also be set up, enforced and tweaked where necessary. Additionally, it is imperative that any important project documents communicated to stakeholders always reflect the most current data and information.
Throughout the life-cycle of a project, the project executive must actively communicate and connect with the various stakeholders, to seek to understand what concerns, if any, they might be having. Where issues exist, the project team should engage the stakeholders to ascertain how, from their point of view, improvements can be made. If there is mistrust, stakeholders should be re-assured, and trust regained through careful listening. Where appropriate, adjustments should be made regarding methods, procedures and operations to address the concerns of the stakeholders as much as possible.
In short, stakeholder cooperation and engagement can make or break a project and consequently affect the ability of an organization to be efficient and effective in functional areas. Project teams must aim to understand stakeholder requirements and address their concerns as much as it is feasible; considering technology, budgetary and time constraints. When stakeholder engagement is done well, the resulting success can be realized by all. Results such as improvement in processing, reporting, governance, social responsibility as well as reduced costs that may improve an organization’s bottom line, are beneficial for all stakeholders.
Contact Excalibur Information Solutions – let us discuss how we can assist with your business enablement, value creation and results improvement.
Jules S. Batson Msc, MCPM, PMP
Project Management Director & Solutions Consultant
Excalibur Information Solutions Inc.
Tel: (778) 433 4644
Email: jbatson@SolutionsConsultant.com
URL: www.SolutionsConsultant.com