PMP: 12. Project Stakeholder Management

-  Every project has stakeholders who are impacted by or can impact the project in a positive or negative way.
-  The process of stakeholder identification and engagement should commence as soon as possible after the project charter has been approved, the project manager has been assigned and the team begins to form.
-  The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on continuous communication with all stakeholders, including team members.
-  The process of identifying and engaging stakeholders for the benefit of the project is iterative
-  Although the processes in Project Stakeholder Management are described only once, the activities of identification, prioritization, and engagement should be reviewed and updated routinely specially when (Project moves through different phases, if some stakeholder no longer involved or if new stakeholder joined, or if there are significant changes in the organization)
-  Trends and practices in Project Stakeholder Management includes (Identify all stakeholders, Ensure all team members involved in stakeholder engagement activities, Review stakeholder community regularly, and capture the value of effective stakeholder engagement)
-  Adaptive teams engage with stakeholders directly rather than going through layers of management
-  In order to accelerate the sharing of information within and across the organization, agile methods promote aggressive transparency.

Identify Stakeholders (Initiating Process Group)
Identify Stakeholders is the process of identifying project stakeholders regularly and analyzing and documenting relevant information regarding their interests, involvement, interdependencies, influence, and potential impact on project success.
Key benefit of this process is that enables the project team to identify the appropriate focus for engagement of each stakeholder or group stakeholders
-  This process is performed periodically throughout the project
-  This process frequently occurs for the first time in a project either prior to or at the same time the project charter is developed and approved
-  It is repeated as necessary, but should be performed at start of each phase or when a significant change in the organization occurs
-  Each time the identification process is repeated, the project management plan components and project documents should be consulted to identify relevant project stakeholders.

Identify Stakeholders Inputs:
1- Project Charter
-  Identifies Key stakeholders list, it may contain information about their responsibilities
2- Business Documents
-  Business case: Identifies project objectives and initial list of stakeholders affected by the project
-  Benefits management plan: Expected plan for realizing the benefits claimed in business case. It may identify individual and groups that will benefit from the delivery of project outcomes
3- Project Management Plan
-  Includes (Communications management plan and stakeholder management plan)
4- Project Documents
-  Includes Change log, Issue log and Requirements documentations
5- Agreements
-  Agreement can contain reference to additional stakeholders
6- Enterprise Environmental Factors
7- Organizational Process Assets

Identify Stakeholders Tools & Techniques:
1- Expert Judgment
2- Data Gathering
-  Questionnaires and surveys: include one-on-one reviews, focus group sessions, or other mass information collection techniques.
-  Brainstorming: Used to identify stakeholders can include both brainstorming and brain writing
- Brain writing: allows individual participants time to consider the question(s) individually before the group creativity session is held. The information can be gathered in face-to-face groups or using virtual environments supported by technology.
3- Data Analysis
-  Stakeholder analysis: Results in a list of stakeholder and relevant information such as their positions in the organization, roles on the project “stakes”, expectations, attitude (their level of support for the project) and their interest in information about the project. Stakeholder stakes include (Interest, Rights (legal or moral), ownership, Knowledge and Contribution)
-  Document analysis: Assess the available project documentations and lessons learned from previous projects to identify stakeholders and other supporting information
4- Data Representation
-  Stakeholder mapping/representation: Method of categorizing stakeholder using various methods which assist the team in building relationships with the identified project stakeholders. Include
- Power/interest grid, Power/influence grid or impact/influence grid: Each of these techniques supports a grouping of stakeholders according to their level of authority (power), level of concern about the project’s outcomes (interest) and ability to influence/involvement the outcomes of the project (influence). These classifications are useful for small projects
- Stakeholder cube: This is a refinement of the grid models previously mentioned. This model combines the grid elements into a three-dimensional model that can be useful to project managers and teams in identifying and engaging their stakeholder community. It provides a model with multiple dimensions that improves the depiction of the stakeholder community.
- Salience Model: Describes classes of stakeholders based on assessments of their power (level of authority or ability to influence the outcomes of the project), urgency (need for immediate attention, either time-constrained or relating to the stakeholders’ high stake in the outcome), and legitimacy (their involvement is appropriate). The salience model is useful for large complex communities of stakeholders or where there are complex networks of relationships within the community. It is also useful in determining the relative importance of the identified stakeholders.
- Directions of influence: Classifies stakeholders according to their influence on the work of the project or the project team itself. Stakeholders can be classified in the following ways
- Upward (senior management)
- Downward (team or specialists contribute knowledge or skill)
- Outward (Stakeholders outside the project such as suppliers, government departments, end users and regulators)
- Sideward (Peers of project manager such as other project managers or middle manager who are in competition)
- Prioritization: Prioritizing stakeholders may be necessary for projects with a large number of stakeholders, where the membership of the stakeholder community is changing frequently, or when the relationships between stakeholders and the project team or within the stakeholder community are complex
5- Meetings

Identify Stakeholders Outputs:
1- Stakeholder Register
-  Contains information about identified stakeholders that includes
- Identification information. Name, organizational position, location and contact details, and role on the project
- Assessment information. Major requirements, expectations, potential for influencing project outcomes, and the phase of the project life cycle where the stakeholder has the most influence or impact.
- Stakeholder classification. Internal/external, impact/influence/power/interest, upward/downward/outward/sideward, or any other classification model chosen by the project manager
2- Change Requests
-  During first iteration there will be no changes. However, throughout the project new stakeholder or new information about them may result change request to the product, project management plan or project documents
3- Project Management Plan Updates
-  Includes (Requirements management plan, Communication management plan, Risk management plan and stakeholder engagement plan)
4- Project Documents Updates
-  Includes (Assumption log, Issue log and Risk register)

Plan Stakeholder Engagement (Planning Process Group)
Plan Stakeholder Engagement is the process of developing approaches to involve project stakeholders based on their needs, expectations, interests, and potential impact on the project
Key benefit is that it provides an actionable plan to interact effectively with stakeholders.
-  This process is performed periodically throughout the project.
-  The first version of the stakeholder engagement plan is developed after the initial stakeholder community has been identified by the Identify Stakeholder process
-  The stakeholder engagement plan is updated regularly to reflect changes to the stakeholder community

Plan Stakeholder Engagement Inputs:
1- Project Charter
-  Includes information on the project purpose, objectives, and success criteria that can be taken into consideration when planning how to engage stakeholders
2- Project Management Plan
-  Includes (Resource management plan, Communications management plan, Risk management plan)
3- Project Documents
-  Includes (Assumption log, Change log, Issue log, Project schedule, Risk register and Stakeholder register)
4- Agreements
-  When planning for the engagement of contractors and suppliers, coordination usually involves working with the procurement/contracting group in the organization to ensure contractors and suppliers are effectively managed
5- Enterprise Environmental Factors
6- Organizational Process Assets

Plan Stakeholder Engagement Tools & Techniques:
1- Expert Judgment
2- Data Gathering
-  Benchmarking: Results of stakeholder analysis are compared with information from other organizations or other projects that are considered to be world class
3- Data Analysis
-  Assumption and constraint analysis: Analysis of current assumptions and constraints may be conducted in order to tailor appropriate engagement strategies
-  Root cause analysis: identifies underlying reasons for the level of support of project stakeholders in order to select the appropriate strategy to improve their level of engagement.
4- Decision Making
-  Prioritization/ranking: Stakeholder requirements need to be prioritized and ranked, as do the stakeholders themselves. Stakeholders with the most interest and the highest influence are often prioritized at the top of the list.
5- Data Representation
-  Mind Mapping: Visually organize information about stakeholders and their relationship to each other and the organization.
-  Stakeholder engagement assessment Matrix: supports comparison between the current engagement levels of stakeholders and the desired engagement levels required for successful project delivery. The engagement level of stakeholders can be classified as follows:
- Unware: Unaware of the project and potential impacts
- Resistant. Aware of the project and potential impacts but resistant to any changes that may occur. These stakeholders are usually unsupportive
- Neutral. Aware of the project, but neither supportive nor unsupportive.
- Supportive. Aware of the project and potential impacts and supportive of the work
- Leading. Aware of the project and potential impacts and actively engaged in ensuring that the project in success
6- Meetings

Plan Stakeholder Engagement Outputs:
1- Stakeholder Engagement Plan
-  Component of the project management plan that identifies the strategies and actions required to promote productive involvement of stakeholders in decision making and execution
-  It can be formal or informal and highly detailed or broadly framed, based on the needs of the project.
-  The stakeholder engagement plan may include but is not limited to specific strategies or approaches for engaging with individuals or groups of stakeholders.

Manage Stakeholder Engagement (Executing Process Group)
Manage Stakeholder Engagement is the process of communicating and working with stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations, address issues, and foster appropriate stakeholder involvement
Key benefit of this process is that it allows the project manager to increase support and minimize resistance from stakeholders
-  This process in performed throughout the project
-  Manage stakeholder engagement involves (Engaging stakeholder at appropriate project stages, Manage stakeholder expectations through negotiations and communications, Address any risks related to stakeholders management and Clarifying and resolving identified issues)
-  Managing stakeholder engagement helps to ensure that stakeholders clearly understand the project goals, objectives, benefits, and risks for the project, as well as how their contribution will enhance project success

Manage Stakeholder Engagement Inputs:
1- Project Management Plan
-  Includes (Communications management plan, Risk management plan, Stakeholder management plan and Change management plan)
2- Project Documents
-  Includes (Change log, Issue log, Lessons learned register and Stakeholder register)
3- Enterprise Environmental Factors
4- Organizational Process Assets

Manage Stakeholder Engagement Tools & Techniques:
1- Expert Judgment
2- Communication Skills
-  The project management team uses feedback to assist in understanding stakeholder reaction to the various project management activities and key decisions. Feedback may be collected by (conversations, Issue identification, Meetings, Progress reporting and Surveys)

3- Interpersonal and Team Skills
-  Conflict management: Project manager ensures conflicts are resolved in timely manner
-  Cultural awareness: help the project manager and team to communicate effectively by considering cultural differences and the requirements of stakeholders
-  Negotiation: helps in achieving support or agreement that supports the work of the project or its outcomes and to resolve conflicts within the team or with other stakeholders
-  Observations/conversation: used to stay in touch with the work and attitudes of project team members and other stakeholders
-  Political awareness: achieved through understanding the power relationships within and around the project
4- Ground Rules
-  Set expected behavior for project team members as well as other stakeholders with regard to stakeholder engagement as defined in team charter.
5- Meetings
-  Include (Decision making, Issue resolution, Lessons learned and retrospectives, Project kick-off, Spring planning and Status updates meetings)

Manage Stakeholder Engagement Outputs:
1- Change Requests
2- Project Management Plan Updates
-  Includes (Communication management plan and Stakeholder engagement plan)
3- Project Documents Updates
-  Includes (Change log, Issue log, Lessons learned register and Stakeholder register)

Monitor Stakeholder Engagement (Monitor & Controlling Process Group)
Monitor Stakeholder Engagement is the process of monitoring project stakeholder relationships and tailoring strategies for engaging stakeholders through modification of engagement strategies and plans
Key benefit of this process is that it maintains or increases the efficiency and effectiveness of stakeholder engagement activities as the project evolves and its environment changes.
-  This process is performed throughout the project

Monitor Stakeholder Engagement Inputs:
1- Project Management Plan
-  Includes (Resource management plan, Communications management plan and Stakeholder engagement plan)
2- Project Documents
-  Includes (Issue log, Lessons learned register, Project communications, Risk register and Stakeholder register)
3- Work Performance Data
-  Such as which stakeholders are supportive of the project and their level and type of engagement
4- Enterprise Environmental Factors
5- Organizational Process Assets

Monitor Stakeholder Engagement Tools & Techniques:
1- Data Analysis
-  Alternatives analysis: Evaluate options to respond to variances
-  Root cause analysis: Determine the basic underlying reason that stakeholder engagement is not having the planned effect
-  Stakeholder analysis: Helps to determine the position of stakeholder anytime at the project
2- Decision Making
-  Multicriteria decision analysis: Criteria for successful stakeholder engagement are prioritized and weighted to identify the most appropriate choice
-  Voting: helps in selecting best response for a variance in stakeholder engagement.
3- Data Representation
-  Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix: Monitors stakeholder engagement through tracking changes in level of engagement for each stakeholder
4- Communication Skills
-  Feedback: Ensure that the information to stakeholders is received and understood.
-  Presentations: Presentations provide clear information to stakeholders.
5- Interpersonal and Team skills
-  Active listening: Reduce misunderstandings and other miscommunication.
-  Cultural awareness: Help the project manager to plan communications based on the cultural differences and requirements of stakeholders and team members.
-  Leadership: Successful stakeholder engagement requires strong leadership skills to communicate the vision and inspire stakeholders to support the work and outcomes of the project
-  Networking: Ensures access to information about levels of engagement of stakeholders
-  Political awareness: Understand the strategies of the organization, understand who wields power and influence in this arena, and to develop an ability to communicate with these stakeholders.
6- Meetings
-  Include (Status, Standup meetings and retrospectives)
-  Meetings could be face-to-face or voice-to-voice

Monitor Stakeholder Engagement Outputs:
1- Work Performance Information
-  Include information about status of stakeholder engagement such as (current level support and compared to desired level as defined in stakeholder engagement assessment matrix)
2- Change Requests
3- Project Management Plan Updates
-  Includes (Resource management plan, Communications Management plan and Stakeholder management plan)
4- Project Documents Updates
-  Includes (Issue log, Lessons learned register, Risk register and Stakeholder register)