|
Author: Ron Rosenhead Article source: http://www.linkgrinder.com/. Used with author's permission.
Forget stakeholders and they can fatally kill your project! Much has been written about why projects fail to deliver; no business case, poorly defined objectives, poor project scope alongside over-optimistic deadlines and no planned project budget! However, one area little talked about is the stakeholder - those with an interest and those who will be impacted by the project.
Research points to projects being derailed by poor management of stakeholders. From questionnaire results we have identified that 80% of project management problems are "people issues" with stakeholder management accounting for a substantial proportion of these issues.
How can you avoid falling into the traps others have done?
STAGE 1: Identify who the project stakeholders are. They can be individuals or organisations. Make a list. If in doubt, include them. You can always exclude them later on. Including them later on becomes more difficult
STAGE 2: Understand what their interest or requirements from the project are. You may not know this at the time you identify them to be a stakeholder but you need to find out. Produce a list of questions to ask the stakeholders. Clearly establish what their requirements are. Avoid second guessing and at the same time beware of raising expectations.
STAGE 3: Identify what the project needs from them. You may well need something from a stakeholder in order to progress the project. This could be information, someone to attend a meeting or something physical such as a computer programme. Ensure you mention the impact on the project of their non delivery to stakeholders.Our researches identify that project managers or teams do not say what they want as much as they should!
STAGE 4: Identify their attitudes and the possible risks. We always suggest that stakeholder management is the 1st stage of risk management. By identifying attitudes and the possible risks you are looking to prevent "issues" from arising. How many times have you been involved in a project and you know there are tensions but have done nothing? If you do speak to stakeholders in stage 2 it will help to identify attitudes and risks. Failure to carry out this stage can lead to major problems for your project
STAGE 5: Identify actions you need to take. This stage is interesting - it is a call to action by you to ensure you take management control of your stakeholders. Ensure you appoint a person to manage each action or series of actions,
We are seeing the growth of the relationship management approach in this area. For specific groups of stakeholders the project manager appoints a relationship manager - someone skilled in handling this aspect of communications and people. We have also seen organisations developing project protocols. This is a written document that identifies who plays which roles (including key stakeholders), what the communication channels are and who takes what types of decisions. You can include anything that is appropriate for effective management of the project. Transparency is the key aspect.
The stages mentioned need to be carried out throughout the life of a project. Someone or a group who is not a key stakeholder today, may become one tomorrow and you need to be prepared for them.
So, who is the wicked witch mentioned in this article? In the Disney cartoon of Sleeping Beauty, a Princess is born and everyone in the Kingdom, except the Wicked Witch, is invited to a party. What does she do? She invites herself and spoils the party by casting a spell on the child. The fairies save her from dying and you probably know the rest of the story. But, what is the connection with stakeholder management? Too often we find that someone or an organisation should have been "involved" but was not. Without either party realising it the Wicked Witch strikes! What is the end result? Bad relationships, project derailed/delayed and the need for new plans and more money.
So remember, manage stakeholders and beware of the wicked witch! Ron Rosenhead is Director of Project Agency. The company specialises in helping individuals and companies deliver projects. They run a variety of training and support programmes for their clients including coaching individuals to achieve project success.
Ron is a consultant, trainer, coach and public speaker. He has spoken at conference on various project management items including the importance of managing stakeholders effectively.
He is passionate about project success and has developed a number of key strategies to bring this about within organisations.
You can find out more about the company by visiting http://www.projectagency.com and Ron can be contacted on ron@projectagency.com
Aloe Vera - A Wonder Plant
A wonder plant, known to have many properties. Got a big success as a beauty product, but its medicinal uses are still debatable.
How to Make Your Cats Life, and YOUR Life, Happier - Training Your Cat
Imagine that you are scolding your cat for scratching at your new furniture, and Kitty is sitting staring at you. Suddenly you realize how silly you look and ho...
Shih Tzu - Dealing With Housetraining Problems
The best house training uses the shih tzu's own instincts to avoid soiling its bed to train the shih tzu where and where not to eliminate.
5 Plus One Internet Marketing Strategies to Improve Article Quality to Increase Web Traffic
Many small business owners desire increased web traffic. Building that traffic can take many avenues. Writing articles is one such avenue, but how do you levera...
Nosy and Intrusive Spyware Applications
Spyware can download onto your computer without your permission.
Grief
The lessons of grief.
Baggin It Right...Raises Your Game
When it comes to golf bags, size does matter, so does style, ease of use and ease of storage and cost. Brand should not always be the first consideration. Fin...
Practice Marketing: How to Answer What Do You Do? to Increase Prospects, Publicity and Profits
Discover how to answer the age old question "What do you do?" in ways that will increase your prospects, publicity and profits.
Ultimate Fall/Winter Date Ideas
Ever wonder what creative date ideas you can put to use when it's cold outside? Here are some hot date ideas that are guaranteed to have your mate comming back...
They Are Just Afraid of Writing
Certainly, we have answered only part of the questions that concern students. Undoubtedly some questions still remain unanswered. If you would like to lean more...
Bust Holiday Stress!
Are you ready for the best, most amazingly fun and relaxed holiday
season ever? "Bust" commercialism, long lines in stores, too much to do
in too little time...
Puppy Training Tips for the First Week
Bringing home a puppy and introducing her to your home is very
exciting for everyone. The only one who may be anxious about the situation will be the puppy. If...
5 Ways To Get The Most From Your Home Gym
A home gym can help you build muscle, produce an attractive body, rev up a sluggish metabolism and shave years off your age. When clients ask me about buying ho...
Obsessed with Armageddon
People today seem obsessed with Armageddon and fictional works about a violent end to human history. The fictional series "Left Behind" has sold millions of cop...
Three Small Business Secrets to Getting More Billable Time
Learn 3 ways to increase your productivity and make more billable hours in the day. Strategies that every Solo Entrepreneur could use!
An Introduction to Adjustable Beds
Adjustable beds, also known as Semi-Fowler beds, can be adjusted in position to suit the requirements of the user. Those who have medical conditions that requir...
Aromatherapy Favorites: Patchouli Essential Oil
Patchouli essential oil is likely the most misunderstood of items in the aromatherapist's toolkit. It's association with the 'counter-culture' may have given it...
Bodybuilding In Jail
We all make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes lead us into jail. While you`re sitting in your cell complaining about how stupid you were to be there, why no...
Spiritual Growth: Measures for How Youre Doing
In an exercise program, the muscle groups you concentrate on are the ones that improve. In a garden you can tell what is negelcted and what is lovingly sprayed,...
You may be Shocked to Hear This
You may be shocked to hear this, I urge you to never grow up. Be like Peter Pan.
Tipical Mistakes in Marketing
To prevent the risks of a promotion campaign for our products or services, (I'm talking about email campaigns), it is recommended to study some of the most comm...
I Hate Asking for Referrals! – 6 Proven Methods for Getting a Flood of Referrals Without Asking
The secret to getting referrals without asking for them is to develop referral systems that do the asking for you. Here are six innovative systems for getting r...
Triple AAA in 30 Days
Have you ever wonder about how to get good credit with spending alot of money. Well here is a little secret I used to get my credit back up to par.
Ten Tips for Affiliate Marketers Using Google AdWords
One of the hottest ways to sell affiliate products is using Google AdWords. Follow these tips and strategies to maximize your earning potential. 1. Seek out af...
|
Print this page