Often stakeholders become disenfranchised or against a project due to the project team not understanding the priorities or outcomes of the project. It is vital to understand the values and issues that stakeholders have, in order to address them and keep everyone informed and involved throughout the project phases.
There are three reasons why investing in stakeholder management is worthwhile:
Below is a 4 step method to improve stakeholder engagement
Step 1 Identify Stakeholders:
Key Benefit: Allows the project manager to determine the appropriate focus required for each stakeholder or group of stakeholders.
Step 2 – Plan Stakeholder Management:
Key Benefit: Provides a clear, actionable plan to interact with project stakeholders to maximise support and minimize resistance
Step 3 – Manage Stakeholder Engagement
Key Benefit: Allows the project manager to increase support and minimise resistance from stakeholders, significantly increasing the chances to achieve project success
Step 4 Control Stakeholder Engagement:
Key Benefit: Maintain or increase the efficiency and effectiveness of stakeholder engagement activities as the project evolves and its environment changes