Project Stakeholders

Understanding Stakeholders in Project Management

Gökrem Tekir, PMP

The Impact and Importance of Stakeholders

Stakeholders are affected positively or negatively by a project.

The necessity for the Project Manager to identify and manage stakeholders
effectively.
The dynamic nature of stakeholder engagement throughout a project.
Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

List of various stakeholders: Project team members, customers, end-users, etc.

Their diverse roles and responsibilities in the context of a project.
Their participation and influence can vary.
Project Manager's Role in Stakeholder Management

Identifying stakeholders, planning engagement, managing and monitoring

engagement.
The importance of understanding stakeholders' needs and expectations.
Challenges in Stakeholder Engagement

Incompatible interests, needs, priorities, and opinions among stakeholders.

Managing conflicting expectations for project outcomes.
Identifying Stakeholders

Importance of identifying internal and external stakeholders early in the project.

Early identification helps in understanding their needs and establishing success
criteria.
Importance of obtaining stakeholder support early on.
Consequences of Late Identification

Risks associated with identifying stakeholders' needs too late in the project, such as
project failure or unmet needs.
Importance of proactive stakeholder identification.
Stakeholder Analysis

Process of analyzing stakeholders’ interests, participation levels, and potential

impacts.
Importance of documenting this information and keeping it updated.
Developing Communication and Engagement Plans

Communication management and stakeholder engagement plans.

How these plans help in ensuring effective interaction with stakeholders.
Dynamic Nature of Stakeholder Lists

How stakeholder lists are affected by external factors and need regular updates.
Usefulness of previous projects' stakeholder lists or templates.
Key Stakeholders in Project Management

A detailed list of key stakeholders (Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Team,

Customers, SMEs, etc.) and their roles.
Unique impact and importance of each type of stakeholder.
Ongoing Management of Stakeholders

Continuous process of stakeholder management.

Importance of updating documents like Change Logs, Issue Logs, and Requirements
Documents.
How environmental changes may introduce new stakeholders.
Effective Stakeholder Management: Conclusion and Best Practices

Key points about stakeholder management.

Best practices for effective stakeholder management in projects.
Importance of regular communication and engagement.
1- You have recently been appointed as the project manager for a new city park
development project. The project will not only include playgrounds and walking paths
but also a small amphitheater for community events.
In the early stages of this project, who among the following should you prioritize as a key
stakeholder to engage with?

A. Essential for ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations, their early involvement can significantly impact
project approvals and progression.
B. Although crucial for sourcing materials, their engagement is more tactical and can be addressed in later project
phases.
C. Important for budgeting and financial planning, but their role is often more internal and less critical in the initial
stages.
D. While important for public relations, their involvement is not critical in the early stages of project planning.
1- You have recently been appointed as the project manager for a new city park
development project. The project will not only include playgrounds and walking paths
but also a small amphitheater for community events.
In the early stages of this project, who among the following should you prioritize as a key
stakeholder to engage with?

A. Essential for ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations, their early involvement can significantly impact
project approvals and progression.
B. Although crucial for sourcing materials, their engagement is more tactical and can be addressed in later project
phases.
C. Important for budgeting and financial planning, but their role is often more internal and less critical in the initial
stages.
D. While important for public relations, their involvement is not critical in the early stages of project planning.
2- During the construction of a new corporate office building, you realize that the needs
of one of the key stakeholders, a nearby community group, have not been fully
considered, especially regarding the environmental impact. What should be your
immediate course of action?

A. Modify the project plan without consulting the community group, considering immediate plan alterations to
accommodate potential oversights, aiming for minimal disruption without direct engagement.

B. Hold a meeting with the community group to understand their concerns, engaging directly with them to discuss
their concerns and explore potential solutions.

C. Continue with the project as planned, addressing concerns post-completion, proceeding with the current plan and
considering addressing the community's concerns in subsequent project phases or through additional initiatives.

D. Immediately halt all construction activities, stopping all project activities to reassess the situation, potentially
causing significant delays but ensuring no further actions are taken without full stakeholder consideration.
2- During the construction of a new corporate office building, you realize that the needs
of one of the key stakeholders, a nearby community group, have not been fully
considered, especially regarding the environmental impact. What should be your
immediate course of action?

A. Modify the project plan without consulting the community group, considering immediate plan alterations to
accommodate potential oversights, aiming for minimal disruption without direct engagement.

B. Hold a meeting with the community group to understand their concerns, engaging directly with them to discuss
their concerns and explore potential solutions.

C. Continue with the project as planned, addressing concerns post-completion, proceeding with the current plan and
considering addressing the community's concerns in subsequent project phases or through additional initiatives.

D. Immediately halt all construction activities, stopping all project activities to reassess the situation, potentially
causing significant delays but ensuring no further actions are taken without full stakeholder consideration.
3- You are managing a software development project. Midway through, you find out that
the marketing team, a stakeholder, expects a feature in the software that was not in the
original scope. How should you address this situation?

A. Inform the marketing team that their request cannot be accommodated, directly communicating the inability to
integrate their request due to scope constraints, avoiding project delays and budget overruns.

B. Add the feature without assessing its impact on the project timeline or budget, immediately including the requested
feature to satisfy the marketing team, risking potential impacts on project deliverables.

C. Arrange a meeting with the marketing team to discuss the implications of their request, collaborating with them to
understand their needs and discuss the feasibility and implications of incorporating their request.

D. Ignore the request and continue with the current project plan, maintaining the current project trajectory, prioritizing
originally defined scopes and deadlines over evolving stakeholder requests.
3- You are managing a software development project. Midway through, you find out that
the marketing team, a stakeholder, expects a feature in the software that was not in the
original scope. How should you address this situation?

A. Inform the marketing team that their request cannot be accommodated, directly communicating the inability to
integrate their request due to scope constraints, avoiding project delays and budget overruns.

B. Add the feature without assessing its impact on the project timeline or budget, immediately including the requested
feature to satisfy the marketing team, risking potential impacts on project deliverables.

C. Arrange a meeting with the marketing team to discuss the implications of their request, collaborating with them to
understand their needs and discuss the feasibility and implications of incorporating their request.

D. Ignore the request and continue with the current project plan, maintaining the current project trajectory, prioritizing
originally defined scopes and deadlines over evolving stakeholder requests.
4- You are leading a project to launch a new line of eco-friendly packaging. Halfway
through the project, a new government regulation is announced that affects packaging
standards. What is the most appropriate action to take regarding your stakeholders?

A. Continue the project without any changes, proceeding with the existing plan and assuming the new regulation will
have minimal or no impact on the project’s outcome.

B. Update the stakeholder list and reassess stakeholder needs based on the new regulation, reevaluating the project's
alignment with the new regulation and updating the stakeholder list and engagement strategies accordingly.

C. Notify only the project team about the regulation change, informing the project team about the regulatory change
and focusing on internal adjustments while limiting broader stakeholder communication.

D. Cancel the project due to the change in regulation, considering terminating the project to avoid non-compliance and
reallocating resources to other initiatives.
4- You are leading a project to launch a new line of eco-friendly packaging. Halfway
through the project, a new government regulation is announced that affects packaging
standards. What is the most appropriate action to take regarding your stakeholders?

A. Continue the project without any changes, proceeding with the existing plan and assuming the new regulation will
have minimal or no impact on the project’s outcome.

B. Update the stakeholder list and reassess stakeholder needs based on the new regulation, reevaluating the project's
alignment with the new regulation and updating the stakeholder list and engagement strategies accordingly.

C. Notify only the project team about the regulation change, informing the project team about the regulatory change
and focusing on internal adjustments while limiting broader stakeholder communication.

D. Cancel the project due to the change in regulation, considering terminating the project to avoid non-compliance and
reallocating resources to other initiatives.
5- You are overseeing the renovation of a historical city building into a museum. As the
project progresses, you realize that the interests of the local historical society, initially not
identified as a stakeholder, are becoming increasingly relevant. How should you proceed
in this situation?

A. Ignore the historical society as they were not original stakeholders, continuing with the current plan and
prioritizing the initial stakeholder analysis and project scope.

B. Suggest the historical society lead the project instead, proposing a shift in project leadership to the historical
society and acknowledging their significant interest and potential expertise in historical preservation.

C. Only consult the historical society at the end of the project, planning to engage with them during the final
project phases and aiming to address any concerns retrospectively.

D. Add the historical society to the stakeholder list and engage with them to understand their perspectives,
recognizing the evolving nature of the project environment by incorporating the historical society's interests into
the stakeholder management plan.
5- You are overseeing the renovation of a historical city building into a museum. As the
project progresses, you realize that the interests of the local historical society, initially not
identified as a stakeholder, are becoming increasingly relevant. How should you proceed
in this situation?

A. Ignore the historical society as they were not original stakeholders, continuing with the current plan and
prioritizing the initial stakeholder analysis and project scope.

B. Suggest the historical society lead the project instead, proposing a shift in project leadership to the historical
society and acknowledging their significant interest and potential expertise in historical preservation.

C. Only consult the historical society at the end of the project, planning to engage with them during the final
project phases and aiming to address any concerns retrospectively.

D. Add the historical society to the stakeholder list and engage with them to understand their perspectives,
recognizing the evolving nature of the project environment by incorporating the historical society's interests into
the stakeholder management plan.
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