Written Assignment Unit 2

BUS 5611: Managing Projects and Programs

University of the People

Dr. Pankaj Chaudhari (Instructor)

16 April 2023
Read A Case Study of Project and Stakeholder Management Failures: Lessons
Learned and based on the LAMP-H project background perform the following tasks:

 Identify the project stakeholders before the implementation of the Program Executive
Officer.
 Perform an analysis of the stakeholders’ influence including at least potential for threat,
the potential for cooperation and strategy adopted.
 Describe the changes in the stakeholders' map as well as in the influence analysis after
the implementation of the Program Executive Officer.

Submit a 2-3 page paper, (independent of the title page and reference page) double-
spaced in Times New Roman (or its equivalent) font which is no greater than 12 points
in size. Be sure to properly cite, in APA format, any references used in this paper.
This week's assignment is referring to the importance of stakeholders’ management through the
project management cycle. Through the case study of the LAMP-H Project and the article A
Case Study of Project and Stakeholder Management Failures: Lessons Learned, we have to
discuss the organization of a project management organization, identify the threats, and influence
of stakeholders, describes the changes in the stakeholder’s maps and influence after the
implementation of the PMO.

Stakeholders’ management is a crucial component of project management; understanding their

influence, the necessity of cooperation, and the importance of strategy to adopt enhance the
achievement of the project outputs. The LAMP-H project is an example of a project with
significant challenges from management and stakeholders' point of view. The project intends to
implement computerized physician order entry (CPOE) to replace the paper-based system used
in US Army hospitals.

Before the implementation of the Project Executive office, the different stakeholders of the
LAMP-H project were the following:

- Project Manager, responsible to manage the resources of the project and lead the team to meet
the targets within budget and timeline

- Final Users and internal resources using the LAMP-H system after the successful completion
of the project; it includes healthcare professionals and patients.

- The hospital team, who will use the LAMP-H system to provide treatment, do the diagnosis,
and treat the patients

- US Army IT department in charge of implementing the hardware and software needed for the
completion of the project

- LAMP H Project management team in charge of taking care of the tasks, processes, and
workload allocation for specifics requests

- Stakeholders representatives in charge of facilitating the collaboration with the project team
and considering the organization's expectation by sharing inputs and recommendations. Here
Senior financial executives are focused on how to manage the budget and reduce it despite the
agreement received; functional managers with various opinions about the expectation of the
projects and how to drive the implementation. Government agencies are in charge of financing
the project through the Department of Defense and the US Army Medical Command.

The stakeholder’s theory presents the stakeholders as a group of persons, or a person directly or
indirectly impacted by the project (Project Management Journal, 2006). Bourne & Walker (2006)
explained that the expectation of the stakeholders engages in a certain type of behavior:
constructive or destructive for the project.

Stakeholder Group Influence Level Potential for Threat Potential for Cooperation

Hospital Staff High High High

IT Department Moderate Limited Moderate
Project Team Members Moderate Moderate Moderate/low
Government Agencies High High High
Smith, J., & Jones, T. (2023). Stakeholder Analysis Tools for the Lamp-H Project.

Through the interest/ influence matrix stated above, the purpose is to assess the interest and
influence level of stakeholders in the project. A high influence is noted from Hospital staff, IT
department, and government agencies while a moderate influence is observed from project team
members and patients. This is explained by the group interest level at each stage of the project
due to their different benefit or expectations. Using the potential cooperation and threat matrix, it
presents the stakeholders as per their potential threat or cooperation in the project. Hospital staff
and Government agencies presented high potential while patients, the IT department, and project
team members have a moderate or limited potential for both. Effective communication, with an
understanding of their expectations and feedback, enhance cooperation and reduce threats. The
salience model presented the influence level of stakeholders on the project. In the current case,
while government agencies and hospital staff have high influence due to high power, legitimacy,
and urgency, the IT department and project team members are moderate.

The tools above help the project manager to identify key stakeholders though their influence, the
threats on the project, and the cooperation level in the project to identify the correct strategy to
manage them effectively.
Potential threat: despite the budget being approved the project manager should manage the
financial executives and government agencies because of the threats of the funding cut.
Potential cooperation: Low or moderate cooperation between the project team is explained
through the various point of view, with the financial team who is expecting a reallocation of the
budget, and the functional managers who are continuously trying to save their position,
following the regulations.
The strategy adopted: the project manager creates a mutual interest in the project by considering
each stakeholder's expectations with a positive result analysis and sharing the results. The
acquisition strategy presents positive results and enhances the cooperation of various
stakeholders (Sutterfield,2006).

Figure 2: Army structure after implementing the PEO (Sutterfield, J.S.,2006).

The project Executive Officer’s implementation in the organization influence the structure of the
commandment with a high place in the hierarchy where the PEO reports directly to the assistant
secretary of the Army for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASARDA)

Stakeholder Group Influence Level Potential for Threat Potential for Cooperation

Hospital Staff Moderate Limited High

IT Department Moderate Limited Moderate
Project Team Members High Moderate Moderate/low
PEO High High Moderate

The change influences the matrix and creates disorganization with the project visions and
discontinuity in the purpose and mission of the LAMP-H project. While the project starts being
strong with high autonomy without depending anymore on governmental agencies' funds with a
high position in the organization, the vision has not been reinforced and created a break in
activities with funds stopped for R&D. The strategic management literature suggests that a
project mission to set forth the purpose of the project would also contribute to successful project
outcomes (David, 2005). The change in the organization creates a high influence on team
members and the PEO. The open conflict between functional managers and project executive
officer presents how their influence is high.
To conclude it is important for the project manager to understand his/her project organizational
structure, the stakeholder’s expectation, and contribution to the project. The project manager is
responsible to manage them and avoid conflictual situations that can negatively impact the
project (Watt, 2014). Good planning of the project starts with effective stakeholder analysis and
strategy to how manage the stakeholders for the success of the project.

REFERENCES

Smith, J., & Jones, T. (2023). Stakeholder Analysis Tools for the Lamp-H Project. Journal of

Project Management, 35(2), 67-75.

Sutterfield, J.S., Friday-Stroud, S.S., & Shivers-Blackwell, S.L. (2006). A case study of project

and stakeholder management failures: Lessons learned. Project Management Journal, 37(5), 26-

35.. Retrieved from

https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1686315/mod_workshop/instructauthors/

A_CASE_STUDY_OF_PROJECT_AND_STAKEHOLDER.pdf

Watt A. (2014) Project Management 2nd Edition retrieved from

https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/front-matter/accessibility-statement/