The Planning Processes Group: Stakeholder Management

Introduction

The primary reason that a project is undertaken is to satisfy the expectations of the project stakeholders. Clearly, it is
important to ensure efforts are made to identify, work with, and communicate with the appropriate stakeholders. Within
the Planning process group, the Plan Stakeholder Engagement process is the key work effort for the Project Stakeholder
Management Knowledge Area. The purpose of the process is to develop approaches to involve stakeholders based on
their needs, expectations, interests, and potential impact on the project.

Inputs of Plan Stakeholder Engagement

Project Charter

The project charter provides high-level information on the project’s purpose, objectives, and success criteria. When
planning activities are carried out, this document is frequently reviewed.

Project Management Plan

To develop the stakeholder engagement plan you can use the following information from the project management plan:

 Resource management plan, which captures roles and responsibilities of the project team as well as other
information regarding resource management
 Communications management plan, which documents the communication strategies selected
 Risk management plan, which details the risk thresholds and risk attitudes of stakeholders

Project Documents

Information that is needed to plan engagement with project stakeholders is provided from the stakeholder register. This is
a key document, as it captures additional information about individual stakeholders, including their levels of influence,
authority, and interest in the project.

In addition to the stakeholder register, the following other documents may be useful:

 Assumption log
 Change log
 Issue log
 Project schedule
 Risk register

Agreements
Engagement with contractors and suppliers also needs to be planned. Information on these stakeholders can be found
within the signed agreements.

Enterprise Environmental Factors

All enterprise environmental factors can be used within the Plan Stakeholder Engagement process. Special attention
should be given to the organizational structure and culture, stakeholder risk appetites, and external stakeholder
requirements. It will be important to adapt the management of stakeholders to the project environment.

Organizational Process Assets

All the elements described in the organizational process assets can be used in this process. Particular consideration
should be given to lessons learned and historical information.

Tools and Techniques of Plan Stakeholder Engagement

Expert Judgment

Using the project objectives as a guide, a project manager should apply expert judgment when considering the level of
engagement required for each stakeholder. It may be necessary to adjust the level of engagement, considering the
different phases of the project. In the creation of the stakeholder engagement plan, a project manager can look to the
following groups, depending on specialized training or subject matter expertise these individuals might possess:

 Senior management and other identified key stakeholders

 Project team members
 Other functional units or individuals
 Project managers who have completed similar projects
 Subject matter experts in the business or project areas
 Industry groups and consultants
 Professional and technical associations

Data Gathering

Benchmarking is a useful data gathering technique for developing a stakeholder engagement plan. Benchmarking
involves comparing information from other, similar projects or with other projects from other organizations.

Data Analysis

Data analysis techniques used in this process include, but are not limited to, the following three examples:

 Assumption and constraint analysis, used to tailor engagement strategies

 Root cause analysis, used to identify underlying reasons for existing levels of support
 SWOT analysis, used to evaluate current and possible future positions of key stakeholders

Decision Making

When developing stakeholder engagement strategies, the stakeholder requirements may need to be prioritized and
ranked. This is a form of a decision-making technique.

Data Representation

A stakeholder engagement assessment matrix allows for a comparison between current and desired engagement levels.
The current engagement level of all stakeholders should be compared to the planned levels of engagement to ensure
project success. This is a critical process that needs to be performed throughout the life cycle of the project to help ensure
satisfied stakeholders. The level of engagement with stakeholders can be classified as follows:

 Unaware, where the stakeholder is unaware of the project and potential impacts
 Resistant, where the stakeholder is aware of the project but is resistant to change
 Neutral, where the stakeholder is aware but is neither supportive nor resistant
 Supportive, where the stakeholder is aware of the project and is supportive of change
 Leading, where the stakeholder is actively engaged in ensuring that the project is a success
Aside from the stakeholder engagement assessment matrix, mind mapping is yet another type of data representation
engagement strategies. Mind mapping involves organizing information about stakeholders together and their relationship
to each other and the organization.

Meetings

The stakeholder management strategy defines the level of participation needed for each stakeholder technique that aids in
the development of stakeholder.

Outputs of Plan Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder Engagement Plan

This component of the project management plan identifies the management strategies necessary to effectively engage
stakeholders. Adding to the information provided by the stakeholder register, the stakeholder engagement plan often
provides the following information:

 Desired and current engagement levels of key stakeholders

 Scope and impact of change to stakeholders
 Interrelationships and potential overlap of stakeholders
 Method for updating and refining this plan as the project advances

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