PM Rolling Milestones
Managing Those Pesky Stakeholders
Coming Up: Since the PMP and CAPM tests are changing this summer; we filled our May Exam Prep class. But we’ve added one in June. Now is the time to get certified!
A New PMBOK® Knowledge Area
How long ago did PMI add a new knowledge area to the PMOBK® Guide? As with all questions of this type, I Googled it. According to my research, it seems that PMI has never added a knowledge area to the Guide. There were the standard nine in Guide Version 1.
So that gives the addition of this new knowledge area even more importance, apparently. What is it we have been missing on stakeholder engagement?
To that end, I developed a new class, “Communicating with Project Stakeholders.” As with all of our classes, it will be very interactive. Here’s a quick preview of its content.
New Definition
PMBOK® Guide 5 has a new definition of stakeholder. Version 4 describes stakeholders as: “Individuals and organizations actively involved in the project or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected as a result of project execution or successful project completion.”
However, Version 5 changes it to: “An individual, group, or organization who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project.”
Two things about this modification should strike us as significant:
- The change from involvement and interest to perception
- The change from entire project to any decision or activity
Kinda raises the stakes, doesn’t it?
Iterative process
Just like risks, stakeholder management is not something we can do once during the project life cycle, check it off our To Do List, and put it in a drawer. It is very much an iterative process. Stakeholder’s attitudes and motives change over time.
Identify – Assess - Prioritize
Our three step process will need to be repeated. First we identify stakeholders through direct data (direct interactions), secondary data (past records, databases, research) or assumptions. While deciding how to identify stakeholders, keep in mind my favorite Deming quote, “In God we trust, all others bring data.”
Assessment can take multiple forms. Some of the things we can assess might be:
- Stakeholder’s contributions, requirements, and concerns
- Where they are in project opposition or support and where we would like them to be
- Attitudes and level of information
- Harm and help potential
- Power and interest
In step three, we prioritize. We simply don’t have time to work meaningfully with every project stakeholder. Ranking them allows us to concentrate our efforts on those with greater importance to our success. And then repeat.
Staying engaged with you, my e-newsletter stakeholders,
Beth Giesbrecht, P.M.P.
“We can accomplish anything provided no one cares who gets the credit.” – Joseph Rochefort
About Us
NBDC is a self-supporting entity of the University of Nebraska Omaha's College of Business. We work alongside businesses: instructing and mentoring in project management, leadership, and technology to help make each business more productive.
^ |
Project Management Rolling Milestones e-newsletter is written by Beth Giesbrecht , project management expert and presenter at NBDC, a part of the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Business. Beth welcomes your comments and suggestions. Email her or call the NBDC Business office at 402.554.2900.
Archive
2013
4 Stakeholders
3 What's in it for me?
2 Dog or cat
1 Credit
2012
12 Failure
11 Holiday Project
10 Trust
9 PM as Teacher
8 Truthtelling
7 Creativity, Pt 2
6 Creativity, Pt 1
5 Risk and Change
4 Seeing Through Fog
3 Opposites
2 Storytelling
1 Bad Resolutions
2011
12 Santa Claus
11 Fun PDUs
10 Educated Intuition
9 Define Quality
8 Communicate
7 Advice
6 Reality TV
5 Change
4 Successful Project
3 Appreciation
2 Feel the Love
1 Project 2010
2010
12 Santa's PM List
11 Passing the Test
10 Meetings or Movies?
9 It's About Time!
8 What's Your Brand?
7 Peripheral Visionaries
6 Controlling the Finish
5 Visualize Your Project Requirements
4 4-Dimensional Teams
3 Planning for 60%
2 Internal Customers
1 First Things First
2009
12 South Pole
11 Project Baseline
10 Neologisms
9 Conversations
8 Proverbs
7 What's first?
6 Taking Care of Business
5 Whatever Works
4 Using Task Types
3 Requirements
2 Lean PM
1 Bad Apples
2008
12 In the Movies
11 Peer Conversations
10 How Do You Treat People?
9 Olympic Thoughts
8 Progressively
Elaborated
7 Juggling
6 Communication
5 Gremlins
4 All I Needed to Know
3 Don't Avoid the Hard Stuff
2 All You Need is Love
1 Sweat Equity
2007
12 Fiasco, Part Three
11 Fiasco, Part Two
10 Fiasco, Part One
9 Belbin's Research
8 Watch Your Words
7 Is There a Need to Know?
6 Technical Leadership
5 Lessons Learned
4 Risky Business
3 Keep the Main
2 Visual Thinking
1 Building Project Teams
2006
12 Well Project-Managed Frog
11 No Authority
10 Over Communication
9 Don't Think Buy-In
8 Pushing the Snowball
|
