Who are the stakeholders in a project?

4 – STAKEHOLDERS

In and around a project there are team members, end-users, perhaps the local community and the media, key suppliers, government agencies, and potentially many others – who are the stakeholders in a project.

The passengers milling around the concourse of Liverpool Street station in the video titles would be very important stakeholders in any project that would affect that London terminus or the train services in and out of it

How to identify the project stakeholders

4.1 – Who are the stakeholders?

Learn how to figure out who are the stakeholders in a project. Know how to identify who are the key players, those with the greatest interest in and influence over the project.

Understand the importance of involving the eventual end-users whenever possible.

You will learn:

• What are project stakeholders.
• What is a definition of projects stakeholders.
• What are internal stakeholders and external stakeholders.
• What is a project originator.
• What is a project champion.
• What is a project sponsor.
• What is a project promoter.
• Why eventual end-users are important.
• What is stakeholder self-interest.
• Who are interveners in a project.
• What is an intervener group in a project.

How to get the stakeholders involved with the project

4.2 – Stakeholder engagement

Learn how to figure out who are the stakeholders in a project. Know how to identify who are the key players, those with the greatest interest in and influence over the project. Understand how to develop and follow a stakeholder engagement process to build support for your project.

The proposed A66 road project in northern England is a good example of how various stakeholders can be engaged.  Another is the efforts Boeing made in the development of the Boeing 777 airliner.

You will learn:

• What is stakeholder management.
• What is stakeholder engagement.
• What is a good stakeholder engagement process in a project.
• How to build stakeholder commitment in a project.
• What is stakeholder mapping in a project.
• What are good stakeholder mapping techniques.
• Who are the key players in a project.
• How to engage key players in a project.
• Why key players are so important.

Who really runs the project?

4.3 – The project sponsor and governance

Learn who the project sponsor is and why they act as its customer while the project is under way. Understand why they should have a clearly defined role in a project and enough power to make necessary decisions about it.  And see why they need an effective working relationship with the project manager. The story of the London Eye provides a super example of an excellent sponsor.

Find out how project governance is the mechanism by which the organisation ensures the project is being done properly.  Realise why the sponsor has a major role in ensuring this works.  The Edinburgh Trams fiasco vividly illustrates the price of poor governance.

You will learn:

• What is creative tension.
• What is the role of the project sponsor.
• Where the project sponsor fits into the project organisation.
• What makes an effective project sponsor.
• What is project governance.
• How project governance works.
• What is a good project governance structure.
• How project governance works at a corporate level.
• How to coordinate governance between projects.
• How poor governance can lead to project failure.

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