Managing Project Stakeholders

The keys to project management success delivered by one of the world's most respected experts in the field

Why do some project managers achieve their project goals while others fail? Drawing on his years of experience as a recognized global expert on project management and organizational change, author Tres Roeder answers that question, and lays out a proven path to project success.

Focusing on the major differences between project management and other types of management—not least of them being the temporary nature of projects versus the repetitive nature of most managerial tasks—Roeder describes best practices in all key areas of managing project stakeholders.

• A recognized global expert on project management provides the foundational elements required for project management success
• Contributes toward the fulfillment of the continuing education required every three years to maintain PMP® accreditation
• Uses real-world scenarios and relevant case studies to present project management concepts to beginning and intermediate PMP®s
• Contains chapters on Leadership, Buy In, and Negotiation for more advanced project managers

(PMP and Project Management Professional are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.)

Foreword xi

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xix

Section One: Stakeholder Management Overview 1

Chapter One: What Is a Stakeholder? 3

Project Managers Must Be Nimble 3

The Balanced Approach 4

The Project Management Institute 7

Stakeholder Defined 11

Stakeholder Management Is Universal 16

Summary 16

Chapter Two: Categorizing Stakeholders 19

Benefits of Categorizing 20

Dimensions of Categorization 22

Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix 25

Stakeholder Management Plan 27

Summary 28

Chapter Three: Prioritizing Stakeholders 31

Power and Interest 32

Power and Influence 35

Power and Knowledge 36

Custom Matrices 38

Stakeholder Register 38

Summary 48

Section Two: Stakeholder Groups 51

Chapter Four: Project Team Members 53

Who They Are 53

Tips for Managing Project Team Stakeholders 55

The Extended Project Management Team 63

Watch-Outs 65

Summary 67

Chapter Five: Executive Stakeholders 69

Who They Are 69

Tips for Managing Executive Stakeholders 73

Watch-Outs 84

Summary 86

Chapter Six: Other Stakeholders 87

External Stakeholders 87

Stakeholders Subject to the Change 90

Phantom Stakeholders 97

Summary 101

Section Three: Stakeholder Communication and Conflict 103

Chapter Seven: Stakeholder Communication 105

Stakeholder Communication Plan 106

Stakeholder Communication Channels 106

Holistic Approach to Communication 115

Summary 115

Chapter Eight: Managing Stakeholders in a Virtual World 117

The Continuum of Robustness 118

Risks of Virtual Teams 123

Opportunities When Working Virtually 128

Summary 131

Chapter Nine: Managing Difficult Stakeholders 133

Projects Create Tough Issues 134

Categorizing Difficult Stakeholders 134

Proceeding without the Executive Sponsor 140

Positive Attitude 140

Summary 143

Section Four: General Stakeholder Management Skills 145

Chapter Ten: Leadership 147

A Sixth Sense for Project Management^® 148

Project Managers Are Leaders 149

Situational Leadership Model 155

Summary 180

Chapter Eleven: Buy-In 181

The Circle of Support Process 183

Include Stakeholders 183

Observe Stakeholders 189

Respond to Stakeholders 190

Summary 200

Chapter Twelve: Negotiation 203

Negotiation Is a Two-Way Street 204

Ten Tips for Negotiations in Projects 205

Summary 223

References 225

About the Author 227

Index 229

TRES ROEDER is a global expert on project and change management. He has been quoted by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, MSN Money, Microsoft Press, Human Resource Executive Online, Crain’s Cleveland Business, and others. A former consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Roeder founded Roeder Consulting in 2001. He has led Fortune 500 consulting engagements in areas such as corporate strategy, operations improvement, process improvement and implementation. Mr. Roeder is a PMP^® with a BA in economics from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Why do some project managers achieve their goals while others fail? One major reason is that project management is quite different from operational management, requiring a unique set of skills and management strategies which, all too often, must be acquired on the fly by managers thrust into PM roles.

But, according to author Tres Roeder, there is often a more subtle reason why even seasoned project management professionals fail: they lack the necessary “soft skills” required to successfully manage the various stakeholders involved in a project.

Traditional project management thinking, Roeder explains, focuses almost exclusively on the technical and business aspects of running a project, giving little, if any, attention to the complex people side of the equation. But whether it’s developing software, organizing a new business unit, or building a shopping mall, the project manager is responsible for assembling and launching a team of stakeholders—people, many of whom may be involved in only one phase of the project—and successfully managing his or her team through to the completion of the project. Clearly, the people management skills required in such transient situations vary widely from those required by most operational managers.

In this groundbreaking guide, Tres Roeder, a globally recognized expert on project management and organizational change, offers time-tested strategies and techniques for effectively identifying, categorizing, prioritizing, managing, and leading project stakeholders. Focusing on the major differences between project management and other types of management—not the least of which is the temporary nature of projects versus the repetitive nature of most operational management tasks—he describes the foundational elements of project stakeholder management. And, with the help of numerous real-world scenarios and case studies, Roeder describes best practices in all key areas of project stakeholder management, including:

• Project planning and organizing
• Recruitment and team building
• Resource allocation
• Leadership
• Stakeholder communication
• Negotiation
• Time management
• Managing difficult stakeholders
• Conflict resolution

Why do some project managers achieve their goals while others fail? Drawing on his years of experience, Tres Roeder answers that question, analyzing common project manager mistakes and offering proven solutions for avoiding them. More importantly, he lays out a proven path to project success, making Managing Project Stakeholders an indispensable resource for managers who find themselves thrust into a project management role. It is also a valuable working reference for project management professionals (PMPs), working toward the fulfillment of the continuing education requirement for maintaining PMP accreditation.

“Lots of project management books teach how to deliver project objectives on-time and within budget. But very few teach how to manage the critical stakeholder dimension. This is the best that I’ve seen because it provides common-sense tools and tips for turning your stakeholders into raving fans”. —Terry Schmidt, PMP & SMP, Founder, ManagementPro.com; author, Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams

“Mission driven organizations like The Centers for Families and Children depend on internal and/or external project managers that can successfully lead and manage all the stakeholders involved in creating, designing and executing key strategic projects. As we all know firsthand, it’s the people involved and impacted by the project, “the stakeholders,” that will make or break an organization’s ability to successfully implement a strategic project. Tres Roeder’s book Managing Project Stakeholdersprovides clear, actionable techniques and tools required to effectively “managing the stakeholders.” It is a must read for all of us managing multiple stakeholders in order to effectively implement a project on time and on budget.”—Bernadette M. Kerrigan, Chief Talent Officer