Stakeholder management

Project stakeholder management includes the processes required to identify the people, groups or organizations that could impact or be impacted by the project, to analyze stakeholder expectations and their impact on the project, and to develop appropriate management strategies for effectively engaging stakeholders in project decisions and execution. Stakeholder management also focuses on continuous communication with stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations, addressing issues as they occur, managing conflicting interests and fostering appropriate stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities. Stakeholder satisfaction should be managed as a key project objective.

Every project has stakeholders who are impacted by or can impact the project in a positive or negative way. Some stakeholders may have a limited ability to influence the project’s work or outcome, others may have significant influence on the project and its expected outcomes. The ability of the project manager and team to correctly identify and engage all stakeholders in an appropriate way can mean the difference between project success and failure.

Stakeholder satisfaction should be identified and managed as a project objective. The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on continuous communication with all stakeholders, including team members, to understand their needs and expectations, address issues as they occur, manage conflicting interests, and foster appropriate stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities.

Change management (people side of change)

Managing the impacts of change on employees is an essential element in the implementation of a project. Whether implementing a workplace 2.0 fit-up project, an activity based workplace project or any other kind of project that may have an effect on employees, an effective change management strategy, which seeks to prepare employees for their new workplace, is a critical success factor.

The change manager plays a key role in ensuring the project meets its objectives by increasing employee adoption and usage focusing on the people side of change. The change manager’s primary responsibility is creating and implementing change management strategies and plans that maximize employee adoption and usage, and minimize resistance. The change manager works to drive faster adoption, higher ultimate utilization of and proficiency with the changes that impact employees.