Stakeholder Management

Question 1

What is a Stakeholder?

Answer 1

A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in the process or outcome of a project.

Question 2

Can you name some types of Stakeholders you would typically get on a project?

Answer 2

• the client
• the main contractor
• designers
• subcontractors
• people employed in any capacity in the project
• local authorities
• the end users
• professional bodies
• local residents
• local business owners
• politicians
• lobby groups
• etc.

Question 3

What is a direct stakeholder?

Answer 3

Direct stakeholders are those directly associated or involved in the project. These include the client, project sponsor, project manager, members of the project team. They are also known as internal stakeholders.

Question 4

What is an indirect stakeholder?

Answer 4

Indirect stakeholders are those indirectly associated with the project, such as; support staff not directly involved in the project, national and local government, public utilities etc. They are also known as external stakeholders.

Question 5

What is a positive stakeholder?

Answer 5

Positive stakeholders are those who are likely to have a favourable impact on a project.

Question 6

What is a negative stakeholder?

Answer 6

Negative stakeholders are those who are likely to have a detrimental impact on a project.

Question 7

What is stakeholder mapping?

Answer 7

A stakeholder map allows the priority level of the stakeholder to be assessed using the power and legitimacy criteria. The result of these processes is a 4-tier hierarchy of stakeholder importance levels, which will dictate how stakeholders are managed

Question 8

Can you tell me what you know of the Iceberg Model?

Answer 8

The model is split into 4 sections, Models, Structures, Patterns and Events.

• Models at the base typically drive people’s behaviours.
• Structures which are typically routines or the
  norms that people operate, such as rules, policies or institutionalised ways of working. Collectively, this creates
• Patterns which help
  identify the relationships between the final
• Event or the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

Question 9

What is Stakeholder Analysis?

Answer 9

Stakeholder analysis is a process of systematically gathering and analysing qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account when developing and/or implementing a policy or program.

Question 10

What is a Stakeholder Management Plan?

Answer 10

The stakeholder management plan documents the approach that will increase support and decrease negative impacts of stakeholders throughout the life of the project. It should identify the key stakeholders along with the level of power and influence they have on the project. The stakeholder management plan should describe the strategies and actions that will be used to manage the stakeholders according to their power and interest in the project.

Question 11

How do you implement a stakeholder management plan?

Answer 11

The plan needs to address each stakeholder’s expected behaviour. Once known, the behaviours and attitudes of various stakeholders towards the project must be analysed by the project manager.

Question 12

What types of stakeholder personalities are there?

Answer 12

• Champion
• Neutral
• Antagonist
• Stoic
• Ignored or Invisible

Question 13

How do you communicate to all of the stakeholders?

Answer 13

Through a communication plan. All stakeholders should own part of the plan and its creation. Keeping the various stakeholders informed as the project progresses is critical to the project’s success.

Choosing the right method can stimulate stakeholders continued interest and encourage them to actively support the development of the project.

The following stakeholder communications modalities should be considered throughout the project:

• Group meetings: Planned sessions involving all (if possible) known stakeholders. These large meetings present useful information of general interest. Smaller meetings are useful for brainstorming, developing trust, redefining risks and addressing resource challenges.
• One-on-one meetings: Formal and informal discussions involving two or three people that explore and clarify special issues.
• Written approvals: Formal written agreements about a project’s product, resource commitment or a technical challenge to the project’s work.
• Informal written correspondence: Notes, memos letters, e-mails, and text messages that help document discussions on challenges and share project information.

Question 14

Can you explain to me some stakeholder management tools which you have used?

Answer 14

• RACI Matric

- Power / Influence