Did you know that however much your plan your project if you don’t obtain buy in from key interested parties the whole thing may come crashing down? Key interested parties or ‘stakeholders’ can be very influential in smoothing the pathway to project success or sending it back to the drawing board. For the latter point that’s obviously something to be avoided so project ‘stakeholders’ need to be identified, assessed and their expectations managed.
This analysis needs to be carried out in the early stages of the project and the required communication worked into the overall plan, just as you would develop a risk management plan.
A good project manager recognises the key impact stakeholders can have both in assisting and impeding project progress. A thorough stakeholder analysis and communication plan will maximise a projects chances of success in achieving deliverables on time and on budget.
