Identifying stakeholders is done in the initiating process group. "The project manager is the orchestra leader, and work cannot be done without stakeholder involvement." reminds PMP Exam Prep. As a project manager you should identify all stakeholders in the initiating process and then reassess the list during project planning and executing. If any stakeholders are missed in initiating, they may be found later in the project, and this could have a negative affect on the project. Determining all stakeholder requirements is a very important process to complete because, like identifying stakeholders, undetermined requirements can have a negative impact on the project.
To define stakeholder requirements, as a Project Manager, you have a few strategies to use. You can simply ask if you have all requirements, use requirements reviews, or informing people of possible negative effects if requirements are not found until later in the project. Expectations differ from requirements because, "Expectations tend to be much more ambiguous than stated requirements, or they may be undefined requirements." states PMP Exam Prep. Each stakeholder is going to have an interest in the project and the project manager needs to determine what those interests are. PMP Exam Prep suggests implementing the stakeholders interests in the project or as a reward.
Stakeholders level of influence should be determined and managed as it can negatively or positively affect the project. The last three things PMP Exam Prep says a project manager should do with stakeholders are, "Plan how you will communicate with them, communicate with them, and manage their expectations and influence." Identifying stakeholders is in the initiating process group of communications management. Stakeholder analysis, "..involves both identifying stakeholders and analyzing their impact or influence on the project." defines PMP Exam Prep.
The list of stakeholders from the project charter is a useful tool to a project manager when trying to identify the stakeholders involved in the project. The project manager should analyze each stakeholder's potential impact, as well as figuring out the best ways to manage these impacts. A stakeholder register contains all of the information about stakeholders. A few things the stakeholder register may include are the stakeholder's name, title, and role in the project. A stakeholder management strategy should be implemented as a tool for the project manager. Making a plan to manage stakeholders ahead of time will make it easier on the project manager when dealing with them.
Plan communications is the next communications management process and this is done in the planning process group. When planning communications you want it to be efficient and effective, so you must remember everything that is involved in the planning process. PMP Exam Prep explains that you should, "..take into account the performing organization's established processes and procedures for communicating about projects, its historical records and lessons learned from previous projects, and other stored information (organizational process assets), as well as the stakeholder register and stakeholder management strategy described previously." Communication should be planned vertically and horizontally, and should include the different levels of organization and your peers, as well as communications between projects. It is crucial to remember that there needs to be communication between other projects, as they could have an affect on your project.
There are four types of communication listed in PMP Exam Prep - formal written, formal verbal, informal written, and informal verbal. Each communication type is used in a certain situation. Formal written communication is used for "Complex problems, project management plan, project charter, memos, and communicating over long distances." informs PMP Exam Prep. Formal speech is used when giving a speech, or any formal presentation. Informal written communication is used in any informal manner, for example, text messaging or notes. Lastly, informal verbal communication is used when having a conversation.
PMP Exam Prep explains, "Communication models are comprised of three parts: the sender, the message, and the receiver." Communication needs to be effective and include effective listening. When communicating you need to decide how you are going to communicate the information, whether it be via telephone or in person. This is known as communication technology. PMP Exam Prep groups communication methods into three categories, "Interactive communication, push communication, and pull communication." Interactive communication is between multiple people. Push communication is when a person sends necessary information without expectations of a response. The project manager is in charge of pull communication because they will put all of the information in one location and expects the recipients to "retrieve" it.
PMP Exam Prep provides a formula to calculate the number of communication channels. The formula is as follows:
Manage Stakeholder Expectations is part of the executing process group, in the communications management knowledge area. Stakeholders, like every other person, wants to feel trusted and wants to feel as if their expectations and concerns will be dealt with properly. In order to do this, a project manager must first figure out what these expectations, and possible concerns, may be. "The project manager reviews the stakeholder register, stakeholder management strategy, communications management plan, issue logs, and changes to determine what to do to manage stakeholder expectations." says PMP Exam Prep. Don't let statements like, "Getting down to the nitty gritty." affect communication in your project. The previous statement is known as a communication blocker. Try to avoid communication blockers and if they are used take care of them immediately.
PMP Exam Prep. Once you have delivered the performance reports and the stakeholders have reviewed them, you should ask them for feedback so that you can compare it to the project and its goals.
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