Getting the Skinny in Stakeholder Interviews

In Part1, we saw how a top-down approach is important when conducting a stakeholder analysis. We saw the usefulness of starting with well-chosen stakeholder groups, then determining the interdependencies of activities in those groups with your project. Now it’s time to round up the suspects and "have a little talk."

Here are some additional interview focus areas that may be forgotten. They will help you uncover, for each individual stakeholder, the amount of cooperation can you expect and the quality of cooperation you can expect. Business analysts will be able to collect certain information, of course, but project managers usually need more to manage risk, schedules and performance. Remember that your goal is to establish and maintain relationships that help you succeed in all stages of your project.

Priority Initiatives . . . What initiatives are they involved in? Are the initiatives supportive of your project? Are the initiatives supporting objectives that are opposed to your project goals or that make your goals obsolete? Can these initiatives take priority over your project, keeping the stakeholder away during critical points?

Benefit to you: Stakeholders are involved in plenty of activities. You may have to help them understand that your project is their most important activity. You can also learn about your organization, its marketplace, and…