Understanding Project Stakeholder Behavior: The ADTraD Model and the Change Wave

The  Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) states that a project is a “temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result” (Project Management Institute [PMI], 2008, p. 5). This endeavor has a start and an end; it is a transition that takes its stakeholders from a current state to a future state. Although one project differs from the next, a constant factor in each is that change is challenging for stakeholders, and it is crucial for us to understand how they will handle the journey.

In this paper I will present the four stakeholder groups that I believe are present in any project; these are activators, drivers, travelers, and dissenters. I refer to these groups as the ADTraD model of stakeholder behavior. I will describe how their different motivations shape their behaviors and levels of positive engagement during a project.

In the second half of the paper, I will map these behaviors and varying levels of engagement into my change wave. The change wave will allow us to visually understand the changing behaviors and engagement of our four stakeholder groups mapped to the passage time. Therefore, the change wave will help us to manage our stakeholders throughout the stages of a project.

The ADTraD Model

Activator

Organizations …