The Art of Stakeholder Conversations

Soumya is a project manager in Toronto.

  Organizational Project Management   Stakeholder Management   Knowledge Shelf  

Abstract
In the world of projects, we live and die by decisions. A wrong decision, or a decision taken too late, could mean failed projects, wasted resources, monetary losses, lost markets and competitions, and ruined reputations. Such decisions are seldom made in isolation. They are often the product of deliberations ripe with dominant management culture, stakeholder egos, their politics, risk appetite, and resistance to change. Maneuvering these moving pieces skillfully is what lies at the heart of a project’s success. This article expounds on some tactics that might prove to be useful in influencing project sponsors and stakeholders toward concurrence.

Introduction
A project manager’s life is fraught with stakeholder conflicts, inter- and intra-team dissonance, and a lack of conformity with the plan to move forward. This poses some of the biggest challenges in the project’s path to success. A sponsor who is indecisive in nature, or a group of stakeholders who are divided in opinion are not just hindrances to the project’s execution, they often turn out to be major roadblocks which, if unresolved, eventually lead to the project’s failure. Overcoming these decisional challenges, and getting key decision makers to actually reach a consensus and rubber stamp the project’s direction is imperative to keep the project’s momentum alive.…

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