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Ever heard this joke? “You don’t need superpowers to change an organization. You only need one project manager—but the stakeholders must want to change.”
In this post, I want to remind you to put yourself in your stakeholders’ shoes. As you think about the changes to be delivered by your project, take their different perspectives seriously.
If you ask most people about their attitude toward change, they give answers trying to show how flexible and adaptable they are. After all, nobody wants to play the naysayer role. We don't want to be seen as resistors.
For example, I once asked my MBA students if they like change. They cheerfully answered "Yes!", to which I promptly answered "Fine, let's extend our class by five hours. Moreover, I want you to read seven papers and two books by the end of next week so that you can take a four-hour exam."
It’s easy to prove the point that we don't like bad changes. But what about good changes, the ones that benefit us? Do we really even want a change that’s good for us?
In reality, our behavior and attitudes often contradict what we believe. Why? Because we are afraid, and our expectations and interests are different and changing. Our relationship to specific changes isn’t static.
The biggest issue is that organizations (and project leaders) don’t always present planned changes in ways that makes it easy for people to answer the most important question: “What’s in it for me?”
I sometimes hear project managers complaining about their stakeholders. They say, “stakeholder X always changes his mind,” or “stakeholder Y creates obstacles to my project,” and so on.
Wake up! Stakeholders are not the problem. The truth is that your project is the problem. After all, what is a project?
From its definition, a project is a temporary endeavor to create a unique result. So, your project will create something that didn't exist before, something that wasn't there.
A project is a disturbance in the environment.
As a functional manager, for example, I will have to give up my status quo. I would be “forced” by your project to learn how to use the new enterprise resource planning system that you want to install. Do you really think I would help you? Is the functional manager the problem? No.
As a project manager, your job is to convince stakeholders they are going to benefit from the outcome. Show them what they will earn. If you fail, they won't help. As long as your stakeholders are not happy, your project is doomed to fail.
Change is difficult, because usually people suffer an inertia and change implies increased effort to many. Therefore, it should be marketed to the stakeholder(s) as best as possible.
Luciana dos Santos SenaLuciana Sena| Find an opportunitySão Bernardo Do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil
Very good article !!!! Congratulations !!!
I always think about it and try to practice this behaviors in my projects. When I put myself on the stakeholder hat, a I can see clearly what he needs and it'a easier to help them to achiave her goals.
In my opinion, this is the one of the most important way to get success on projects.
Mark GeresDirector| PM by Design Canada, Inc.Cantley, Quebec, Canada
Features, Advantages & Benefits: What's the difference? As PM practitioners we MUST be able to effectively discern between the three when we communicate with key stakeholders!
Mark GeresDirector| PM by Design Canada, Inc.Cantley, Quebec, Canada
Gavin Finn on discerning between features, advantages & benefits. His March 2014 explanation helped me to understand the difference a bit better.
Mario TrentimCEO| PMO Global AllianceSao Jose Dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sungjoon and Jane, I sometimes have to remind myself to pay attention to stakeholders... Due to time pressure, we may be inclined to overlook communications and stakeholders, investing our effort in scope, time and cost management. Problems will surface latter when errors are much more expensive to fix. Stakeholder engagement really pays off. Let's not forget that in our future projects.
Mario TrentimCEO| PMO Global AllianceSao Jose Dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Shriram, I totally agree with you. We have to put ourselves in the stakeholders' shoes. The more we do that, the better engagement and support we get.
Mario TrentimCEO| PMO Global AllianceSao Jose Dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Good to meet you here, Luciana! And thanks for your comments.
Mario TrentimCEO| PMO Global AllianceSao Jose Dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Mark, in the Managing Stakeholders as Clients framework (http://amzn.to/2662wZZ), we adopt a more structured approach to benefits, needs and requirements based on systems engineering. There are standards and foundational references on benefits management / realisation, requirements engineering and systems engineering, which is extremely helpful in selecting the right tools and techniques. Problem structuring methods are very useful as well (check them here: http://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/14266/Want-Satisfied-Stakeholders--Guide-Them-Through-a-Learning-Process; and, here: http://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/14658/If-Your-Project-Addresses-the-Wrong-Problem--It-Won-t-Be-Successful). Best regards, Mario.
Jesus AlvaradoProject Manager| Denys ArabiaAl Khobar, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
Change as long as is communicated and explained why its going to happen, it is accepted much more easily
Mario TrentimCEO| PMO Global AllianceSao Jose Dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
I agree with you, Jesus. There are many challenges related to communications and stakeholders in change management. Planning in advance helps a lot.
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Mario
Interesting is his perspective on the topic: "Every Project Disrupts the Status Quo. So Show Stakeholders Why Change Is Worth It."
Thanks for sharing
Important point to remember: "As a project manager, your job is to convince stakeholders that they will benefit from the outcome. Show them what they will gain. If you fail, they will not help."
"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious and immature."
