Working with Project Stakeholders: 3 Keys to Success

 

A good caddie is critical to a successful tournament for a golfer.  On the golf course, a caddie has a number of basic responsibilities:

• Ensure that the proper number of clubs are in the bag
• Help in the selection of clubs for specific shots
• Let the golfer know where pin placements are for each hole on the golf course
• Alert the golfer to where a good spot to hit their shots would be, and if they miss, where to miss
• Help read putts if needed

A great caddie will have walked the course and knows everything there is to know about the softness of the turf, the condition of the sand traps, and has personally paced off the yardage for each hole.  This information allows the caddie to provide the information the golfer will need to play the best round of golf possible.

Throughout the course of a project, it's often the tough decisions made by stakeholders that make the difference between a successful project and one that fails.  Sometimes the importance of stakeholders in the success of project based work is overlooked.  However, it's vital to keep them informed with the most timely and reliable information possible.  Regardless of  the project management software you employ or your particular work management methodology, here are three keys I've discovered to encourage successful stakeholder involvement:

1. Ensure that stakeholders, sponsors, change agents, and champions, are involved and in agreement throughout the project.
2. Guide the decision-makers through the key steps to success and make sure they are applied consistently throughout the project.
3. Keep stakeholder's decision-making efforts based on the best practice areas that have helped other projects deliver successfully to achieve the desired results.

Not unlike the relationship between a professional golfer and caddie, the biggest benefit to keeping stakeholders in the loop is an increase in stakeholder collaboration and a more successfully portfolio of projects.

How do you keep stakeholders engaged in your projects?  Do you have any suggestions that I may have left out?