450+ Words Discussion and TWO(2) responses with 100+ words (Strict only $10) with responses.

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Stakeholder Management

Venkata Nagarjuna Elisetty

University of the Cumberlands

Planning the Project

Dr Laura T Dolley

06/02/2021

As part of my reading and reflection on the chapter Stakeholder management, I have several important points that I thought was worthy of my comprehension for mentioning in this article. Stakeholders are defined as those set of people who either impact a project or those people who are impacted by the outcome of a project (Watts, A. (2014). Project Management. Victoria, B.C.: BCcampus.). Examples of stakeholders include senior management, the project manager, the project team, functional and resource managers, internal and external customers, suppliers, contractors, the government and so on and so forth. In order for projects to be successful, it is important to identify and involve all the relevant stakeholders, very early on in a project. Project managers are tasked with the complex job of managing various stakeholder relationships, both inside and outside the company. When it comes to the project team members, the project manager has to has to lead by influence as opposed to lead by authority, since he usually does not exercise any direct authority over the members of the team. In most cases employees are borrowed based on subject matter expertise, functional areas and previous track record of success. Since they do not report to the project manager, their priorities may lie elsewhere and this becomes a crucial stakeholder relationship to manage. It is best to be direct, forthright and honest in communication with a clear understanding of expectations and deadlines. There may be personality clashes within the team, which the project manager may also have to deal with. Involvement and participation of all team members should be encouraged at all times. Availability to collaborate and have discussions on the part of the project manager is key to inculcating a sense of camaraderie and rapport within the team.

The performance of the project manager is gauged by his or her direct manager and therefore the manager becomes a stakeholder as well. Open communication and transparent feedback are the best ways to ensure the project manager is in alignment with expectations of their manager. Regular reviews and updates go a long way in instilling a good relationship with your manager. If the project were to fail, it is always good to have your manager on your side to vouch for your efforts. The coworkers and employees who are on the same level of the hierarchy within the organization as you are referred to as your peers. Peers may or may not be directly involved with a project but they may be affected by the quality of the final product or service your project is delivering and hence they have a vested interest. The external customer is the most visible and commonly known stakeholder in projects. Their expectations and deliverables need to be translated into project deliverables early on. Sometimes, companies hire contractors to work on projects and call them outsourced projects. These contractors are stakeholders as well as they are responsible for carrying forward the tasks of the project. I work as a contractor for a manufacturing company and reflecting on this chapter has made it easier for me to identify all the stakeholders on my project and also the customers. Government regulation plays a role in large-scale projects and this may be something that the project manager encounters along with his team. Dealing with regulators and federal/state laws etc might prove to be very challenging. A good project manager should be acclimatized with the existing federal and state laws surrounding his project domain to maneuver in this space successfully and to steer the team through impediments. When we work on projects, politics play a role due to the fact stakeholders have different goals and interests. A project manager needs to identify the explicitly stated goals and the un-stated hidden agenda of all parties. This helps in dealing with the conflicts that may arise due office politics. On international projects spanning across countries, cultural behaviors and traits shape our understanding of the project and the deliverables and this plays a part in influencing how we behave. This could lead to road-blocks and misunderstandings due to differences in the style of communication as well

References

Watts, A. (2014). Project Management. Victoria, B.C.: BCcampus