Confusion about the term "stakeholders"

1. “Stakeholders”: Shearing between ISO 21500:2012 and IS0 26000:2010 + other related
Standards & Models!
Let’ start with the definition of the term “stakeholder” and “project stakeholder”.
IS0 26000 defines the stakeholders as: “Individual or group that has an interest in any
decision or activity of an organization”.
Furthermore in 4.5 – Respect for stakeholders interests: “… consider the views of
stakeholders whose interests are likely to be affected by a decision or activity, even if they
have no formal role in the governance of the organization, or are unaware of these
interests”.
New PMI PMBOK® Standard defines the project stakeholders as: “Stakeholders include all
members of the project team as well as all interested entities that are internal or external to
the organization. The project team identifies internal and external, positive and negative,
and performing and advising stakeholders in order to determine the project requirements
and the expectations of all parties.
In IPMA- International Project Excellence Award Model is alternatively used the term
“Parties Involved” (groups that are potentially interested or concerned with the project).
For example, Criterion 1, Sub-criterion 1.1: “It has to prove how the expectations and
demands of parties involved are identified… The parties involved should be organized based
on criteria 6, 7 and 8. Thus, Customers, People and Other Parties Involved.
In all the above, in a broad sense, “Standards” we can find processes and/or guidelines in
order to categorize “Stakeholders”, but nowhere (in my knowledge) a single group of
stakeholders has the privilege to be classified as: “The Stakeholders”.
IS0 21500 start by defining the (project) stakeholder as: a “person, group or organization
that has interests in, or can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by, any
aspect of the project”. A full chapter is dedicated to the “Stakeholder and Project
Organization”. It is considered that “The project stakeholders, including the project
organization, should be described in sufficient detail for the project to be successful. The
roles and responsibilities of stakeholders should be defined and communicated based on the
organization and project goals”.
The project stakeholder set includes the following main components:
 Project Governance (Project Steering committee or Board, Project Sponsor),
 Project Organization (Project Manager, Project Management Team, Project Team),
 Special Interest Groups, Project Management Office, Regulatory Bodies, Customers or
Customer Representatives, Employees, Business Partners, Shareholders, Suppliers,
Finance Providers.
It is emphasized that: “Achievement of consensus among key project stakeholders on the
constraints may form a strong foundation for project success”.
And then contradicts with itself and all the above “Standards”:
The term “additional stakeholders”, is introduced, in reference with Figure 4.
From my point of view this is just a missed effort to give examples of other stakeholder
groups, which leads to a confusion! In my opinion the Internal Stakeholders are not “The
Stakeholders”.
We cannot trace a borderline other than “Internal – External stakeholders” and use the
term “additional stakeholders”, and/or “other interested parties”!