2. A little bit about me
Neil Murray, PMP (hey, that’s me!)
Graduated in 2006 from Texas A&M University – B.S. in Engineering Technology
Nine years experience in Oil and Gas project management – mostly upstream
and pipelines
Project Manager with aeSolutions from Aug 2010 – Aug 2015, now pursuing
new, exciting opportunities (astronaut, professional golfer, trapeze artist, etc.)
◦ Specialized in Risk Management and Process Safety Lifecycle projects
◦ First “Project Manager” at aeSolutions and helped develop their
methodologies and grow a PM culture
◦ Helped grow and establish an "Operations and Maintenance" line of
business
3.
4. A little bit about this presentation
Case studies and lessons learned from a consultant’s point
of view
◦ "Small fish in a big pond"
Working with EPCs, owner companies, other contractors,
procurement, etc.
Key question: Who is your customer, and who is their
customer? And how do you manage them?
Don’t be shy, ask questions!
6. What is a stakeholder?
"An individual, group, or organization who may affect, be affected by, or
perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a
project."
◦ PMBOK 5th edition
My favorite: “A person, group, or authority who is involved in or may be
affected by project activities and who could act against the project if
their needs are not considered.” (Wideman, 2002)
Stakeholder influence can change over the course of a project
A key source of conflict, but also a key ally
Don't forget that your team members are stakeholders, too!
9. It's all about TRUST
There are different kinds of trust
Analysis will help determine your management strategies
Strategies are constantly analyzed and updated
10. The 4 kinds of trust
Deterrence-based
◦ Fragile, one violation can erode the relationship
Role-based
◦ Based on the other party's role and what you expect of them
◦ often because there is limited time to develop a relationship with the other party
Knowledge-based
◦ Based on your knowledge of and experience with the other party
Identification-based
◦ Thickest form of trust
◦ Based on an emotional connection; each party understands the other
11. Planning your strategy
Stakeholder identification happens throughout the project
Early identification and planning are critical, but usually
imperfect and tough to do
Distinguish between internal/external and positive/negative
stakeholders
Basic idea is to influence stakeholders to ensure project
success
12. Plan, plan, and plan some more
Categorize your relationship with the stakeholder early in
the project
Focus on stakeholders with high harm or high help potential
Collaboration and Involvement
Critical to project success:
◦ Contribution from stakeholders with high help potential
◦ Mitigation of stakeholders with high harm potential
14. Stakeholder management
strategies
Keep your eyes peeled for changes!
◦ Key element of project risk management (risk management never stops)
Focus on creating a “win-win”
Gain alignment with all stakeholders (not always possible)
15. Strategy overview
Kick off meeting
Well defined work-flow (swim lane diagram, etc.) and work
boundaries
Formalize reporting guidelines
Actions/Issues Lists
16. Project kick off meeting
Preparation is key!
Make sure everyone’s expectations are set appropriately
and define the key assumptions
Establish the communication plan and reporting schedule
Define the key success factors
Review and sign off on the project plan, including a RACI
and integrated schedule
17. Well defined work-flow
I like using a “swim lane” diagram
Clearly illustrate responsibilities of and dependencies
between each functional area
◦ Who is doing what, to whom, and when
◦ Not just a network diagram of the project schedule
Effectively communicate on a high level to all stakeholders
Also useful as a “sales” tool to help get a project sanctioned
and funded
19. Formalize reporting guidelines
What kind of communication structure is needed?
Formal reporting meetings on a set schedule
◦ Minimal interaction outside of formal channels
Informal reporting across all levels of the project
organization
◦ Initiate meetings when needed, don’t wait for the formal scheduled meetings
Combination of the above
Whatever it is, it needs to be documented in the
communication plan
◦ When formal meetings are held, who to involve in informal meetings, who
takes/issues meeting notes, decision register, etc.
20. Formal reporting meetings
Create a project-wide actions/issues list
Give a short update to the sponsor or client PM
Don’t shy away from problems and challenges
Review issues and risks
21. Actions/Issues list
Issues are items for management attention (should be
monitored or acted upon immediately)
Action items are used to track/manage items that may not
appear in the project plans
Reviewed regularly
Don’t assign these blindly; ensure everyone knows what is
assigned to whom
◦ Are actions assigned to the right people who can actually get it done?
22. In summary
It’s all about trust
Identification and planning never stops
Have a strategy
Communicate, communicate, communicate
25. Sources
Stakeholder Management Strategies and Practices During a Project Course
Pernille Eskerod, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark and Anne Live Vaagaasar, BI Norwegian Business School, Norway
http://www.pmi.org/learning/stakeholder-management-strategies-9419
Stakeholder Management
Pedro Serrador, MBA, PMP, Peng
http://www.pmi.org/learning/stakeholder-management-keeping-stakeholders-happy-6697
Savage, G. T., Nix, T. W., Whithead, C. J., & Blair, J. D. (1991). Strategies for assessing and managing organizational stakeholders. Academy of
Management Executives, 5(2), 61–75
http://www.slideshare.net/orlandomoreno/effective-project-kickoff-meeting-2731780
http://www.brighthubpm.com/monitoring-projects/85265-illustrate-workflow-process-with-a-swim-lane-diagram/
https://mosaicprojects.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/effective-communication-effective-project-stakeholder-management/
Dilberts:
Stakeholders: http://dilbert.com/strip/2010-07-01
Strategy: http://dilbert.com/strip/1999-12-27
Questions: http://dilbert.com/strip/2015-08-06
