Cooper Stakeholder Good Bad Ugly Final

Commonwealth of MA Project Managers, March 15, 2012Bonnie Cooper, Technology Portfolio Director, Corporate IT PMO

Stakeholder Management: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

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Learning Goals

• Review the best practices to conduct an actionable stakeholder analysis and management plan

• How to describe the characteristics of the most challenging stakeholder types.

• Share real experiences and techniques to managing these challenging stakeholders.

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BACKGROUNDThe case for multi-dimensional stakeholder management

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Question

Which of these stakeholder behaviors most often happens in your projects?

a)Lack of clear requirements or goalsb)Unable to make timely decisionsc)Not able to fully pay attentiond)Being resistant to changee)None of the above (I have ideal stakeholders)

Warning Signs

– Missed Deadlines

– Scope Creep– Confusion– Conflict– Churning

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Perception is Reality

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Top 10 Reasons Projects Succeed

1. User Involvement2. Executive Support3. Clear Business Objectives4. Emotional Maturity5. Optimization6. Agile Process7. Project Management Expertise8. Skilled Resources9. Execution10. Tools and Infrastructure

The Standish Group, “CHAOS, 2010: CHAOS Success Factors”

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Science and ArtWork Roadmap Relationship Management

Link to strategy (big picture)

Communicate

Shape work (WBS) Negotiate

Schedule (activity lists) Motivate

Progress (dependencies) Influence

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To be effective and gain trust, project managers need to relate well in two dimensions


1. User Involvement2. Executive Support3. Clear Business Objectives4. Emotional Maturity5. Optimization6. Agile Process7. Project Management Expertise8. Skilled Resources9. Execution10. Tools and Infrastructure


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User Involvement

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• Expectation management – starts with established quality and achievable metrics. Make sure users know what is expected of them as part of the team.

• Business communications – talking to the users in their language and customs. Make sure users feel their opinion makes a difference.

• Quality relationship – creating a cooperative environment with mutually agreeable ground rules for effective teamwork.


1. User Involvement2. Executive Support3. Clear Business Objectives4. Emotional Maturity5. Optimization6. Agile Process7. Project Management

Expertise8. Skilled Resources9. Execution10. Tools and Infrastructure


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The ability to identify and remove unnecessary requirements, as well as the aptitude to deliver bad news and accept critical feedback.

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The most significant challenges when implementing a project are often people-related—factors such as changing mind-sets, motivating employees, creating honest and timely communication, building commitment, and navigating corporate culture.

Emotional Maturity

“Investigating the Impact of Project Managers’ Emotional Intelligence” PMI Project Management Journal, July 2011

STAKEHOLDERSDefinitions and Perceptions

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STAKEHOLDER

“Person or organization (e.g., customer, sponsor, performing organization, or the public) that is actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by execution or completion of the project. A stakeholder may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables.”

PMBOK® Guide, Fourth Edition

Definition - Stakeholder

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Common Stakeholders?Common project stakeholders:– Project manager– Project team members– Customers– Performing organization– Central staff– Project sponsor

Other stakeholders: – Functional managers– Government

agencies/regulators– Suppliers and

vendors/subcontractors– Resource managers– Senior management– News media– Special interest groups– Community– Users– Shareholders

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Internal versus External

Matrix for Stakeholder Analysis

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Person APerson B

Person C

Person DDepartment A

ToolsPM Process Stakeholder Management Tools

Initiation Project charter, business case, strategy link, metrics

Planning Analysis, communication, risk, and scope plans

Execution Status reporting, presentations, training, check-ins

Monitor/Control Change control, decisions, performance feedback

Close Deployment plans, operations cutover, lessons learned

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Communications Management Plan

Sample Communications Planning Matrix

Stakeholder Role What? When? How? Response

Internal

Tom, Dick, Harry DeveloperScope Statement

Kickoff Meeting Acceptance

…

External

Jack, Jill ContractorStatement of Work

Week 3 Meeting Bid

…

Stakeholder Relationship Complexity

• Stakeholder stability over time • Degree of public interest in the project• Degree of cultural diversity• Percent of staff able to converse fluently

in the project’s primary language• Range of time zones with active

stakeholders

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American Society for the Advancement of Project Management

BEHAVIORSThe Other Dimension

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The Added Dimension• Use knowledge about traits and behaviors to address

each stakeholder’s needs as well as to protect yourself when necessary.

• Credibility comes from relationship building in a political environment

• People who have power are at the center of the organization’s informal network.

• Create an environment where people operate with a win-win attitude.

• Feedback is a powerful tool to guide behavior

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Creating Your Political Plan, Raymond L. Englund, 2005 PMI Global Congress

Political Landscape

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High

Agreement

Comrades Allies

Adversaries Opponents

Low Trust High


Influencing Tools• Reciprocity – give an unsolicited gift, people will feel

obliged.

• Consistency – ask for commitments and enforce them.

• Social Validation – leverage agreement as people determine what to do by watching others.

• Liking – people like to do business with people they like.

• Authority – be professional and personable. Use expertise, tap referential power.

• Scarcity – stand out as the person willing to do the right things in the right ways

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Stakeholder Analysis: Political Plan

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High

Agreement

Comrades Allies

Adversaries Opponents

Low Trust High


How would you get a bully, politician and super star to be your ally?

Managing Types

Effective stakeholder management• Meddling• Overbearing• Poor• Untrustworthy• Indecisive• Unavailable

Doing what is necessary to develop and manage relationships with all individuals the project impacts.

The Handbook of Program Management: How to Facilitate Project Success with Optimal Program Management by James T. Brown (ISBN-13: 978-0-07-149472-4)

The Bully

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What they do:Constantly intimidate, push other people around, often lose control,

driven toward results, display incredible confidence, are selfish. They are volatile and intensely competitive. They push hard and reward performance.

Tactics to manage the bully: •Avoid surprises – bullies hate to be blindsided. They respect people who talk straight and keep them in the loop.•Be a source for news – bullies relish being plugged in and “in the know”•Develop a profitable area of expertise – do the tasks they hate and be good at it. •Build alliances that help get things done- bullies will leverage your relationships.•Deliver results that matter.

Managing Your Manager, Gonzague Durour, ISBN 978-0-07-175193-3

The Meddling Stakeholder• What they do:Insert themselves into

decisions, processes, or meetings where their presence is not required.

• Why:Lack of trust?Control freak?

Tactic: Build trust by demonstrating competence. Communicate with them frequently and assign them tasks to refocus their energy. Real work often makes people invisible.

The Overbearing Stakeholder

• What they do:Use power or

personality to dominate.

• Why:Old school?Cover up a weakness?

Tactic: Use buffering techniques to minimize exposure. Meet with this stakeholder individually to minimize unnecessary conflict or grandstanding.

The Poor Stakeholder

• What they do:Use influence and

politics to protect their interests or achieve objectives.

• Why:They have no

significant budget or authority (power disadvantage).

Tactic: Advocate for those who can’t and try to identify how the poor stakeholder’s objectives align or conflict.

The Untrustworthy Stakeholder

• What they do:• Play both sides,

don’t stand by their word.

• Why:• Refuse to be

personally accountable.

Tactic: Ensure all important communication is documented and has traceability. Work to remove or disempower untrustworthy stakeholders (leverage colleagues).

The Indecisive Stakeholder

• What they do:Never make decisions

in a timely manner.

• Why:Don’t like to commit.

Tactic: Set up processes and structures that clearly communicate when a decision is required and the impact of the decision not being made. Establish a metric of lost time (or other impacts) due to delayed decisions.

The Unavailable Stakeholder• What they do:Always too busy to

participate when their input or approval is required.

• Why:Over scheduled?

Location?Priorities?

Tactic: Ask them to delegate their decision authority to someone capable and trustworthy. Find virtual mechanisms for the stakeholder to participate without requiring physical presence. Maintain scheduled meetings well in advance and minimize ad hoc gatherings. Access the stakeholder in informal settings (lunch breaks, walks).

The Ideal Stakeholder

• What they do:Show an interest, are

available when necessary, prioritize requests, help motivate, are flexible when needed.

• Why:Willing to be accountable.

Tactic: Cultivate!

WRAP UPLearning Summary

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Learning Goals

• How to describe the characteristics of the most challenging stakeholder types.

• Share real experiences and techniques to managing these challenging stakeholders.

• Review the best practices to conduct an actionable stakeholder analysis and management plan.

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Stakeholder Analysis ChecklistMultiple Dimensions

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Item Description

Identify enterprise environmental factors

What are your particular organizational culture, structure, market conditions, infrastructure, and political influences?

Create the stakeholder register Who is affected by or could impact the project? Includes roles and personality types.

Conduct a stakeholder analysis Create the matrices of influence and interest, agreement and trust, to inform PM focus.

Identify organizational assets Leverage policies, procedures, lessons, experts, and power sources.

Create your approach to handling stakeholders

Your action plan to include influencing tools.

Contact:Bonnie [email protected]

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Cooper Stakeholder Good Bad Ugly Final

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