Stakeholder engagement

Resources for project managers

APM People SIG

Stakeholder Engagement Focus Group

21st March 2017

Introductions

Fran Bodley-ScottCustomer & stakeholder relations consultant with over

15 years experience in communications, marketing and

stakeholder engagement. Member of the Stakeholder

Engagement Focus Group (SEFG) since 2016.

Ian CribbesA seasoned project manager with particular

experience of delivering major projects for

complex multi-stakeholder organisations both

in the UK and internationally. Founder member

of the Stakeholder Engagement Focus Group.

Agenda

Why do we need to focus on stakeholder

engagement?

Stakeholder engagement resources for project

managers

Call to action

Why do we need to focus on

stakeholder engagement?

Who is a stakeholder?

“A stakeholder is any group or

individual who can affect or is

affected by the achievement of

the organization's objectives.”

Source: Ed Freeman,

“Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach”

(1984)

Stakeholder engagement needs to

be a higher priority

Far too many projects fail due to a lack of stakeholder

engagement

Stakeholders are generally considered late in the project

management process after key decisions have been

taken and the causes of failure have been baked in

For practitioners wishing to increase stakeholder

engagement maturity there is little guidance in the APM

BoK

There is valuable research and development being

undertaken around the topics of stakeholders and

stakeholder engagement but much is hard to find

SEFG: Supporting practitioners across

the project management community

Stakeholder Engagement Focus Group (SEFG):

Part of the People Specific Interest Group

Our mission:

– To encourage practitioners to make stakeholder

engagement a higher priority

We have started to build a ‘Stakeholder Engagement’

website to collate useful information, techniques and

application tools

It is hosted on the APM website but available to anyone

including non-members

Understanding our stakeholders improves our ability

to influence them

Why stakeholder engagement should be a priority

Stakeholder engagement

resources

Building the stakeholder engagement website

Case Studies (1)

Experiences of stakeholder engagement have been

condensed into a varied series of case studies by a

number of experienced project managers.

Case studies convey the practice of stakeholder

engagement impacting on projects giving context to the

theory and concepts.

The essential components of a case study are; a

statement of the problem, the solution, realised benefits.

These are identified in a template.

The series of case studies is a living collection and can

be added to at any time.

Case Studies (2)

Case studies analyse and draw conclusions about

stakeholder behaviours from a single project-related

experience.

They present context-specific experiences.

They relate to one project or programme in one

organisation.

Example:

– Stakeholder communication improvements in a

software delivery project

Patterns

Patterns are observed, repeated behaviours that impede

stakeholder engagement

Unlike case studies, patterns are drawn from

observations across a number of projects and

organisations. i.e. a ‘horizontal slice’

Examples:

– The Distant Sponsor

– Just how important is this project?

Tools & Techniques (1)

Stakeholder Mapping

Define which

stakeholders are

key, which need

cultivating, and

which need to be

kept informed.

Tools & Techniques (2)

Colour Styles – Know your stakeholders

Colour Styles

Tools & Techniques (3)

The Crucial Conversations

Getting the necessary information from stakeholders.

Is there an elephant in the room?

Are there any hidden agendas?

Is the information complete, consistent and

up-to-date?

Tools & Techniques (4)

The Communication Plan

The standard approach - plan how to communicate with

each stakeholder (or group of stakeholders)

Keep it live – respond to operational feedback (see next

slide).

Plan stakeholder contact – can range from a scheduled

phone call to a webinar to videoconference to a face to

face meeting.

The important thing is – communicate

19

Director Customer Equipment

Maintenance

Director Customer

Engineering

Director Customer Specialist Training

Director Customer

Flight Operations

Director

Customer Security

Director Customer Specialist Equipment

Customer

Training Department

Customer

Flight Operations

ProgrammeManager

Customer Maintenance

Department

Contract oversight – Customers site

Contract oversight - UK

Company Training Department- UK

Company Training Governance - UK

Company Aircrew Training - UK

Company Training

Coordinator - UK

Engineering Teams – UK

Engineering Teams – UK (External)

10 different organisations

Company

Vice President Operations

Customer CEO / CFO

Key: Regular Communications Informal Communications Critical Path

Stakeholder / Communications Matrix

Communication: Planning

Communication: Clear, Concise, Timely

Communication: Cultural boundaries

Bibliography case studies, tools and techniques and patterns -list of principles, methods and behaviour, and definitions

How it can go wrong Add a little to a little and there will be a big pile. [The Mythical Man Month]

Determining what to include is crucial

Why it can go wrong When all the information seems to fit perfectly,

you have probably missed a significant contribution

How to get it right With your help, experience, stories, favourite books and articles we can build a present and

continuous resource

Acquiring content can be deceptive Realising the content a collaborative journey

Call to action

Review your stakeholder engagement

Can stakeholder engagement be improved for your project?

Learn more about stakeholder engagement:

– Online:

www.apm.org.uk/stakeholder-engagement

‘Useful Links’ monthly updates

– Events:

“Introduction to Stakeholder Management”: SWWE branch March 22nd

“You never make it alone”: Wessex branch March 23rd

APM Presents “Stakeholder Engagement Key Principles” July 7th

Contribute your experience to help others

Contribute your experience or recommendations

– Lessons learned:

Case Studies:

– eg. examples of stakeholder engagement within a specific

industry or environment, risks that could be avoided

through early stakeholder engagement

Patterns:

– How you address typical problems eg. the absent

sponsor, changing stakeholders, community engagement,

minimising people-related risks

– ‘Useful Links” content:

Stakeholder related events, articles,

publications, online tools

Tell us what you need …

SEFG@APM.Org.uk

@ApmSefg

https://www.linkedin.com/in/franbodleyscott

https://www.linkedin.com/in/iancribbes

Online:

www.apm.org.uk/stakeholder-engagement

https://www.apm.org.uk/community/people-sig/

Events:

“Introduction to Stakeholder Management”: SWWE branch March 22nd

“You never make it alone”: Wessex branch March 23rd

“Stakeholder Engagement Key Principles”: APM Presents July 7th

Contact us:

Useful links:

Any questions?

Appendix – additional resources

“Communicating Projects: An End-to-End Guide to Planning, Implementing and

Evaluating Effective Communication”, By Ann Pilkington, 2013

https://www.routledge.com/Communicating-Projects-An-End-to-End-Guide-to-Planning-

Implementing-and/Pilkington/p/book/9781409453192

“Making Projects Work: Effective Stakeholder and Communication

Management”, By Lynda Bourne, 2015

https://www.crcpress.com/Making-Projects-Work-Effective-Stakeholder-and-Communication-

Management/Bourne/p/book/9781482206661

“Global Risk Assessment and Strategic Planning: An introduction and

facilitator’s guide to the GRASP Methodology”, By McLaughlin et al

http://www.icebookshop.com/bookshop_main.asp?ISBN=9780727760944

“The Lens Collective: A Guide to Seeing Different Perspectives in Project

Management”, By APM People SIG

https://www.apm.org.uk/book-shop/the-lens-collective-a-guide-to-seeing-different-perspectives-

in-project-management/