The OTR GroupProjects rarely fail because the plan was missing a task. More often, someone with influence was never asked, never told, or never convinced. Stakeholder engagement is the discipline of preventing that. This guide follows the four steps described by the Association for Project Management (APM) and adds some practical suggestions, which we flag as ours.
What APM means by stakeholder engagement
APM describes stakeholder engagement as “the systematic identification, analysis, planning and implementation of actions designed to influence stakeholders.” It also distinguishes stakeholder management, which it says focuses on what and who, from engagement, which focuses on how relationships are built and outcomes influenced. The intended outcomes it gives are gaining stakeholder approval and support, minimising opposition and meeting stakeholders’ needs as far as possible.
Step 1: Identify
APM says project professionals first identify who the stakeholders are, both inside and outside the investing organisation. Our suggestion: start with a blank page and a colleague, and list everyone who will be affected by the project, pay for it, deliver it, approve it or use the result. Then ask who is missing.
Step 2: Analyse
APM says each stakeholder is assessed against three criteria: their power to change how things are done, how actively interested they are, and how likely they are to support the project. It adds that supporters can help influence those who do not. A simple table with one row per stakeholder and a column for each criterion is enough to see where attention is needed.
Step 3: Plan
The engagement strategy sets out the needs of the key groups, and APM says the plan should anticipate human risks and opportunities so that actions can be laid out and managed. In practice, our suggestion is to agree for each important stakeholder who will speak to them, how often and about what, and to write that down.
Step 4: Engage
APM describes engagement as building relationships through consultation, communication, negotiation, compromise and relationship building. It is not a one-off announcement. It continues for the life of the project and should be revisited as the people and the plan change.
Common slips to watch for
These are our observations rather than APM findings. Treating the sponsor as the only stakeholder that matters; assuming silence means agreement; and writing the analysis once and never updating it. A short monthly review of the stakeholder list takes minutes and can reveal a problem early.
A quick start
Try this in your next project meeting: write the names on a whiteboard, mark each one for power, interest and likely support, and agree one action for the three people who matter most. APM’s guidance notes that it also links to ten key principles of engagement, which are worth reading in full on its website.