Managing Stakeholders

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Managing Stakeholders

• IT Project Management
• COSC 3500

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Learning Objectives

• Understand the importance of identifying and
  managing your stakeholders.
• Grasping the process to improve the management of
  stakeholders.
• Understanding how to identify and manage client
  expectations.

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Stakeholder Management

• Communications Management
• Communications Management centers on determining
  who needs what information and when and then
  producing a plan to provide that needed
  information.
• Stakeholder Management
• Stakeholder Management refers to managing
  communications to satisfy the needs of, and
  resolve issues with, project stakeholders..

4
Stakeholder Management

• Stakeholder Management
• It is vital to a projects success for several
  reasons
• It leads to resolving stakeholder issues
• It promotes synergy
• It promotes project buy-in
• Stakeholder Management relies on the
  communication management plan to direct what
  needs to be communicated and when.

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Stakeholder Management Process
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Stakeholder Management Process
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Identify Project Stakeholders
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Stakeholder Analysis

• Power / Interest Grid

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Stakeholder Analysis

• Understand Your Key Stakeholders
• Key questions that can help you understand your
  stakeholders
• What motivates them most of all?
• What information do they want from you?
• What is the best way of communicating your
  message to them?
• What is their current opinion of your work?
• If they are not likely to be positive, what will
  win them around to support your project?
• Who else might be influenced by their opinions?

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Stakeholder Planning

• Stakeholder Planning
• Who needs what information, when they will need
  it, how it will be given to them, and by whom.
• Who Target Audience
• What Key Messages
• When Timing
• Why Desired Outcomes
• How Communication Vehicle
• By Whom The Sender

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Stakeholder Planning

• Stakeholder Communication Plan

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Information Distribution

• Making needed information available to project
  stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Formal Methods
• Project Reports
• Project Presentations
• Feedback from Stakeholders
• Requested Changes
• Informal Methods
• Short face-to-face meetings (e.g., coffee once a
  week with the project sponsor)
• Instant Messaging Short Emails

13
Managing Expectations
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Managing Expectations

• Expectations Are
• A primary measure of your success
• In your client's mind, satisfaction is how close
  you have come to their expectations. NOT how
  close you were to the wording of the contract or
  the scope of work or even the performance
  criteria, but to their expectations.
• What drive your clients actions decisions
• It's NOT their everyday duties or their assigned
  role or your very rational explanations that
  drive them, but their expectations.

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Managing Expectations

• How to Manage Expectations
• Know Your Capabilities
• Know what you can deliver before you commit
• Set Clearly Defined Expectations (Do NOT Assume)
• Meeting requirements, how often status will be
  communicated
• Educate
• Educate the client so they can have a healthy
  appreciation of the work involved and the time
  and resources it takes to accomplish.

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Managing Expectations

• How to Manage Expectations
• Empathize
• Reassure the client that you are committed to
  their success.
• Be Realistic
• Practice under-promising and over-delivering
• Continuous Monitoring
• No one wants to be blindsided to find out key
  targets will not be met at the last minute.
• Communicate Early and Often
• Communicate early and often and if in doubt,
  communicate some more.

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Managing Suppliers

• IT Project Management
• COSC 3500

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Learning Objectives

• Understand the context of the Prime/Subcontractor
  relationship.
• Understand the Subcontractor Selection Process
  and the vital components relative to the
  selection of the Sub.
• Understand the various processes and activities
  used to manage Subs.

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Managing Suppliers Overview

• Supplier Management is a special brand of
  Stakeholder Management and requires a unique set
  of processes and management practices.
• A Subcontractor is an individual or company that
  signs a contract to perform part or all of the
  obligations of another's contract.
• Focus of todays lesson is on Supplier Management
  as it relates to Subcontractors
• Also referred to as Vendor/Subcontractor
  Management.
• Common for large, complex engagements
• Why Subcontract work?
• Provide specific products, knowhow and/or
  expertise to the project which is not available
  to in-house.

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Subcontractor Selection
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Subcontractor Selection Process
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Subcontractor Selection Criteria

• Subcontractor Selection Criteria Include
• Proposed Staff (relevant experience, skills)
• Reputation Size
• Customers Markets served by subcontractor
• Size of subcontractor in relation to the prime
• References (e.g., similar engagements clients)
• Location

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Subcontractor Management
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Subcontractor Management

• Post Subcontractor Selection
• After the subcontractor has been selected, it is
  vital to the success of the project that they are
  quickly assimilated into the process project.
• Familiarize the Subs with your project management
  processes and methodologies.
• Hold a kick-off meeting with the entire team.
• Clearly define roles and responsibilities.

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Subcontractor Management

• Managing Subcontractors
• Monitor work and evaluate deliverables.
• Schedule regular meetings to discuss project
  status and progress (changes, schedule,
  conflicts).
• Evaluate activities and map them against the
  baselined plans (schedule, scope and budget).
• Check invoices (timesheets if available)
• Involve them in identifying and evaluating risks
  and issues.
• Identify a status reporting protocol weekly
  status reports (activities deliverables)
• Manage customer interfaces
• Establish evaluation criteria
• Schedule informal meetings outside of the work
  environment.