Project Management: Foundations to Practice · Stakeholder Identification and Engagement
Stakeholder Engagement Strategies
Identifying and mapping stakeholders means little without a deliberate follow-through plan. This chapter covers what an engagement plan actually contains and why it must evolve as a project moves forward.
Identifying and mapping stakeholders only matters if it leads to a deliberate engagement approach. A stakeholder engagement plan typically defines, for each key stakeholder or group, the desired level of engagement, from simply being informed to being an active partner in decision-making, along with the communication method and frequency that will achieve it [1].
Key Takeaways
- An engagement plan defines the desired engagement level and communication method/frequency for each key stakeholder or group.
- Engagement level should match a stakeholder's mapped position; uniform intensive engagement for everyone wastes effort.
- Engagement must be revisited at key milestones, since stakeholder attitudes shift as scope changes or delays occur.
- Proactive engagement before a change is finalized is far cheaper than reactive damage control after resistance has hardened.