{"id":21856,"date":"2023-02-28T04:58:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T04:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/?p=21856"},"modified":"2023-03-10T11:47:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T11:47:26","slug":"stakeholder-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/business-coaching\/stakeholder-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Stakeholder Engagement: How to Plan an Effective Engagement Strategy","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Project managers spend their days managing budgets and following timelines, focusing primarily on completing a project as swiftly and cheaply as feasible. While it is true that project managers are frequently concerned with project timetables and budgets, a genuinely good project manager considers other issues as well. Communication management, risk management, and stakeholder engagement are all critical aspects of the work. This third point\u2014stakeholder engagement\u2014is frequently missed, particularly by novice project managers. They do not always appreciate the power that stakeholders have over the success or failure of a project. So below, we’ll look at the stakeholder engagement plan, discuss the components of the strategy, and lead you through the steps you can take to write one for the first time. You’ll also learn how to manage your stakeholder engagement strategy effectively. <\/p>

What is a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy?<\/span><\/h2>

Certain organizational actions will have an impact on and interest many distinct stakeholder groups.<\/p>

For example, if a council wished to create a memorial to honor local war soldiers, they could confer with relatives about the idea. They can also engage with a local sculptor on the design, and notify the media to help publicize its introduction.<\/p>

However, all stakeholder groups are not equal. Some may need to be kept up to date on changes regularly. For others, you have to keep occasional contact.<\/p>

A stakeholder engagement strategy will assist you in determining how frequently you need to communicate with each group and which technologies to employ for each.<\/p>

Why do you need a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy?<\/span><\/h3>

Depending on the industry, good stakeholder engagement can result in more customers, better-formulated policies, well-managed projects, innovation, and more.<\/p>

What is a Stakeholder Engagement Plan?<\/span><\/h2>

A stakeholder engagement plan is a subsidiary document that is frequently developed alongside the main project plan for a specific body of work. It is a written document that is created before the start of a project. It’s kept on file and you can modify it when you need it throughout the project. So, its goal is to identify a project’s main stakeholders and to describe a technique and approach for how the project team will interact and communicate with those stakeholders.<\/p>

\u201cStakeholder engagement is simply figuring out how to successfully communicate, collaborate, and connect with key people who have a positive or negative influence and may impact the outcome of your project,\u201d<\/p>Source: Tim Mills<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>

The Importance of a Stakeholder Engagement Plan<\/span><\/h3>

All projects have stakeholders. These are the persons, generally in management, who have a personal and professional stake in the project’s success.<\/p>

Stakeholders can have a large influence on how a project moves forward. They authorize and provide resources to the project. Also, they may even decide to delay or terminate a project entirely if they believe it is not achieving the expected or intended results. The project team must specify a method for managing these expectations. This is because all stakeholders will be involved to varying degrees and may have their own motivations or expectations for a project.<\/p>

\u201cCommunicating with the primary client differs from communicating with the project team, who may be more concerned in what they need to do to effectively execute the project,\u201d Mills explains. The stakeholder engagement plan enables the project manager to develop a systematic approach to ensuring that expectations, decisions, risks\/issues, and project progress information are provided to the right person at the right time with the most efficient and effective level of information.<\/p>

Read Also: Stakeholder Management Planning And Strategies<\/a><\/p>

What goes into a Stakeholder Engagement Plan?<\/span><\/h3>

A stakeholder engagement plan has three sections:<\/p>

#1. Identifying Stakeholders<\/span><\/h4>

This section is will identify all of the project’s stakeholders by name. At a minimum, the section describes their tasks and responsibilities as they relate to the project. However, it can be considerably more thorough in some circumstances.<\/p>

A comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan would also categorize stakeholders by power, influence, relationship (internal or external), or any other category that the project manager could find useful in managing communications.<\/p>

#2. Intention to Interact with Stakeholders<\/span><\/h4>

The following section identifies how the project team will interact and engage with the stakeholders defined in the first section of the plan. According to Mills, this will frequently entail a more in-depth assessment of each stakeholder, which will be used to inform the rest of the plan.<\/p>

For example, we could evaluate the stakeholder-based on the extent of perceived engagement. Are they aware, resistant, neutral, supporting, or in charge of the project? This knowledge will assist the project manager in devising ways to engage stakeholders in a way that raises their awareness of the project’s essential concerns or encourages them to become more supportive of the project’s success.<\/p>

#3. Stakeholder Engagement Activities<\/span><\/h4>

The final section of the plan is essentially a summary of the many activities that the project team will do to communicate with stakeholders, manage their expectations, and keep them engaged with the project. This covers actions such as pre-planned meetings with stakeholders or crucial reports.<\/p>

Additionally, having an outline of the known engagement activities allows the project manager and team to swiftly perceive and respond to the changing demands of the stakeholders.<\/p>

This section of the paper will also often detail the sorts of communications that will be utilized throughout the project, such as email, periodic meetings, conference calls, and so on, as well as who each form of communication is most suited for.<\/p>

How to Make a Stakeholder Engagement plan<\/span><\/h2>

#1. Determine who will be part of your project’s stakeholders.<\/span><\/h3>

The first stage in developing your stakeholder engagement plan is to clearly define who should be included. While there are numerous strategies you can use to compile this list, I propose beginning with three specific tactics.<\/p>

First, meet one-on-one with the project sponsor (the person accountable for the project’s success). Use this discussion to explicitly define their project expectations, as well as any risks or difficulties they may have with the defined plan.<\/p>

Secondly, you can get a decent start by looking at a previous similar project and comparing it to your own. Consider factors such as:<\/p>