In my previous article, I have told you some of what you need to know about project management generally, in this article, I want to look at all that you need to know about different types of project stakeholders. Follow me as we are going to look at that in this article.

A project stakeholder is a person who has a business interest in the outcome of a project or who is actively involved in it’s work.

Stakeholders take on various roles and responsibilities; their participation in the project will have an impact on the outcome and it’s chance of success.

Stakeholders may have compelling interests, needs, priorities and opinions.

They may have conflicting visions for the project’s successful outcome. Project Managers must identify internal and external stakeholders as early as possible, learn what their needs are, and secure their participation in defining the project’s parameters and success criteria.

While it may be difficult to negotiate to a consensus early in the project, it is far less painful and costly than getting to the end of the project only to learn that someone s else needs are not met or were misunderstood.

Typical example…

An alternative energy-producing company initiated a new project to harness geothermal energy and set up a power plant to utilise the energy for electrical generation.

Stakeholders for this project include the staff, management, and owners of the company; local and statewide elected officials; the licencing agencies, engineers, architects, and construction workers employed by the project.

The different types…

#1 Customers/users

Customers may be multiple individuals or companies with varying requirements and specifications. Some of their responsibilities include: defining the needs for the project scope delivering the project scope as well as paying for the project output.

#2 Sponsor

Sponsors may be individuals or groups that provide financial assistance to the project. If the sponsor is outside of the company, such as a customer, the duties listed here may be the responsibility of the project manager.

They include: Has the financial resources for the project, signs and publishes the project charter. He also has the ultimate responsibility for the project’s success.

The sponsor also authorises and sign off all planning documents and change requests .

He also authorises the team to use resources , champion and support the project manager and team, reviews programs and quality as well as cuts through red tape and expedites activities.

#3 Portfolio Managers

Portfolio managers or executives in the portfolio review board are a part of the project selection committee and belongs to the high-level project governance side of the organisation.

These review considerations may include Gauging the Return On Investment of the project. Identifying the value of the project.

Analysing the risks involved in taking up the project as well as identifying the factors that may influence the project.

#4 Program Managers

Program Managers in coordination with the project managers manage related projects in a program to obtain maximum benefits. They also provide guidance and support to every individual project.

#5 PMO

A PMO is an administrative unit that supervises and coordinates the management of all projects in an organisation. it focuses on providing: Administrative support services, which include processes, methodologies, policies, standards and templates. Training and mentoring support to project managers and project team members.

It also provides support and guidance in managing projects and usage of tools as a support for resource allocation.

It also provides assistance in better communication among project managers, sponsors, and other stakeholders.

#6 Project Managers

Project Managers are individuals responsible for managing all aspects of the project. The Project Manager: works with stakeholders to define the project. He plans, schedules and budgets project activities with team inputs.

He also works with the team to carry out project plans. He also monitors performance and takes corrective actions. He also identifies, monitors and mitigate risks.

Project Managers also keeps the sponsor and stakeholders informed. He also requests and document scope changes.

He also provides timely reports on project metrics. Also, the project manager act as a liaison between the project team and other stakeholders.

#7 Project Management team

The project team members who perform project management activities are also part of project stakeholders.

#8: Project team

The project comprises the project manager, the project management team, and other individual team members The individual team members perform project work and may not be involved in the management side of the project.

The project team contains people from different groups who possess knowledge on specific subjects or have unique skill sets to carry out project work.

#9 Functional managers

Functional managers are individuals who are part of management on the administrative or functional side, such as human resources, finances, accounting, or even procurement of the business in the organisation.

They sometimes act as subject matter experts or may provide services needed for the project.

#10 Operations managers

Operations managers manage the core business areas such as the design, manufacturing, provisioning, testing, research and development, or Maintainance side of the organisation. Sone of their functions include:

Directly managing the production and maintenance of the final products and services that the organisation provides.

Handing off technical project documentation and other records to the operation management group upon project completion.

#11 Seller and Business partners

Sellers are external parties who enter into a contractual agreement with the organisation and provide components or services needed for the project.

In the same way, business partners are external to the company and provide specialised support to tasks such as installations, customizations, training or support.

Fact Check Policy

CRMNuggets is committed to fact-checking in a fair, transparent, and non-partisan manner. Therefore, if you’ve found an error in any of our reports, be it factual, editorial, or an outdated post, please contact us to tell us about it.

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