Stakeholder's manage or engage?

:-) Steak-Holder

In my previous blog entries I have shown how the success of a project is measured, and that success is clearly related to the level of adoption of the project solution.  Therefore happy stakeholders are key to successful projects. 

In 1998 a UK National Audit Office report identified lack of effective engagement as one of the common causes of project failure. Again in 2009 this reason was cited as a common cause of project failure.

This is 2016, hopefully we have learnt enough about the impact of poor change management that we do not want to spear our stakeholders and force them into yielding to an imposition of a solution. If we follow this approach to implementing solutions then we are treating our stakeholders to divide and conqueror approach to implementation. 

The purpose of this post is to explore the differences between Stakeholder engagement and stakeholder management. Providing a discussion, thoughts and steps you can take to improve your stakeholders participation in your next project.

Current Thinking

Simple Google search provides a easy test.

"Stakeholder Management" returns about 552,000

"Stakeholder Engagement" returns about 2,740,000

This simple test provides evidence that perhaps Stakeholder Engagement is the way the world is thinking of how to connect with stakeholders.

The PMI View

The Project Management Institute's PMBOK Guide with its knowledge area chapter titled Stakeholder Management clearly takes the view that the approach is one of managing stakeholders. 

Whereas the PMI's Program Management Standard looks at stakeholders with an engagement mindset.

The Axelos View

"Managing Successful Programmes"(MSP) has always seen that the approach for working with stakeholders as one of engagement not management. 

Overview of MSP (you will need to create a profile on Axelos site)

MSP as best practice identifies a six step process:

1.    Identify who the stakeholders are, so that communication strategies can be appropriately focused.

2.    Evaluate the interest, attitude and influence of the stakeholder

3.    Write a stakeholder engagement strategy, including the content, format and frequency of communication, as well as the designated sender(s) and recipient(s)

4.    Plan when and how the stakeholder engagement strategy will take place

5.    Implement the stakeholder engagement strategy (communicate the required information)

6.  Monitor the effectiveness of the strategy, but ensuring that all the key stakeholders have the information that they require and are satisfied with their position in relation to the project.

PRINCE2 with it's Project Board governance structure taking in three viewpoints from stakeholders (Customer, Corporate and Supplier) provides stakeholders with control over the project. Consequently stakeholders are managing the project rather than being managed.

The principles of PRINCE2 also calls for learning from the experience of all stakeholders. Plus because of the close links with Managing Successful Programmes guidance of PRINCE2 practitioners is to look to that model for processes and guidance on Stakeholders.

Additional Views

There is much more focus on corporate responsibility sustainable development and stakeholder engagement. There is an organization call AccountAbility that is dedicated to helping organizations improve their corporate responsibility and sustainable development. They have developed a range of documents covering stakeholder engagement.

Yes there is a Stakeholder Engagement Standard developed by AccountAbility. In the standard are some great tips on the development of successful stakeholder engagement. There is a Stakeholder Engagement Manual.  The same group have provided a free pdf download on creating Stakeholder Panels as part of the corporate governance. 

Admittedly the material is aimed at corporate level stakeholder engagement. But much of it is applicable to Programmes and Projects (which are temporary organizations to enable change). 

So What?

As the research clearly shows stakeholders are having a significant impact on the outcome of any project so I suggest you up your game on stakeholder engagement by the following:

1. Follow the MSP six steps to engage with your stakeholders
2. Use the Stakeholder Engagement Standard as a guide 
3. Review the Stakeholder Engagement Manual to improve your understanding of Stakeholder Engagement and how to introduce it into an organization
4. Consider using Stakeholder panels approach in your larger programmes / projects
5. Review the useful links below for further insights into planning and executing stakeholder engagement.

In my experience improving the stakeholder engagement in your project will help to make it successful. 

I would be more than happy to discuss any aspects of this post.

May all your milestones be met!

Useful Links to downloads

BSR 5 Step Model

Deloitte - Stakeholder Engagement

PRINCE2 - Stakeholders 

UK Government 2010 Managing Successful Programmes - Including some text on stakeholder engagement

UK Government Stakeholder Engagement Strategies (Strengthening Performance Management in Government)