Who Are Project Stakeholders?

It is always people who make the technology work, not the other way around. On projects, we call these movers and shakers stakeholders, because they have a stake in the project. The first task of a project manager is to identify these stakeholders. Customers, decision makers, vendors, and employees obviously belong in this group, but, in a larger sense, anyone who participates in the project or is impacted by its result is a stakeholder.

Identifying stakeholders is a primary task because all the important decisions during the definition and planning stages of the project are made by these stakeholders. These are the people who, under the guidance of the project manager, establish agreements on the goals and constraints of the project, create strategies and schedules, and approve the budget. This identification is an ongoing task. Throughout the initial stages of the project, the project manager must continue to clarify who the stakeholders are and what roles they will play. There are five primary stakeholders - project manager, project team, functional management, sponsor, and customer. It's important to keep in mind that these are all roles. They can, therefore, be filled by one or more people, and an individual can play more than one role.

Project managers may have to satisfy each stakeholder, but they will also receive valuable contributions from each one. All parties involved in a project have a vital interest in the project's success-and each has an essential contribution to make. Whether it's authority, funding, or expertise in product requirements, all contributions are needed to ensure success. Projects that lack one of the key stakeholders are likely to fail.

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