A project stakeholder is any individual, group, or organization who…

• …can influence (and/or)
• …is impacted by (and/or)
• …is (or would be) interested in…

…a decision, activity, or outcome of the project.

Before embarking on a project, it is vital to understand who your stakeholders are and how best to engage with them.

There is nothing worse than getting halfway through delivery, suddenly hearing from someone you hadn’t considered, and being forced to change direction as a result.

Why does that matter?

As we said in the last Unit, the further you get into your project – through initiation, planning, and into delivery – the harder (and more expensive) it is to change course.

In this unit, we ask (and answer):

• Who are the stakeholders typical to most projects,
• How can we classify and prioritize them, and (perhaps most importantly)
• When and how should we engage with them?