Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

“Monitor Stakeholder Engagement is the process of monitoring project stakeholder relationships and tailoring strategies for engaging stakeholders through modification of engagement strategies and plans.

The key benefit of this process is that it maintains or increases the efficiency and effectiveness of stakeholder engagement activities as the project evolves and its environment changes.

This process is performed throughout the project.

The inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs of the process are depicted in Figure 13-9” (PMBOK Guide p530)

MONITOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: INPUTS

1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

   Project management plan components include:

   • Resource management plan: To identify the methods for team member management.

   • Communications management plan: This describes the plans and strategies for communication to the project’s stakeholders.

   • Stakeholder engagement plan: Defines the plan for managing stakeholder needs and expectations.

2. PROJECT DOCUMENTS

   Project documents that can be considered as inputs for this process include:

   • Issue log.

   • Lessons learned register.

   • Project communications.

   These include the project communications that have been distributed to stakeholders as defined in the communications management plan and the stakeholder engagement plan.

   • Risk register.

   • Stakeholder register.

3. WORK PERFORMANCE DATA

   Work performance data contains data on project statuses such as which stakeholders are supportive of the project, and their level and type of engagement.

4. ENTERPRISE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

   The enterprise environmental factors that can influence the Monitor Stakeholder Engagement process include:

   • Organizational culture, political climate, and governance framework;

   • Personnel administration policies;

   • Stakeholder risk thresholds;

   • Established communication channels;

   • Global, regional, or local trends, practices, or habits; and.

   • Geographic distribution of facilities and resources.

5. ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESS ASSETS

   The organizational process assets that can influence the Monitor Stakeholder Engagement process include:

   • Corporate policies and procedures for social media, ethics, and security;

   • Corporate policies and procedures for the issue, risk, change, and data management;

   • Organizational communication requirement;

   • Standardized guidelines for development, exchange, storage, and retrieval of information; and.

   • Historical information from previous projects.

MONITOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

1. DATA ANALYSIS

   Data analysis techniques that can be used for this process include:

   • Alternatives analysis: Alternatives analysis can be used to evaluate options to respond to variances in the desired results of stakeholder engagement.

   • Root cause analysis: A root cause analysis can be used to determine the basic underlying reason that stakeholder engagement is not having the planned effect.

   • Stakeholder analysis: The stakeholder analysis helps to determine the position of stakeholder groups and individuals at any particular time in the project.

2. DECISION MAKING

   Decision-making techniques that can be used for this process include:

   • Multicriteria decision analysis: Criteria for successful stakeholder engagements are prioritized and weighted to identify the most appropriate choice.

   • Voting: Voting can be used to select the best response for a variance in stakeholder engagement.

3. DATA REPRESENTATION

   A data representation technique used in this process includes but is not limited to a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix.

   The stakeholder engagement assessment matrix monitors stakeholder engagement through tracking changes in the level of engagement for each stakeholder.

4. COMMUNICATION SKILLS

   Communication techniques that can be used in this process include:

   • Feedback: Feedback is used to ensure that the information to stakeholders is received and understood.

   • Presentations: Presentations provide clear information to stakeholders.

5. INTERPERSONAL AND TEAM SKILLS

   Interpersonal skills to that can be used for this process include:

   • Active listening: Active listening is used to reduce misunderstandings and other miscommunication.

   • Cultural awareness: Cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity help the project manager to plan communications based on the cultural differences and requirements of stakeholder sand team members.

   • Leadership: Successful stakeholder engagement requires strong leadership skills to communicate the vision and inspire stakeholders to support the work and outcomes of the project.

   • Networking: Networking ensures access to information about levels of engagement of stakeholders.

   • Political awareness: Political awareness is used to understand the strategies of the organization, understand who wields power and influence in this arena, and to develop an ability to communicate with these stakeholders.

6. MEETINGS

   Types of meetings include status meetings, standup meetings, retrospectives, and any other meetings as agreed upon in the stakeholder engagement plan to monitor and assess stakeholder engagement levels.

   Meetings are no longer limited by face-to-face or voice-to-voice interactions.

   While face-to-face interactions are ideal, they can be expensive.

   Teleconferencing and technology bridge the gap and provide numerous ways to connect and conduct a meeting.

MONITOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: OUTPUTS

1. WORK PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

   Work performance information includes information about the status of stakeholder engagement, such as the level of current project support and compared to the desired levels of engagement as defined in the stakeholder engagement assessment matrix, stakeholder cube, or another tool.

2. CHANGE REQUESTS

   A change request may include corrective and preventive actions to improve the current level of stakeholder engagement.

   Change requests are processed for review and disposition through the PerformIntegrated Change Control process.

3. PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATES

   Any change to the project management plan goes through the organization’s change control process via a change request.

   Components of the project management plan that may require a change request include:

   • Resource management plan: Team responsibilities for stakeholder engagement activities may need to be updated.

   • Communications management plan: The project’s communication strategies may need to be updated.

   • Stakeholder engagement plan: Information about the project’s stakeholder community may need to be updated.

4. PROJECT DOCUMENTS UPDATES

   Project documents that may be updated as a result of carrying out this process include:

   • Issue log.

   • Lessons learned register.

   • Risk register.

   • Stakeholder register.

That brings us to the end of Monitor Stakeholder Engagement, and also to the end of the Project Stakeholder Management module

The next module is, Oh dear, there isn’t one. We have covered the whole PMBOK.

But there is still one module left -- the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct -- although it is not in the PMBOK Guide.

Instead, it is in a separate document that you can download from PMI

The next lesson is, 14.0 Ethics and Professional Responsibility -- Module overview.

Please read the first section of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct before watching the video.