13.3 Manage Stakeholder Engagement

Actually work with stakeholders to keep their support and address concerns.

Executing / Stakeholder · ← PMBOK reference · See it on the map

Why it matters

An engagement plan nobody follows leaves stakeholders exactly as uninvolved as if the plan had never been written.

What done looks like

Stakeholders are being actively engaged per the plan and their concerns are addressed.

First time tip

Address a stakeholder's concern as soon as it is raised, even briefly. A concern left unanswered tends to grow into open resistance.

What you need (Inputs)

• Stakeholder Engagement Plan
• Communications Management Plan
• Risk Management Plan
• Change Log
• Issue Log
  How Scrum/Kanban projects satisfy this — counted from: impediments (driftless/models/agile.py:Impediment) — an impediment IS an issue raised against the team's progress; healthy once none are open or in progress
• Organizational Process Assets

How you do it (Tools & Techniques)

• Expert Judgment
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal and Team Skills
• Ground Rules
• Meetings

What you get (Outputs)

• Change Requests
• Issue Log
  How Scrum/Kanban projects satisfy this — counted from: impediments (driftless/models/agile.py:Impediment) — an impediment IS an issue raised against the team's progress; healthy once none are open or in progress

Worked example

The accessibility advocate points out that the new shelving leaves too tight a turning circle. Answering her that week, and moving the layout, is what keeps her supporting the renovation instead of objecting to it at the board meeting.

Common pitfalls

• Hearing a concern and logging it without ever answering the person who raised it.
• Engaging a stakeholder only in the week something is needed from them.
• Letting every stakeholder conversation run through one person who then leaves.

How driftless helps

• Meetings can be run here.
• Issue Log can be created in the wizard.