One of the key lines in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” As interesting as this is from a sociopolitical perspective, there is some truth to this concept with your project’s stakeholders.

Now that you have your somewhat qualified stakeholder roster, it is time to assess what stakeholders can do to help or hinder your project and determine how to manage expectations with each of them. This is not easy; stakeholders can often have competing goals and expectations for the project, yet it is up to you and your sponsor to ensure that the project is implemented according to the charter…

…that is, as long as the stakeholders do not railroad the charter. Which is possible if their considerations make the project no longer worthwhile.

Equal Weight?

Why are some stakeholders more equal than others? Because their influence and impact on the project varies. Consider the following:

• One of your stakeholders can get your project terminated – financially, by reducing your budget or eliminating your funding; politically, by turning other stakeholders against the project.
• Another stakeholder can nitpick your project to death, but the impact of the project on them and their team is minimal.

The same holds true on stakeholders that are positive about your projects:

• One stakeholder thinks the project will be a great boon for the company, but alas, their organization is not impacted by it at all.
• Another stakeholder vouches for the project as providing significant cost reductions and productivity increases for their business unit.

In each scenario should each stakeholder be treated equally? Should their input carry the same weight? Probably not. Hence, it is important to assess each stakeholder for how the project could impact them and their team, how much clout they have over other stakeholders, and how they can contribute to the success of the project.

How Stakeholders Become Unequal

How do your stakeholders become more equal than others? For each stakeholder on your roster, take a look at the following:

• What type of support do they offer to the project: Are they a supporter, neutral, or a resister?
• What is their level of impact: Do they make decisions regarding the project, how do they impact the outcome, will they or their team be affected by the project’s implementation?
• Why would they provide support or resistance?

As always, talk with your sponsor, advisory board or PMO about your assessment. They should be able to provide additional information to support or revise your considerations. Remember also to consider those external stakeholders – the public, governmental agencies, and special interest groups. Although they are not employees or partners, the weight they carry could be significant.

Stakeholder Management: Risky Business

Anywhere you have a stakeholder that could negatively impact your project, you have a new, potential risk point. It is important to consider how to manage that risk; add it to your risk register and conduct your regular risk assessment activity to avoid this stakeholder’s influence from becoming an issue. Pursue your ongoing stakeholder and risk management activities concurrently, as new risks might impact your stakeholders’ perspectives as well.

Stakeholders Are Not Equal (Takeaways)

Note that stakeholder assessment is not a once and done activity. Stakeholders can change their position over the duration of the project; hopefully, you and your sponsor’s influence have turned some of the detractors neutral. New stakeholders are identified. Business conditions change. Any of these situations impact how you manage your stakeholders. At any point, your advisory board or PMO are there to support you and steer you in the right direction in managing their expectations.