How do you work effectively with project stakeholders and team members?

Understanding what motivates each stakeholder can guide your approach to engagement. Some stakeholders might be primarily interested in financial outcomes, while others might be concerned about the project's social or environmental impact. Addressing these motivations can enhance collaboration and support.

The use of a stakeholders map is an important tool since it allows the clear identification of all stakeholders, but at the same time it allows the identification of the relations between all of them. The knowledge of all stakeholders and their relationships, how they interact, who adds value to whom, is a relevant information for any project manager since from here he is able to define a communication strategy and an approach to each stakeholder in order to get the required contribution at each project phase.

Knowing clearly the stake holders interest & Objectives to be achieved within the set parameter & time period, clear and open communication between the team members is key including regular updates evaluation, monitoring processes & implications arising due to any actions / directives & Changes being made must be kept above board so that the stake holders/ team are made aware & any feedbacks considered for a clear way forwards forming a consensus in the interest of the project.

Identifying and engaging stakeholders is crucial for effective project management. It helps you understand who is involved or impacted by the project and how to communicate with them. By involving stakeholders early, you can gather their input, manage their expectations, and ensure their needs are met. This builds trust and collaboration, making the project more likely to succeed.

By applying these steps: identify and prioritize stakeholders, understand their needs, communicate project objectives, maintain open communication, involve stakeholders in decision-making, address concerns promptly, foster collaboration, review and adapt engagement strategies, and evaluate stakeholder satisfaction. By following these steps, project teams can ensure effective collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and ultimately achieve project success.

Regular communication with Stakeholders is the key. CCC should be in your lexicon and a focal point of your mind in all business. Especially in discussions with Stakeholders. CCC = Crystal Clear Communication. There is coursework in this that is very valuable beyond what your mind may envision just by reading these three important words. You must ask the difficult questions. If you are afraid you might get bitten stepping into a person's territory, you have to proceed forward regardless. Develop the channels to get the answers you need that you are not being provided. Have discussions with the entire team to get agreement to the expectations that can be clearly defined and delivered. Establish clear expectations with your stakeholders

Where when how who & by when must be.cleary stated on all communications. So that no room for assumptions or confusion is left and the communications are crisp clear.

In my experience, working for a Company where roles are often already defined by the job description, I must acknowledge that this step might be under evaluated, and some expectations given for granted. For this reason, a session dedicated to defining exactly "what Is expected from Who" Is strongly recommendable. In addition, a periodic refresh of roles can be a good idea especially in long lasting project, in which tasks and deadlines might change for a number of reasons.

From my perspective, defining and communicating roles and responsibilities is vital in project management. It clarifies who is accountable for what tasks and decisions, reducing confusion and conflicts. Clear roles ensure efficient teamwork, as everyone knows their contributions and expectations. Effective communication of roles keeps everyone aligned and focused on their responsibilities, leading to smoother project progress and better outcomes.

In my experience, a lot of the confusion can be precipitated at the initiation phase when stakeholders inform the aspects of the project that impact their areas or expertise. It’s not a fail proof method avoiding future confusion, but it provides an early indication of what each stakeholder will need to see to secure their buy in and final sign off.

Most stakeholders tend to cooperate or at least compromise when they feel they are involved in project success. The worst example are the environmental activists, who are the best consultants to find solutions to save environment.

Strong, supportive leadership with a credible vision that the team can buy into. Give everyone a chance to be heard. Nudge team members who usually don't speak up to contribute by asking them questions in meetings salient to their expertise. Hold people accountable before deadlines are reached. Reward good performance and behavior. Public recognition, and support certificates for their employee record. Tangible rewards for top performance. Look for ways to get people excited about their contribution in the middle of the project. Promote engagement with other team members. Schedule team recognition or a celebration at the end of a completed project. Where team members can discuss their experiences together on a given completed project.

This one, it encourages open communication, idea sharing, and mutual respect among team members and stakeholders. A positive culture promotes teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving, enhancing overall project efficiency. When people feel valued and supported, they are more motivated to contribute their best, leading to a successful and productive project.

Arguable, the planning and monitoring phases are the most critical stages that determine both the end success and quality of a projects lifecycle. Like planning, ongoing monitoring is often shorted, or left completely to a digital tool that’s not updated with the key situational information. There are a lot of tools that can be used to live track a projects performance, but they’re only helpful when the PM is deeply familiar with and understands the projects critical paths and activities, respectively; and when the PM actively tracks risk and issues identified as elements that can negatively impact scope, time and budget associated with the critical tasks.

Monitoring and controlling project performance is a critical aspect of project management. It involves tracking progress, comparing it to the plan, and making necessary adjustments. This ensures that the project stays on track, risks are managed, and quality is maintained. By actively monitoring and controlling performance, you can address issues promptly, make informed decisions, and increase the chances of achieving project goals successfully.

Using the accountability and deadline tools at your disposal is only part of the solution. But you need to use them. If they are inadequate for your needs, find new tools. When a member of the team is failing to meet deadlines, don't assume they are lazy. Find the blockers with people who are not performing and marshal solutions to help them succeed. Ensure that your team feels supported and valued through regular check-ins and insights that can help them better achieve project success. No team member should ever be surprised by their regular check-ins and their scheduled reviews. If they are, you are not doing your work as a leader correctly. Be a Leader. NOT a Boss.

Monitoring and controlling project performance is a critical aspect of project management. It involves tracking progress, comparing it to the plan, and making necessary adjustments. This ensures that the project stays on track, risks are managed, and quality is maintained. By actively monitoring and controlling performance, you can address issues promptly, make informed decisions, and increase the chances of achieving project goals successfully.

Commit to constant improvement of your skills and leadership. The goal should always be improvement. Perfection is fool's gold that you should avoid at all costs. CCC (Crystal Clear Communication) should constantly be worked on to make your moments of speaking as concise and informative as necessary. Avoid rambling on by training yourself in communication and honing your presentation. Seek certifications that will be of benefit to your company and propel you along your chosen career path. Growth is vital to the health of yourself and your team. Take active steps to ensure that not only are you growing, but your teams are growing. Suggesting to team members, training or certifications that can help them succeed will help all succeed.

We must continually adapt and improve our skills and techniques, and I encourage all the opportunities above. My experience is that every project should have a project review, digging into things that not only went well and those that could have been better and then incorporating them. This can be further advanced by courses that improve both the width and depth of your knowledge. When we brainstorm new ways of achieving results, we can uncover more efficient solutions.

A thorn in my side that kept creating problems for me and our teams frustrated me and the teams to the point that something had to be done. So many team members complained about this teammate constantly. Rather than start the performance documentation path, I took this person out for coffee for a scheduled meeting. During our time getting to know each other and talking about the company, I found he had blockers in his way that were making it impossible to do his job in a timely and informed manner. Blockers that I was able to literally remove from his path in one day. After his blockers were removed, he became one of the strongest team members and a top performer. Always ready with knowledge about the work being done.

In my experience, once the stakeholders are on board and the team is working, there is no need to control each single moment if people are doing what they are supposed to do. Hyper-care may be sometimes a weak strategy resulting in loss of leadership. Honestly, the best project leaders I met in my job were people who trusted me and who gave credit to my style, especially when my way of managing was different from theirs. These are the Leaders I consider as a model for me.