The Art of Stakeholder Engagement in Program and Project Management

We’ve all been there whether it’s launching a new initiative, managing a program, or leading a project, we’ve worked with both direct and indirect stakeholders to achieve the desired outcome. While there is plenty of business theory on how to effectively engage stakeholders and various strategies to encourage active participation, I want to take a sneak peek into this topic.?

Building stakeholder relationships is an art in itself. A successful program manager needs a comprehensive understanding of the organization to facilitate effective discussions with stakeholders and navigate their diverse priorities. When I refer to stakeholders, I mean a broader group of senior leaders, end users, vendors, and business partners across different departments/business units/domains who are either directly or indirectly impacted by the initiative. Their buy-in is essential for success, but managing these relationships isn’t always straightforward.

In recent years, organizations have become acutely aware of the importance of effective stakeholder engagement. It’s no longer just about executing tasks, it's about building trust and fostering long-term partnerships that drive successful outcomes. For program or project managers, this means having strong communication skills and a high degree of emotional intelligence (EQ) to navigate the minefield of stakeholder expectations.

Transactional Approach

Some program and project managers take a transactional approach to stakeholder engagement, interacting with stakeholders only when it pertains to their specific initiatives. While this approach can yield short-term results, it often leads to minimal engagement and a lack of ownership. Stakeholders are unlikely to feel invested in the initiative if they are only approached when there’s an immediate need. In some cases it's even perceived that the senior management is pushing an “agenda”.

This can work in situations where the task is a one-time activity, but in most cases, it’s not sustainable. If the goal is to drive long-term success, stakeholder engagement should never be treated as an afterthought or a tick-the-box activity. As the German saying goes? ‘’Man sieht sich immer zweimal- we always meet people twice’’ also applies to business settings.

Intentional Approach

My main recommendation for program and project managers is to make a conscious decision about the stakeholder engagement strategy they adopt, rather than engaging stakeholders haphazardly just because it’s required. No project or program can succeed through the efforts of a single person. It requires a collaborative effort where all stakeholders are aligned, engaged, and supportive of the program’s overall objectives.

However, let’s be realistic: this is often easier said than done. Conflicting priorities, evolving business needs, and organizational changes can make alignment challenging.

One of the challenges of Stakeholder Management:

In an ideal world, all stakeholders would remain consistently aligned, engaged, and supportive throughout the life of a program. But in reality, that’s rarely the case.

One of the biggest challenges program managers face is dealing with organizational churn or in layman terms turnover. Often, you’ll find yourself engaging with different stakeholders for the same business unit or domain because of internal movement, restructuring, or turnover. On the other hand stakeholders may become disengaged as they are repeatedly asked to reiterate the same information to new program managers.

This constant revolving door can cause frustration on both sides. Both parties may feel they’re starting from scratch each time, creating inefficiencies and delays in progress. Mitigating this is one of the biggest challenges within an organization. Creating mechanisms to not impede continuity will help in long term success.

In future articles, I’ll dive deeper into the key attributes that make stakeholder engagement truly effective. Stay tuned!