Stakeholder Management – Boundaries Matter

I read an article the other day that Stakeholder Management is not a good phrase to use since no one likes to be managed, especially the stakeholders on projects. Stakeholder Management is the very last topic in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) and is described as the process associated with identifying stakeholders, planning stakeholder engagement, managing stakeholder engagement, and monitoring stakeholder engagement. In non-PMBOK terms, what it is about is being present to, aware of, and engaged with everyone involved in any way with the project because if they are involved, they can impact or be impacted by the project.

In reviewing the PMBOK, it sounds very scientific, crisp, and, while complicated, achievable. Stakeholder management is a way to describe how a project manager takes into consideration every group that can impact or be impacted by a project. That includes clients, users, team members, the government, and a myriad of other possibilities. The biggest issue project managers face in Stakeholder Management is people are not predictable. While you may work diligently to pull together the ideal list and the ideal plan, the landscape will be ever changing because stakeholders are people. The truth of the matter is that using the word stakeholder as an identifier depersonalizes the relationships the project manager must foster, build, consider, and be present to.

Gathering the list of groups can be a challenge and, as the project progresses, project managers often discover missed groups or previously unidentified factions as organizations shift and change over time. Project managers are also met with turnover which can alter the agreements made previously. Understanding that, at the heart of managing all these relationships, boundaries play a critical role in all relationships and that these project relationships are no different will benefit most project managers. Additionally, boundaries set early and often can simplify managing communication, scope, schedule, and many other aspects of the project.

What do boundaries look like in project management? Agreements, written agreements in the form of decisions. Decisions made jointly, documented, and returned to again and again to ensure everyone remembers the agreements made and when there is a change to the agreement, that an impact assessment is performed to determine if the change will require more time and effort and if so, how much more. Why does that matter? How often have you moved a boundary and had to do more work because the boundary moved? It could be a minor adjustment and an easy agreement to make and before you are fully aware, your status report is a 100-page document created weekly by 4 people which was never budgeted for in the first place.

There are many instances when the little things eat away at a budget. The larger changes are easier to recognize, analyze and take care of through change management. It is the incessant requests for a small adjustment here or there that extends work beyond what was considered in the beginning of the project. Setting a clear precedent that each ask made by anyone engaged in the project may be a change to an established boundary that was used in budgeting time, effort, and cost for the project allows decisions to be made, captured and the project to be managed. Boundary setting is one of the primary jobs of a project manager. Working with various groups to establish agreed upon boundaries, documenting the boundaries, and discussing the boundaries again and again allows everyone the opportunity to work together toward a mutual goal. It is in the moments when a boundary surprise hits that communication becomes strained.

Learning how to establish boundaries, the ebb and flow associated with adjusting boundaries, allowing shifts to occur and making it clear what those shifts cause in the management of the project, and keeping a clear record of the changes that occur throughout the project is a large part of project management. This practice of boundaries is critical to work and personal relationships. Clarity, agreement, and fluidity all matter. Boundaries matter. What are you practicing today?