Project Politics

When a project comes into being, you can count on supporters and dissenters. This comes about because at its root, a project constitutes some form of change. On the one hand there are people who openly embrace change, while on the other hand there are other people who may not react as favorably. This could be because they see change as a threat to their status, lifestyle, stability or they fear a bigger workload. Regardless of which side they're on, both the former and latter can hold significant sway over the course and outcome of any project. These people are the stakeholders. 

Stakeholders may include: 

• Those who are actively involved in running the project (the project team, sponsors, third-party companies, etc.)
• Those whose interests might affect the project and who will benefit from the results (customers, heads of functional departments and their employees, business partners, clients, etc.)
• Those who are not involved in the project, but who, by virtue of their position or profession, can affect it (top managers, owners and investors, shareholders, creditors, foreign and domestic partners, etc.)

One of the first things a project manager must keep in mind is that they will be working with all types of stakeholders. The ultimate mission is to identify the key project stakeholders and find a way to manage their influence over the project. Obviously, negative influences should be reduced, while the positive ones should be emphasized. In other words, the project manager needs to manage any sway from stakeholders in a way that leads to a successful outcome. While that's easy to say, it's far more difficult to put into practice. The manager must deal with conflicting interests and points of view, corporate issues, political intrigue and infighting just to name a few. Such can be even worse if the project manager is involved with a big company or corporation. It is much easier and more pleasant to work for smaller companies or companies whose matrix is such that the influence afforded to operational and HR managers is minimized and the project manager has more freedom. 

In my own case, I've received a lot of support from upper management in every aspect of the development of my projects. So far, the only problem we've butted heads over is our workforce. We're in a constant state of growth -check us out on Portland Business Journal's list of the 100 fastest growing private companies. Such growth has meant that we are constantly searching for new developers to help handle our workload. Given those factors, we're doing our best to work with all involved parties toward mutually beneficial outcomes.

So, how do you go about even getting started? The following techniques have proved incredibly useful for us:

First, we identify all stakeholders. In this step, I've sat down with pen and paper and organized a list of all the people and organizations that may affect the project.

Second, we classify the stakeholders according to their impact on the project as well as if they have any interest in the project. This is one of the most tricky aspects as it can be in a state of constant change.

Thirdly, we develop a plan of action where the main focus is how we affect each stakeholder depending on their position and level of involvement with the internal conditions of the project.

Lastly, we look at the impact on the manager of the project. When I mention impact in terms of the project stakeholder, I'm talking about the impact on timing, the scope of the project, the budget and the quality.

Now take that and multiple it. The project manager does not just influence abstract economic and time functions. They are the main object of the stakeholder's influence.