High Performing Business – Project Initiation – Stakeholders
Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT
Take care of your important stakeholders so your projects better meet their needs.
According to the Project Management Institute “A Stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project.”
Most projects have a variety of stakeholders, many with competing interests. Sometimes these interests can derail your project so it’s a good idea to discover your stakeholder’s needs before beginning projects. Lets say you need to become Project Management Professional (PMP) certified by September to keep your job. Your work is very busy right now, but slows down for a couple weeks in July. However this July, your spouse has a family reunion across the country. Your two key stakeholders (your employer and your spouse) have competing interests on your time. Many Cheetah students face this exact same dilemma which is why they opt for Cheetah’s Accelerated Exam Prep approach that only takes one week to prep to pass the PMP exam (otherwise most people spend six months and 40% of those using that approach fail). Because of Cheetah’s high pass rate combined with less time away from work, many employers even cover the cost of Cheetah’s accelerated PMP exam prep.
When you include your stakeholders in the appropriate level of decision making related to your project, you increase the chances of their support in your pursuits. For example, it goes without saying, if you share in the care of small children, you will need to coordinate your time away for exam prep with the other parent (a stakeholder). The better you can communicate your mutual needs with each other, the easier time you’ll have with your PMP preparation efforts. The same is true for other projects with other stake holders.
In the Cheetah Negotiations program, students learn how to find out what other people need and want so they can help them get it. The more people help others get what they want, the more they get what they want. Working in an environment of mutual support better engages stakeholders. In the Cheetah Exam Prep program for the PMP, you learn how to work collaboratively with the stakeholders who can help you effectively become PMP certified and improve your career. Contact a Cheetah Career Coach to generate stakeholder support (time off from work, covering the cost of the Cheetah PMP prep program or supporting your efforts).
It is possible for you to enhance your career by becoming a Project Management Professional with the support of the important stakeholders in your life. Click here to download your free copy of the Cheetah Smartstart Guide for the PMP.
