5 Ways to Successfully Engage Stakeholders

We all know that projects take time and effort. Whether planning an event, constructing a building, or installing public art, we expect to spend hours on the project timeline, project budget, and project deliverables.

What sometimes gets forgotten (or even  lost!) in the discussion are the people involved or affected by the project, i.e. the stakeholders.

Stakeholders have a degree of buy-in, ownership, or influence over the final product. They’re the people who bring their own biases and expectations to the table. They’re the people who will sing the project’s praises or complain bitterly about the outcome.

In short, they’re the people who will determine the success of the project – and they might not even be involved in the daily work.

So how do you keep them engaged and pleased with the final outcome?

At Reach Partners, we spend a lot of energy connecting and communicating with the people whose opinions can make a project sink or soar. Also known as stakeholder management, this process takes a lot of effort. That hard work pays off as projects keep moving forward and succeed.

Here are some tips we’ve found helpful:

1. Identify Your Stakeholders: Early on, identify and define all the people who will interact with the project or project team.  Consider internal stakeholders (immediate staff, suppliers, contractors) and external stakeholders (those with interest in the project, donors, community members).
   
   If you have numerous stakeholders, determine their level of influence. A person with a high level of influence has significant power to impact decisions and the project outcome. Someone with a low level of influence needs to be informed, but has limited ability to change the overall project.
   
   While every opinion is important, some relationships need more (or different types of) care at key points in the project.
   
   
2. Define Stakeholder Expectations: Stakeholders are human, which means they can be complex and unpredictable. Still, if you want any chance of ushering a successful project, you need to understand their needs and wants.
   
   Listen carefully and understand points of view. Different groups of stakeholders may have different expectations. Their expectations may even change, shift, or be influenced throughout the life of the project. If you have been diligent about exploring their concerns and needs, you’ll better able to manage tensions and mitigate fears before they’re out of control. With the right context, you will be able to make it easier for stakeholders to make decisions and embrace the results.
   
   
3. Keep the Project at the Forefront: While it may be necessary to reframe a project to meet the expectations of key stakeholders, don’t lose sight of the project’s scope and purpose. We’ve seen projects get derailed when one or two concerns changed the project’s goals and purpose.
   
   
4. Build Stakeholder Focus into Each Stage: Consider the perspectives of your stakeholders at each stage of the project. Expectations may be different at different points of the project. You may need to prepare stakeholders for changes to a timeline or budget. Revisiting what stakeholders need and want at each stage will make it easier to communicate and manage expectations.
   
   
5. Communicate Clearly (and Often): Anticipating what stakeholders need to know and when they need to know it is a skill. We can’t control how a stakeholder receives and perceives information, but we can carry stakeholders through a complex process by providing details and critical data.
   
   To do this, we communicate ALL THE TIME – especially to stakeholders with high influence. Even when nothing is happening. Even when the conversation is challenging and uncomfortable.

Frequent touch points and empathetic listening are key to building trust; trust leads to happier stakeholders.

Effort spent nurturing these relationships is energy well-spent.

Rachel