Project Leadership

Identifying, Communicating With, and Influencing Project Stakeholders

Overview

“If your vision exceeds the resources that you possess, then you must lead.” – Sue Gordon, Principle Deputy Director of National Intelligence. This is the best definition of leadership that I’ve ever heard and it relates perfectly to Project Leadership. As a project manager, you’ll seldom possess the resources needed to complete the project, therefore you must develop the leadership skills necessary to successfully communicate with and influence the stakeholders that control the resources you need. This program focuses on the leadership skills and tools that will allow you to identify, effectively communicate with, and influence the project’s stakeholders. This program can be done in a half-day or full-day format.

Learning Objectives

• Managing versus leading a project
• Identify the project’s stakeholders
• Perform a stakeholder analysis
• Clarify stakeholder roles and responsibilities
• Determine communication requirements
• Develop a communications plan
• Create strategies that effectively influence stakeholders
• Build and lead a project team (full-day program)
• Make project decisions (full-day program)
• Run project meetings (full-day program)

Outline

Identifying and Analyzing Stakeholders

Creating a stakeholder checklist

Using a Power/Interest Grid to analyze stakeholders

How stakeholders define success

Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities

Creating a project R-A-C-I

Identifying individual stakeholder strengths

Communicating with Stakeholders

Creating a communication plan

Managing stakeholder expectations

Influencing Stakeholders

Analyzing project stakeholders needs

Using currencies of exchange to influence

Creating an influence strategy

Building a Project Team

Avoiding the five dysfunctions of a team

Identifying the stages of team development

Making Project Decisions

Identifying who should decide

Framing the decision

Running Project Meetings