POSTER 26
Extension · Stakeholders & Communications
Stakeholder Engagement & Communications
A stakeholder is anyone who can affect or be affected by the work. Engagement means identify → analyse → plan → engage → monitor, and communication is the vehicle — a PM spends roughly 90% of their time communicating. Match the channel to the message and the effort to the stakeholder.
Visual Map — The Engagement Process
Identify
who's affected▸ Analyse
power, interest, attitude▸ Plan
engagement & comms▸ Engage
manage expectations▸ Monitor
adjust as it shifts↺
who's affected▸ Analyse
power, interest, attitude▸ Plan
engagement & comms▸ Engage
manage expectations▸ Monitor
adjust as it shifts↺
Stakeholder management is really risk management for people: surface them early, understand their power & interest, and close the gap between their current and desired engagement.
Power / Interest Grid
Other Analysis Models
- Salience model: Power · Legitimacy · Urgency — all three = a definitive stakeholder.
- Engagement Assessment Matrix (SEAM): Unaware → Resistant → Neutral → Supportive → Leading; mark Current vs Desired, act on the gap.
- Power/Influence & Influence/Impact grids — alternative axes.
- Directions of influence: upward · downward · outward · sideward.
Communication Methods
Channels = n(n − 1) ÷ 2 (n = 10 → 45)
- Interactive
- two-way, richest — meetings, calls. Best for complex / sensitive / conflict.
- Push
- one-way out — email, reports, memos. No proof of understanding.
- Pull
- recipient retrieves — portals, wikis, repositories. For large audiences / big info.
Comms Model, 5 Cs & Dimensions
- Model: sender → encode → medium → decode → receiver → feedback; watch noise / barriers.
- 5 Cs (written): Correct · Concise · Clear · Coherent · Controlled.
- Dimensions: internal/external · formal/informal · vertical/horizontal · written/verbal.
- ~55/38/7 — body language / tone / words (a cue to meet in person when it matters).
Exam Concepts
- PM spends ~90% of time communicating.
- Channels = n(n−1)/2 — adding people explodes complexity.
- Interactive vs push vs pull — know examples of each.
- Use interactive for conflict / complex / sensitive topics.
- SEAM drives action via current-vs-desired gaps.
Executive View
- Engagement is people risk management — align expectations early.
- The right channel for the message saves rework & conflict.
- Engagement gaps are actionable, not just descriptive.
Industry Example
Defence
- Many stakeholders (Navy, govt, primes, unions, community): salience & SEAM to prioritise; interactive forums for high-power/high-interest; push reports to keep-informed; a pull portal for documents.
Relationships
- Realises PMBOK 7 Stakeholders domain & the Stakeholder principle (Posters 2–3).
- Salience & grids are models from Poster 6.
- Programs scale this up — many, diverse, long-term stakeholders (Poster 17).
Memory Hooks
- Grid: Manage Closely · Keep Satisfied · Keep Informed · Monitor.
- "Interactive = talk · Push = send · Pull = fetch."
- Salience = P-L-U; SEAM = U-R-N-S-L.
60-sec Review
The 4 grid quadrants + actions
Salience 3 attributes
Interactive vs push vs pull
Channels for n = 8
SEAM: current vs desired
PMI Visual Wall · Poster 26 · Stakeholder Engagement & Communications · original instructional design · A3 landscape