Managing Stakeholder Expectations – Improving Project Success

Initiative & Project Management

IP 270 | Length: 1 day | Credits: 7 PDUs

Overview

Project Management is often described as getting a unique undertaking done, within established and agreed on constraints, in a manner that meets or exceeds the stakeholder expectations.

One of the more frustrating experiences for a project management team is to discover that their project is meeting all the specifications, but does not meet the expectations of a project sponsor or end-users, let alone exceed them!

This seminar takes a look at the major areas of project expectations; what causes them to form and what we can do about managing them for project success.

Learning Objectives

The course material answers six related questions:

  1. What are project expectations?
  2. Why should we care?
  3. Who has expectations?
  4. What are they about?
  5. How do they form?
  6. What can we do about them?

It covers the “hard” and “soft” aspects of project expectations management, including the use of the DiSC® Personal Profile System to help understand why expectations take varied forms.

Instructional Strategies

This interactive workshop utilizes brief lectures, guided discussion, short case studies, and hands-on application exercises in small teams.  Participants are encouraged to share real life experiences and participate in class discussion.

Audience

  • Practitioners of Project Management
  • Account Management and Account Executives
  • Sales and Marketing Management
  • Contract Managers
  • Any Senior Staff with Customer Interface Responsibilities

Prerequisites

A general understanding of project management methodologies, commonly used project management tools and techniques, and fundamentals of project management processes are beneficial.

Content Outline

MODULE 1 — INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

  • Definitions
  • Importance
  • Who the project stakeholders are
  • Influence of expectations on project success
  • Role of project manager and others
  • The most common project subject areas where expectations arise
  • How those expectations may be stated
  • How expectations may vary over the project life-cycle

MODULE 2 — HOW DO THEY FORM?

  • Why don’t people do what they are supposed to do?
  • Impact of:

o    Value systems

o    Behaviour profiles

o    Communications

o    Work environment

o    Organization structure

MODULE 3 — WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THEM?

  • What to do about expectations in the common project subject areas
  • Influencing and negotiating
  • Managing change expectations

MODULE 4 — SUMMARY REVIEW