Stakeholder Expectations Management

Abstract

Stakeholder satisfaction is a main factor in a project success. Therefore, for a project manager is vital to have under control the satisfaction of the different stakeholders. Stakeholder satisfaction is impacted by multiple factors during a project and it can be hard to directly manage it, but it can be improved by managing and aligning the stakeholder expectations. In fact as illustrated by the expectancy dis-confirmation model the stakeholder satisfaction is given by the discrepancy between the perceived performance of and the prior expectations about the outcomes.

This article will present a set of tools to evaluate and align stakeholder expectations, both in the planning and execution phases. The tools will focus on stakeholder identification and categorization and on communications strategies.