Control Stakeholder Engagement

00:01 Hello and welcome.

00:03 This module will focus on the control stakeholder engagement process and the PMBOK guide.

00:12 The difficulty and memorization are rated as low.

00:16 Much like many of the other monitoring and controlling processes, the exam importance is rated as medium because it is a monitoring and controlling process. The controlled stakeholder engagement process is the single and only monitoring and controlling process in the stakeholder management knowledge area.

00:38 There are three other processes.

00:41 This process, like the other controlling processes, looks at what we plan to do and what we're actually doing.

00:50 And this point in relation to stakeholder engagement, and it compares the two, if it finds a variance between what we plan to do and what we're actually doing with our stakeholder engagement activities.

01:01 It looks to change one or the other to put them back in line.

01:07 The particular domain task that this process helps us understand better is monitoring and controlling task one, which says measure project performance using appropriate tools and techniques in order to identify and quantify any variances and corrective actions.

01:26 So this domain task actually captures many of the other monitoring and controlling processes.

01:33 They're all looking for that variance between what you plan to do and what you're actually doing and if variance is discovered acting on it.

01:44 The key themes of this process.

01:47 Well, this is where you check that your stakeholder management plan and also your communications management plan because of the very, very, very close interrelationship between these two knowledge areas.

02:01 That both of them are working and if not, make changes to them to improve their performance.

02:08 It's also we were going to use our issues log to ensure that stakeholder engagement is kept high. So the key inputs into this process include our project management plan, specifically our stakeholder management plan and our communications management plan.

02:28 They are intertwined aspects.

02:31 You influence stakeholders by doing effective communications in addition to use of interpersonal and management skills.

02:39 So those are the key elements of our project management plan that we will want as inputs into this process.

02:47 We'll also want our issues log because our issues log is the place where we've documented any and all issues that our stakeholders have raised. We've put them there in order to remember them, but also to show stakeholders that we take their issues seriously and that we will endeavor, if possible, to resolve those issues.

03:10 But do keep in mind that not all issues can be resolved.

03:14 And at the end of the project, there may be some issues that remain unresolved.

03:19 Also, keep in mind that should an issue become big enough, it may escalate to either the watch list or the risk register.

03:27 Being a controlling process will also want some work performance data about how well our stakeholder engagement and expectation management activities are actually performing.

03:39 Are we achieving the level of engagement that we expected to achieve? Have we got as many stakeholders in support of our project as we expected to have? We need to have some relevant work performance data about these aspects so we can figure out whether our stakeholder management activities are performing as expected. We'll also want some other relevant project documents, things like lessons learned or historical information that help us understand what might be happening on this particular project, and we can benchmark it against other projects.

04:17 The types of tools and techniques that we may choose to use include our information management systems now our information management system is any way that we record store archive, retrieve information about our project.

04:35 And here we want to use our information management systems to view our stakeholder management performance because we'll be able to see how many issues have been raised, how many have been resolved, how many complaints have been received. Have we done surveys and looked at stakeholder engagement levels? Has it changed from the beginning of our project to where we are now? This is what we use our information management systems to do.

05:03 We'll also use expert judgment expert judgment to analyze that work performance data that we've got.

05:11 And make decisions about whether we need to make changes going forward.

05:16 We may choose to use meetings, meetings either specifically devoted to monitoring and controlling our stakeholder expectation management activities or have it as a set agenda item on more general meetings.

05:30 In my experience, it's always important to keep stakeholder expectation management at the forefront of everybody's mind.

05:39 And remember, although the project manager takes ultimate responsibility for stakeholder engagement, you would expect all of the project team members to commit to influencing those other stakeholders as well. You certainly don't want your stakeholder influencing to be upset by a rogue team member, so make sure these meetings also bring team members onside and get them involved in influencing stakeholders to support your project or at least not oppose it.

06:14 The particular outputs from this monitoring and controlling process that you may generate are specific, usable, relevant and understandable work performance information.

06:25 Remember, we had work performance data as an input.

06:29 Here we've applied some tools and techniques to those raw numbers to make them useful information. The information may go on to be included and work performance reports. But this information will relate to our performance in relation to stakeholder expectation management.

06:47 Will now be able to understand.

06:49 Do we have the right level of engagement and support from our stakeholders? Are there more or less stakeholders in opposition to our project? Where are the key areas of pain in our stakeholder engagement and expectations strategies? We need that information so we can make changes if necessary and if after looking at this information and also comparing what we plan to do with what we're actually achieving in relation to stakeholder expectation management, we may choose to issue some change requests.

07:27 And if we do these change requests, they're an output from this process.

07:31 They go on to be an input into the perform integrated change control process as a result of completing this work.

07:39 We may also choose to update elements of our project management plan, like our Stakeholder Management Plan or Communications Management Plan, perhaps even our risk management plan.

07:50 If all of a sudden stakeholder engagement has become an escalated risk item, we may choose to update project documents like our Risk Register, Stakeholder Register Communications Register as well, and we may also choose to update any relevant organizational process assets parts of our methodology that relate to control monitoring and controlling stakeholder expectation management.

08:18 So in summary, the key point of the managed stakeholder engagement process has been to check that we are achieving our planned stakeholder management goals, and we do that by comparing what we plan to do with what we're actually achieving.

08:35 And remember, if we aren't achieving what we plan to do, then we're either change what we plan to do or we change what we are doing.

08:44 And that's a key foundational concept of all of the monitoring and controlling processes in the PMBOK guide.

08:51 Compare what you plan to do with what you're actually doing and ensure that they match at any point in the project.

08:59 So thank you very much.

09:01 This has been an introduction and an overview to the manage stakeholder engagement process in the PMBOK guide.