Dealing with senior stakeholders
If you look at pretty much any contract job board online, you’ll see an awful lot of the project management roles call for someone with the ability to ‘handle senior stakeholders’. I think this is a pretty revealing request in a job advert.
For a start, while I don’t deny this should be part of any project manager’s job, the main work of handling senior stakeholders should be done by the Executive. This is, after all, part of why they are in position – not only to give authorisation for the project to go ahead, but to gain support from senior stakeholders.
When I see a job advert asking for someone who can ‘handle’ senior stakeholders, it makes me think that the organisation as a whole probably doesn’t really embrace project management. The Executive probably doesn’t understand, or doesn’t carry out, the responsibilities their role brings. Project managers are probably engaged in a perpetual struggle to get support for their projects.
Unfortunately, this type of organisation isn’t unusual. The situation described above is one I have often gone into as a contract project manager. Part of me even kind of enjoys it – even though it certainly makes life more difficult. But it does give an opportunity to transfer some project management knowledge to the organisation as a whole, and hopefully leave them in a stronger position for the next project!
What about you? Have you come across this problem?
I share your view. It’s true that organisation sometimes put the project manager “out”, expecting him to deal with people/roles/organisation conflicts underlying more severe problems.
In my experience, organisation often sees project management as a role in the project but not always as competency the organisation has to embrace more widely.
Good topic Trevor. While I agree that having an proactive executive sponsor that paves the way for the project is preferred, my experience shows me PMs sometimes need to take the lead and guide senior execs. Many haven’t seen the light as we have and need to be guided. A strong PM that has the ability to slice and dice issues and risks and can serve them up to a busy and burdened exec for review is worth his weight in gold. As well, the PM needs to cover the trenches and guard his scope and not be bullied by other senior exec stakeholders. PMs need to add value and sell project management through strong executive support. If a job cries out for a PM who can handle senior execs, its an opportunity.
Dear Trevor,
Firstly, let me assume that the offers are referring to customer as main stakeholders.
Moreover, the project has to be initiated; otherwise the executives are just looking for a scapegoat.
Another big issue (land mine) is related to the contractual position of the available resources. If those people come from the organization, the relationships will be strongly hampered by differential of the internal procedures (and a preferred hears to their bosses).
In a situation like that – very common in my career – I am prone to propose myself as PMO. In this capacity, I would be able to offer all the needed support – including the negotiation with senior stakeholders. However, the externality could offer a good shield from internal struggling.
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