Estás gestionando un proyecto largo. ¿Cómo puede mantener a las partes interesadas comprometidas e interesadas hasta el final?

Keeping stakeholders engaged and interested until the end of a lengthy project poses a challenge. A simple approach to leverage the goals of the Project with your stakeholders is to create, and regularly review a Power/Interest Matrix. Craft your individual and holistic engagements to optimise returns for all parties.

Scheduled Updates: Establish regular communication channels, such as weekly or bi-weekly status reports, meetings, or newsletters. Ensure that updates are concise, relevant, and transparent. Tailored Communication: Customize the communication to meet the needs and interests of different stakeholders. For example, executives may prefer high-level summaries, while technical teams might need detailed progress reports.

A project spanning over a longer duration can benefit greatly from a proper stakeholder management plan that aligns the goals and objectives around what key stakeholders expect from the outcomes. The responaible PM muat ensure to put in place a plan of action to engage stakeholders successfully and means to gauge engagement levels are a must in this circumstance. Along side a robust communication strategy, the PM should keep the parties aware of the decisions, risks and changes. If the high influence and/or high power stakeholders do not consider themselves as part of the process, undesireable consequences would be hard to avoid.

Provide focused updates specific to the actions that the stakeholder performance is measured on. As an example, if the stakeholder is responsible for employee turnover the updates should include current stat details, turnover trending (up/down), options available to course correct, associated risks of recommended actions not being taken and opportunities that can be capitalized on. Every communication should be a call to action. Generic and excessive content will dilute the message.

Managing, and moreover ensuring consistency of engagement in the case of multiple stakeholders, might present itself as an outstanding task. We need to be equipped with the processes and tools to achieve this goal. Stakeholders are not "external" to the project, yet they need to perceive themselves as intrinsec to both design and implementation. This aspect implies onboarding them from the very beginning, and incentivising them to take up roles in planning and execution. Then, through a facilitated process, by us, the consultants, we organise, for example, quarterly theme specific workshops face to face, and monthly online follow-up sessions, and we keep track of how stakeholders are involved, every step of the way.

Engage Stakeholders in Decision-Making: Involve key stakeholders in important decisions, such as prioritizing features or adjusting timelines. This fosters a sense of ownership and commitment. Feedback Loops: Regularly seek feedback from stakeholders and act on it. Show that their input is valued and leads to tangible changes.

Define Milestones: Break the project into phases with clear milestones. Celebrating the achievement of these milestones keeps stakeholders motivated and gives a sense of progress. Quick Wins: Identify and deliver short-term wins early in the project to demonstrate value and build confidence in the project's success.

Risk Management: Keep stakeholders informed about potential risks and how they are being mitigated. Addressing concerns before they escalate builds trust and keeps stakeholders engaged. Problem-Solving: Encourage a collaborative approach to problem-solving, involving stakeholders in overcoming challenges together.

To keep stakeholders engaged throughout a lengthy project, use the critical path to guide transparent communication, prioritizing regular updates and visual tools like Gantt charts to illustrate progress and potential delays. Engage stakeholders by involving them in milestone reviews, decision-making, and feedback loops, particularly around critical tasks. Tailor progress reports to their interests, celebrate achievements at key milestones, and maintain flexibility by promptly communicating any shifts in the critical path and sharing contingency plans. This approach ensures stakeholders remain informed, involved, and invested in the project's success until completion.