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5.2. Stakeholders (ST)

This performance domain covers the activities and functions associated with stakeholders throughout the project. Effective stakeholder engagement requires understanding who stakeholders are, what they need, and how to involve them to maximize project value and minimize resistance.

Knowledge Area (KA)	Core Tier1	Core Tier2
5.2.1 Stakeholder Identification and Analysis	Elective
5.2.2 Stakeholder Engagement Planning	Elective
5.2.3 Stakeholder Communication and Relationships	Elective
5.2.4 Managing Stakeholder Expectations	Elective
5.2.5 Stakeholder Influence and Power	Elective
5.2.6 Conflict and Negotiation with Stakeholders	Elective
5.2.7 Monitoring Stakeholder Engagement	Elective

5.2.1. ST/Stakeholder Identification and Analysis ↑ Back to top

Identifying all individuals, groups, and organizations that could impact or be impacted by the project, and analyzing their interests, power, and engagement levels.
Topics:
Core

• Stakeholder identification techniques: brainstorming, organizational charts, expert interviews
• Stakeholder register: capturing identification, assessment, and classification data
• Power/interest grid and salience model for stakeholder prioritization
• Monitoring changes in the stakeholder landscape throughout the project

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Identify and document project stakeholders using structured identification and analysis techniques [Usage]
2. Classify and prioritize stakeholders using a power/interest grid [Usage]
3. Monitor changes in the stakeholder landscape and update the stakeholder register accordingly [Assessment]

5.2.2. ST/Stakeholder Engagement Planning ↑ Back to top

Developing strategies and actions to promote productive stakeholder involvement based on analysis of their needs, interests, and current engagement levels.
Topics:
Core

• Engagement assessment matrix: current vs. desired engagement levels
• Tailored engagement strategies for different stakeholder profiles and engagement levels
• Integrating stakeholder engagement planning with the communications management approach
• Reviewing and updating the engagement plan at key project milestones and phase transitions

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Develop a stakeholder engagement plan with tailored strategies for each key stakeholder group [Usage]
2. Integrate stakeholder engagement planning with communications and change management approaches [Assessment]
3. Evaluate the adequacy of a stakeholder engagement plan against project complexity and stakeholder diversity [Assessment]

5.2.3. ST/Stakeholder Communication and Relationships ↑ Back to top

Building and maintaining productive relationships with stakeholders through consistent, targeted communication. Covers active listening, feedback mechanisms, and trust-building.
Topics:
Core

• Active listening and empathy as foundations of stakeholder relationship-building
• Feedback mechanisms: soliciting, processing, and acting on stakeholder feedback
• Building and maintaining trust with diverse stakeholder groups
• Building stakeholder relationships in virtual and distributed environments

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Apply active listening and feedback techniques to strengthen stakeholder relationships [Usage]
2. Design a relationship management approach for a complex multi-stakeholder project environment [Assessment]
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of stakeholder communication strategies and recommend improvements [Assessment]

5.2.4. ST/Managing Stakeholder Expectations ↑ Back to top

Aligning stakeholder expectations with project scope, constraints, and intended value. Proactively managing expectations prevents misalignment, reduces conflict, and builds stakeholder satisfaction.
Topics:
Core

• Aligning stakeholder expectations with project reality: scope, timeline, and value boundaries
• Proactive expectation setting: communicating early and clearly about constraints and trade-offs
• Identifying and closing expectation gaps through negotiation and re-scoping
• Documenting agreed expectations in the project charter, scope baseline, and meeting records

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Align stakeholder expectations with project scope and constraints through proactive communication [Usage]
2. Resolve stakeholder expectation gaps through structured negotiation and trade-off analysis [Assessment]
3. Design a proactive expectation management approach for a project with diverse and conflicting stakeholder needs [Assessment]

5.2.5. ST/Stakeholder Influence and Power ↑ Back to top

Understanding and navigating stakeholder power, politics, and influence to advance project objectives. Includes ethical use of influence and managing political dynamics.
Topics:
Core

• Power dynamics in projects: formal authority, expert power, referent power, and resource control
• Navigating organizational politics to advance project objectives ethically
• Influencing without formal authority: coalition building, persuasion, and negotiation
• Building strategic alliances and sponsor relationships to advance project objectives

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Identify different sources of stakeholder power and their implications for project management [Familiarity]
2. Apply ethical influence strategies to gain stakeholder support without formal authority [Assessment]
3. Evaluate the ethical boundaries of influence strategies in a specific stakeholder and organizational context [Assessment]

5.2.6. ST/Conflict and Negotiation with Stakeholders ↑ Back to top

Identifying, addressing, and resolving stakeholder conflicts constructively. Covers negotiation strategies and escalation paths for stakeholder disputes.
Topics:
Core

• Sources of stakeholder conflict: competing interests, resource scarcity, and communication failures
• Conflict resolution strategies: collaborate, compromise, accommodate, avoid, compete
• Principled negotiation: interests vs. positions, BATNA, and win-win framing
• Escalation paths and governance structures for unresolved stakeholder conflicts

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Apply conflict resolution strategies to address a stakeholder dispute in a project scenario [Usage]
2. Negotiate a stakeholder agreement using principled negotiation techniques [Usage]
3. Design an escalation path for managing unresolved stakeholder conflicts [Assessment]

5.2.7. ST/Monitoring Stakeholder Engagement ↑ Back to top

Continuously monitoring the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement and adjusting strategies as the project evolves. Covers engagement metrics, feedback analysis, and adaptive response.
Topics:
Core

• Metrics for measuring stakeholder engagement effectiveness: participation rates, feedback scores, sentiment
• Periodic review of stakeholder engagement: updating the engagement assessment matrix
• Early warning signals of stakeholder disengagement or resistance
• Corrective actions for declining engagement: re-engagement workshops, escalation, and plan revision

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Monitor stakeholder engagement using defined metrics and update engagement strategies [Usage]
2. Identify early signals of stakeholder disengagement and propose proactive responses [Assessment]
3. Evaluate the overall effectiveness of the stakeholder engagement approach and recommend adaptive changes [Assessment]