Project Initiation and Stakeholder Engagement
What the exam tests
Initiation and stakeholder engagement: what the charter authorizes, who approves it, and how to identify, analyse, and plan engagement for stakeholders who can help or harm the project.
The business case justifies the investment; the benefits management plan defines how benefits are measured and sustained. The charter formally authorizes the project and the project manager, names the sponsor, and records high-level scope, measurable objectives, milestones, budget, risks, and approval requirements. It is not a detailed plan; requirements, WBS, and schedule come later.
Stakeholder analysis
- Identify stakeholders early and repeat the exercise as the project evolves.
- Record identification, assessment (expectations, influence, attitude), and classification in the stakeholder register.
- Power/interest grid: high power/high interest = manage closely; high power/low interest = keep satisfied; low power/high interest = keep informed; low/low = monitor.
- Engagement levels: unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, leading.
- The engagement plan states the current level, desired level, and tailored approach for each key stakeholder.
Worked example
A regulator has high power but low interest in daily work, and will inspect safety documentation. Approach: classify as keep satisfied, schedule periodic compliance briefings and pre-submission reviews, not daily updates. Classifying the regulator as monitor would be a planning failure because its approval gates go-live.
Traps
- Believing the charter contains detailed requirements or the schedule baseline.
- Assuming the sponsor writes the charter alone; the PM often drafts it, but the sponsor approves it.
- Ignoring negative stakeholders; resistance is information, not grounds for exclusion.
- Confusing communication (information flow) with engagement (commitment and support).