{"id":261,"date":"2025-06-18T21:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/?p=261"},"modified":"2025-06-20T22:58:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:58:18","slug":"managing-stakeholder-expectations-for-project-success-by-ori-schibi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/?p=261","title":{"rendered":"Managing Stakeholder Expectations for Project Success by Ori Schibi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u00abAt the end of the day, project success is not about any one single competing demand, but rather about identifying which success criteria matter for stakeholders and delivering on these areas. The goal is not to deliver the full scope, on time, on budget, or a fully working product, but to meet stakeholders\u2019 and customers\u2019 expectations by delivering what they asked for, what was promised to them, what they needed, and what was agreed upon.\u00bb
\u2014 Ori Schibi<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

1 Start before you start \u2013 Readiness & Complexity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Quick check<\/th>What you\u2019re looking for<\/th>Immediate actions<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Readiness \u201cgap\u201d<\/strong><\/td>Is the org culturally, procedurally and technologically prepared for this project?<\/td>\u2022 Run a light-weight checklist covering resources, approvals, domain expertise and competing initiatives.
\u2022 Flag gaps early; closing one gap now is cheaper than patching ten later.<\/td><\/tr>
Complexity scan<\/strong><\/td>How many moving parts and<\/em> how entangled are they? (technical, organisational, environmental, people)<\/td>\u2022 Score each dimension 0-5.
\u2022 Anything \u2265 4 goes straight onto your initial risk register.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Why it matters<\/strong> \u2014 You can\u2019t \u201cmanage\u201d expectations you never surfaced; readiness & complexity scores give you evidence for every expectation-setting conversation that follows.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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2 Map the people, not just the org \u2013 Stakeholder Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Identify<\/strong> all voices (power vs. interest grid).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Diagnose<\/strong> their soft rewards<\/em> (recognition, access, influence) \u2013 these are the currencies you\u2019ll trade in every negotiation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Analyse attitudes<\/strong> (wants vs.<\/strong> underlying needs<\/em>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Plan engagement<\/strong> tailored comms, decision-rights and escalation paths.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Treat the analysis file as \u201cmust-have\/eyes-only\u201d. The candour you write with becomes leverage later.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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    3 Kick-off that actually kicks off<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Hold a pre-kick-off<\/em> (1-to-1 coffee chats) to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • break the ice, surface political landmines, calibrate success criteria.
      Then run the formal session<\/em> to:<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • confirm scope \/ constraints trade-offs;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • publish behavioural ground-rules (how we\u2019ll debate, decide, document);<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • agree \u201chow to say no\u201d mechanism (change control + tolerance bands).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      A crisp kick-off buys you trust; a sloppy one costs you months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      4 Communications = 80 % of your job<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      Rule<\/th>What it looks like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Own the channels<\/strong><\/td>One page comms matrix: who needs what<\/em>, when<\/em>, how<\/em>, why<\/em>.<\/td><\/tr>
      Default to 1-to-1 first<\/strong><\/td>Side-bar coffee > broadcast email for anything subtle or political.<\/td><\/tr>
      Translate constraints<\/strong><\/td>Always show impact in stakeholder-specific units (marketing hears \u201ccampaign-day risk\u201d, finance hears \u201cCAPEX shift\u201d).<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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      5 Manage the human<\/em> system<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Conflict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Good<\/em>: Task-focused, time-boxed, ends with a decision.
      Bad<\/em>: Personal, never resolved, resurfaces in meetings.
      Use \u201cVerbal Judo\u201d: pause-10-seconds > redirect to issue-not-person > hunt for a win-win trade on underlying needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Team Dynamics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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      • Build trust \u2192 conflict \u2192 commitment \u2192 accountability \u2192 results<\/em> (Tuckman + Lencioni mash-up).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Small, regular rituals beat rare, big team-builds (weekly stand-down coffee; celebration Slack channel).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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        6 Continuous expectation tuning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Visible health metrics<\/strong> (scope burn-up, risk \u201ctemperature\u201d, benefit realisation).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Monthly assumption review<\/strong> \u2013 every red assumption spawns a risk or change item.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Success acceptance<\/strong> \u2013 get written criteria & sign-off before<\/em> final delivery.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          Readiness & Complexity -\u203a Stakeholders & Soft-Rewards -\u203a Pre-Kick-off coffees -\u203a Formal Kick-off -\u203a Tailored Comms & Rapid Conflict loops -\u203a Metrics & Assumption reviews<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
          Run that loop, and the phrase \u201cWhose fault is it?\u201d<\/em> should vanish from your project vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
          Step<\/th>What you do (practical actions)<\/th>Why it matters (book concept)<\/th>Quick construction example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
          1 Map the crowd<\/strong><\/td>Draft a stakeholder register: list every actor who can affect or is affected by the build\u2014owner\u2019s rep, city inspector, design team, neighbours, utilities, trades, lenders, union officials, facilities staff.<\/td>\u201cStakeholder identification is one of the first things the PM needs to perform\u201d<\/td>Put the local BID (Business Improvement District) on the list before they complain about sidewalk closures.<\/td><\/tr>
          2 Rate and rank<\/strong><\/td>For each name capture Power \/ Interest \/ Attitude<\/strong> and your access to them. Use 1-5 scores or colour codes.<\/td>Schibi\u2019s \u201cStakeholder Analysis Brick-and-Mortar\u201d matrix<\/td>The structural steel subcontractor: high power over schedule, high interest, positive attitude\u2014keep them in the \u201cManage Closely\u201d quadrant.<\/td><\/tr>
          3 Surface success criteria early<\/strong><\/td>Ask each<\/em> high-power stakeholder: \u201cWhat will make you call this project a success on hand-over day?\u201d Capture scope, budget, safety, image, sustainability.<\/td>\u201cDefining success through constraints\u201d links expectations to scope-time-cost-quality<\/td>Owner cares about day-one leasing revenue, city cares about noise limits\u2014two different \u2018success\u2019 yardsticks.<\/td><\/tr>
          4 Write a lean Engagement Plan<\/strong><\/td>For every critical stakeholder specify: goal, message, frequency, medium, and owner (RACI). Keep it one page; update monthly.<\/td>Schibi\u2019s 7-category checklist for stakeholder engagement planning<\/td>Weekly coffee-walk with site\u2010super and clerk of works; fortnightly drone-photo email to investors; ad-hoc text alerts to utility rep.<\/td><\/tr>
          5 Design communications, don\u2019t \u201cspray e-mail\u201d<\/strong><\/td>Choose the currency<\/em> each group values (technical detail, dollars, community impact). Use the least-noise channel.<\/td>\u201cNot a 50-50 effort\u201d\u2014PM must own the communications and tailor the currency<\/td>Architects get 3-D viewer exports; neighbours get a one-page flyer with weekend work hours.<\/td><\/tr>
          6 Publish ground rules & escalation path<\/strong><\/td>In the Kick-off, agree on: response times, meeting etiquette, how change orders move, who can stop work.<\/td>Kick-off should set behavioural norms and remove uncertainty<\/td>Rule: RFIs answered within 48 h; if not, GC elevates to owner\u2019s rep on day 3.<\/td><\/tr>
          7 Anticipate friction with a \u2018Heat-Map\u2019<\/strong><\/td>Combine your complexity \/ readiness hints with the Power-Interest grid to shade \u201chot\u201d relationships\u2014e.g., high-power negative stakeholders during utility tie-ins. Trigger early 1-on-1s there.<\/td>Complexity & readiness assessments flag where politics can bite later<\/td>Move the community liaison from quarterly to monthly meetings just before noisy nighttime steel work.<\/td><\/tr>
          8 Choose a conflict toolkit early<\/strong><\/td>Decide up-front which method you\u2019ll try first: collaborate\u2192compromise\u2192escalate. Document in the Site Comms Plan.<\/td>Book\u2019s conflict-resolution ladder (win-win first)<\/td>When electrician and drywall crew clash over workspace, you mediate a joint resequence; if that fails, you escalate to subs\u2019 PMs.<\/td><\/tr>
          9 Close the loop visibly<\/strong><\/td>Track promises in a simple log (date \/ owner \/ commitment \/ proof done). Send \u201cYou said \u2013 We did\u201d snapshots.<\/td>Builds trust and shows reliability\u2014key trust ingredient<\/td>After you adjust truck routing per neighbour request, text them a photo of new signage.<\/td><\/tr>
          10 Capture lessons for the next build<\/strong><\/td>End-of-phase retros: what expectation gaps emerged, why, fix for next project. Feed into your corporate playbook.<\/td>\u201cLessons learned are not only about lessons\u201d\u2014they feed readiness for future work<\/td>Note that joint review drawings on tablets cut RFIs 25 %; bake that into bid templates.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n
          Tips that work especially well on construction jobs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Eyes-on beats inbox.<\/strong> A five-minute walk with the building inspector often saves a week of emails.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Use visuals.<\/strong> Line-of-balance charts, drone orthomosaics, cardboard mock-ups translate across disciplines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Respect boots-on-the-ground hierarchy.<\/strong> Trade foremen may wield more day-to-day power than the owner\u2019s PM\u2014treat them accordingly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          4. Keep a \u201cstakeholder reserve.\u201d<\/strong> Schedule and cost contingencies specifically for late change requests from high-power players.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          5. Celebrate small milestones together.<\/strong> Topping-out BBQ or simple coffee-truck voucher builds goodwill that pays off during crunch time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
            \u00abAt the end of the day, project success is not about any one single competing demand, but rather about identifying which success criteria matter for stakeholders and delivering on these areas. The goal is not to deliver the full scope, on time, on budget, or a fully working product, but to meet stakeholders\u2019 and customers\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-about-my-read-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=261"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270,"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions\/270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagadenov.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}