The project stakeholders: internal vs external

30’ duration: (Trainer) - (support: slides & video & web)

→ The project stakeholders: internal vs external

The term project stakeholder refers to, "an individual, group, or organization, who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project.” Project stakeholders are entities that have an interest in a given project. These stakeholders may be inside or outside an organization which:

• sponsor a project, or

• have an interest or a gain upon a successful completion of a project;

• may have a positive or negative influence in the project completion.

Stakeholder management is then a critical component to the successful delivery of any project, programme or activity. It is a four-step process of:

1. identifying stakeholders

2. determining their influence

3. communication management plan

4. influencing stakeholders through engagement

To facilitate the process, a project team under the guidance of the communication responsible can elaborate a stakeholder register.

Particular attention should be given to external stakeholders those who do not have a direct tie to the project. They are not employees and do not have any direct financial interest in the profit or loss of the project. Instead, they have an interest in how the project affects the community or a part of the community. External stakeholders include government entities such as city councils, local schools, other businesses and residents in the area where the team implements its project.

Who are the external stakeholders of a company?

By using template 7c, the trainer asks the teams to identify the main internal and external stakeholders of their project. How could the external stakeholders have a negative impact on your project? This session is complementary to the next one where the teacher will focus on the communication strategy and on stakeholders’ engagement.