How to keep your stakeholders engaged?

A project manager's success hinges on understanding stakeholder needs and expectations.  Securing their support and buy-in is crucial for achieving project objectives.  

After all, meeting stakeholder expectations is a major factor in determining a project's success. This is where effective stakeholder engagement comes into play.

In this post, we'll explore five simple yet powerful techniques to keep your key stakeholders engaged and ensure a constant flow of valuable input throughout your projects.

Who are the stakeholders? 

Key stakeholders in a project are the people who have a vested interest in the project. These are often the ones whose inputs to a project matter most. There are four main types of project stakeholders: project managers, resource managers, sponsors, and customers (clients). 

5 ways to keep stakeholders engaged and receive input

According to a study by HubSpot, 78% of projects with highly engaged stakeholders are successful. 

Engaging and keeping stakeholders informed is pivotal for project success. Here are five simple and practical ways to engage and receive input from stakeholders:  

1. First of all identify the key stakeholders

Not all stakeholders have the same level of influence on the project. First of all, identify the key stakeholders of the project. 

Use a power-interest grid to plot the influence of stakeholders on a project. It categories stakeholders into the following four categories based on their influence and interests:

• High power, high interest (manage closely) 
• High power, low interest (keep satisfied) 
• Low power, high interest (keep informed) 
• Low power, low interest (monitor)

You can read my article on “Stakeholder Analysis” to learn step-by-step how to perform stakeholder analysis.

2. Identify requirements and develop a communication plan

Now, you know the influence and interest of stakeholders and understand who the key stakeholders are. You need to interview and ask questions to stakeholders to gather relevant information, how and when they want to be communicated, what they expect of the project, and what are their views of the project. This helps you develop a communication plan for each key stakeholder and resolve any conflicts among stakeholders if they are not on the same page.    

3. Keep them updated and ask open-ended questions 

Key stakeholders are the people who can provide you with the best inputs for a project in their area of expertise. But for that, first, they need to be informed. It is important to keep your stakeholders updated about the project's progress. 

If you have any doubts, ask them open-ended questions. For example: rather than asking ‘Do you have any suggestions?’, ask ‘What are your suggestions for the project?’. 

Make your stakeholders speak if you want buy-in, support, and trust of key stakeholders, and listen patiently and ask questions to understand.           

4. Transparency is key

Stakeholders need not have positive views on everything. Even if you are doing something that the stakeholder is not in favor of, explain to them the reason behind those actions and do not omit information that may be of value to stakeholders.

Bryan Driscoll, Think Big Marketing, LLC, says, “Think about what you would want if you were a stakeholder and then make that available to them.” 

5. Meet the stakeholder’s expectations for engagement 

The last thing you would want for a project is to lose the interest of key stakeholders in a project. Your stakeholders may be managing multiple projects in the portfolio. If they feel that their expectations are not met, they would be reluctant to invest resources and reduce the buy-in of the project. Meet the stakeholders' expectations on communication to keep them interested.        

6. Encourage feedback

Foster a two-way dialogue by actively soliciting stakeholder input. Open communication ensures their needs and concerns are addressed. By valuing their insights, you increase their engagement and keep the project on track to meet their expectations.

Use the right tool for stakeholder engagement

You need a stakeholder management tool to implement a stakeholder management plan. 

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration software that can help you gather requirements for stakeholders and engage stakeholders in a project. 

Click here to learn how ProofHub can help you keep your stakeholders engaged, receive inputs at the right time, and gain stakeholders' buy-in and support for the project.