Support (or lack of) from internal and external stakeholders can make or break a project

In this series of blogs we’ve been outlining core skills that teams need for managing projects, programmes, and portfolios. In this last one, we’re discussing why stakeholder management is an essential ability.

The importance of stakeholder management

The public sector, as well as other organisations, are responsible for initiatives that involve many different internal and external stakeholders. And all of them will have varying needs, interests and priorities which need to be considered. But if their requirements are not met and managed well, this could lead to issues, such as:

• Delays and budget overruns
• Insufficient resources
• Lack of support
• Resistance and opposition
• And more…

The importance of effective stakeholder management skills

Internal and external stakeholders have a huge influence over resources, investments, and key project decisions. Which is why it’s so important to identify key stakeholders, communicate project objectives and status, manage expectations, and engage with them to get their input at every opportunity.

And this is why stakeholder support (or lac