Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Gaining Support for a Project

Sponsorship is important during the selection process, but support becomes crucial once projects start up. Projects rarely finish without running into some kind of trouble, and you often need help digging them out. Alas, many people lend a hand only if there’s something in it for them, which is why identifying the people who care about a project (the stakeholders) is so important.

Stakeholders can play a part in projects from proposal to the final closeout. During the planning phase, stakeholders help define the project and evaluate the project plan. A few lucky stakeholders then cough up the money to fund the project. During the execution phase, stakeholders help resolve problems and make decisions about changes, risk strategies, and (if necessary) whether to fork over more money. At the end of a project, some of the stakeholders get to declare the project complete so everyone can move on to another project.

Identify Who Has a Stake in the Project

Commitment comes from all levels of an organization, from the executive-level project sponsor to the people who work on the project every day. Project stakeholders get their name because they have a stake in the project’s outcome. They either give something to your project—like the managers who provide the resources you use—or they want something from it, like the sponsors who support your fundraiser in exchange for publicity. (If your stakeholders aren’t providing the support you expect, read the box on When ...