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Stakeholder Management

Managing relationships and communications with stakeholders.

Also Known As

Related

Addresses / Mitigates

  • Agency Risk: Aligns the goals and expectations of various stakeholders, reducing conflicts.
  • Coordination Risk: Allows stakeholders to coordinate on their demands.
  • Communication Risk: Facilitates clear and consistent communication between stakeholders.
  • Internal Model Risk: Talking to stakeholders helps to share and socialise Internal Models.

Attendant Risks

  • Communication Risk: Misaligned communication strategies can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.

Used By

  • Extreme Programming: XP involves customers directly in the development process to ensure the software meets their needs.
  • Lean Software Development: Lean emphasizes respecting people and engaging stakeholders.
  • Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe): SAFe engages stakeholders through Business Owners, Product Management, and regular demos.
  • Scrum: Stakeholder engagement is critical in Scrum, especially through the role of the Product Owner.
  • TameFlow: Management by Exception keeps stakeholders informed of significant deviations without information overload.

Description​

"Stakeholder management is the process of managing the expectations and the requirements of all the internal and external stakeholders who are involved in a project." - Stakeholder management, Wikipedia

Stakeholder Management in software development involves identifying, engaging, and managing relationships with all parties who have an interest in the project. Effective stakeholder management ensures that their needs and expectations are understood and met, reducing conflicts and facilitating smoother project execution.

Variations​

Stakeholder TypeDescriptionReference
Internal StakeholdersTeam members, managers, and executives within the organisation.Stakeholder, Wikipedia
External StakeholdersCustomers, partners, regulators, and other outside parties.Stakeholder Analysis, Wikipedia
End UsersThe people who will ultimately use the software product.End User, Wikipedia

Used By​

Extreme Programming

Extreme Programming

An Agile software development methodology that emphasizes customer satisfaction, teamwork, and frequent delivery of small, functional software increments.

Why: XP involves customers directly in the development process to ensure the software meets their needs.

Uses:
  • Customer Involvement
  • On-Site Customer
Lean Software Development

Lean Software Development

An Agile software development methodology that emphasizes eliminating waste, building quality in, creating knowledge, deferring commitment, delivering fast, respecting people, and optimizing the whole.

Why: Lean emphasizes respecting people and engaging stakeholders.

Uses:
  • Respect People
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

A set of organization and workflow patterns for scaling lean and agile practices across large enterprises.

Why: SAFe engages stakeholders through Business Owners, Product Management, and regular demos.

Uses:
  • Business Owners
  • Product Management
Scrum

Scrum

An Agile framework for managing and completing complex projects.

Why: Stakeholder engagement is critical in Scrum, especially through the role of the Product Owner.

TameFlow

TameFlow

A management approach for knowledge work that integrates Theory of Constraints, Kanban, and Agile principles to optimize the flow of work, information, and value.

Why: Management by Exception keeps stakeholders informed of significant deviations without information overload.

Uses:
  • Management by Exception