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13 - PROJECT STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

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PROJECT STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

Most of the material in Section 13 of the PMBOK Guide is applicable to stakeholder management for software
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projects. This section of the Software Extension to the PMBOK Guide presents additional considerations for
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managing software project stakeholders.

The introduction to Section 13 of the PMBOK Guide states: “Project Stakeholder Management includes the
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processes required to identify all people or organizations impacted by the project, analyzing stakeholder expectations
and impact on the project, and developing appropriate management strategies for effectively engaging stakeholders
in project decisions and execution.
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The introduction to Section 13 of the PMBOK Guide also states that stakeholder satisfaction should be managed
as a key project deliverable.

Figure 13-1 provides an overview of Software Project Stakeholder Management.

Stakeholder management is critical for achieving successful outcomes for software projects because 13
software is an intangible product and is often novel. Software is difficult to visualize until it is demonstrated.
In addition, there often exists a gulf of expectation between what a customer or product owner states and what
the developer interprets. Misalignments among stakeholders represent a major risk for successful completion
of software projects.

As illustrated in Figure 13-2, predictive life cycle software projects have high stakeholder involvement at the
beginning of the project when plans and requirements are being developed and at key milestone reviews, such as
requirement, design and test reviews, as well as at product acceptance. Predictive software projects can increase
stakeholder involvement by constructing the software in increments that are periodically demonstrated. Adaptive
life cycle software projects include frequent demonstrations of evolving increments of deliverable software for
the customer and other stakeholders, thus maintaining product visibility and frequent stakeholder engagement
throughout the duration of a software project.

13.1 Identify Stakeholders

The material in Section 13.1 of the PMBOK Guide is applicable to identifying stakeholders for software projects.
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Software project stakeholders can be internal or external to the organization, and may include software
maintenance and IT support personnel. In identifying stakeholders, it is important to consider their geographic
location, time zone, and cultural backgrounds.

©2013 Project Management Institute. Software Extension to the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition 229
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