Stakeholder Management: How to Get Everyone On Board

The best IT project can fail if stakeholders don't support it. The business team blocks progress, the executive pulls the budget, the IT manager finds everything wrong. As a freelancer or consultant, you need to deliver technically – but you also need to convince people.

Stakeholder management is the art of getting all participants on board. And it often determines project success more than your technical skills.

What is Stakeholder Management?

Stakeholders are all people or groups affected by your project or who can influence it:

• Client/Sponsor: Pays for the project
• Project Manager: Responsible for the project
• Business Unit: Uses the result
• IT Department: Has to operate it
• Management: Provides budget and direction
• End Users: Work with it daily
• You: The freelancer who delivers

Stakeholder management means:

1. Identifying stakeholders
2. Understanding their interests
3. Engaging them properly
4. Communicating continuously

Why Stakeholder Management is Critical

Without Stakeholder Management:

• Business learns about the project too late → Resistance
• IT manager feels bypassed → Blockade
• Executive doesn't understand value → Budget gone
• Users weren't asked → Nobody uses the result

With Stakeholder Management:

• Everyone involved early → Support
• Interests are considered → Cooperation
• Decision makers understand value → Budget secured
• Users help shape it → Acceptance

70% of failed IT projects don't fail because of technology – they fail because of people.

Step 1: Identify Stakeholders

List all people and groups connected to the project:

Internal Stakeholders

• C-suite / Executive team
• Project sponsor
• Project manager
• Department heads
• IT leadership
• Department employees
• IT staff
• Works council / HR
• Other affected departments

External Stakeholders

• Client's customers
• Suppliers
• Partners
• Regulators (for compliance projects)
• You as the external consultant/freelancer

Checklist: Did I get everyone?

• Who approves budget?
• Who decides on scope?
• Who will use the result?
• Who will operate the result?
• Who will be changed by the project?
• Who might be against it?
• Who has political influence?

Step 2: Analyze Stakeholders

Not all stakeholders are equally important. For each, analyze:

The Stakeholder Matrix

               HIGH INTEREST
                     ▲
                     │
    ┌────────────────┼────────────────┐
    │                │                │
    │  KEEP          │  MANAGE        │
    │  INFORMED      │  CLOSELY       │
    │                │                │
◄───┼────────────────┼────────────────┼───►
    │                │                │  HIGH
    │  MONITOR       │  KEEP          │  INFLUENCE
    │                │  SATISFIED     │
    │                │                │
    └────────────────┼────────────────┘
                     │
               LOW INTEREST

The Four Strategies:

High Influence + High Interest = MANAGE CLOSELY

• Regular personal meetings
• Involve early in decisions
• Always keep in the loop
• Example: Project sponsor, CEO

High Influence + Low Interest = KEEP SATISFIED

• Don't bore with details
• Inform at major milestones
• Highlight positive results
• Example: Executive who only approved budget

Low Influence + High Interest = KEEP INFORMED

• Regular status updates
• Newsletter, project wiki, meetings
• Gather feedback
• Example: End users who will work with it daily

Low Influence + Low Interest = MONITOR

• Keep minimal
• Only inform when needed
• Don't waste resources
• Example: Departments only marginally affected

Step 3: Understand Interests and Expectations

Each stakeholder has different interests:

Stakeholder	Typical Interest
Executive	ROI, strategy, risk
Business Unit	Easier work, no extra burden
IT Leadership	Security, standards, maintainability
End Users	Easy to use, minimal change
Works Council	Job security, privacy
You (Freelancer)	Success, reference, follow-up work

Questions for Interest Analysis:

• What does this person expect from the project?
• What could this person lose?
• What concerns might they have?
• How do they measure success?
• What motivates them?

Example: IT Manager as Stakeholder

Official position: "We're evaluating the project for feasibility."

Possible real interests:

• Concern about extra work for their team
• Fear of external solution they can't control
• Desire to enforce their standards
• Maybe: Fear that external expertise makes them replaceable

Strategy: Involve early, value their expertise, show how the project helps their team, not hurts it.

Step 4: Create Communication Plan

For each important stakeholder, define:

Stakeholder	Interest	Influence	Strategy	Frequency	Channel	Content
CEO	High	High	Manage closely	Monthly	Meeting	Status, budget, risks
IT Manager	High	High	Manage closely	Weekly	Meeting	Tech, integration
Business	High	Medium	Keep informed	Weekly	Email	Features, timeline
End Users	Medium	Low	Keep informed	Sprint end	Demo	New features

Communication Formats:

• 1:1 Meeting: For critical stakeholders
• Steering Committee: For decision-maker rounds
• Status Email: For broader information
• Sprint Review/Demo: For all interested parties
• Project Wiki: For self-service

Step 5: Manage Resistance

Not all stakeholders will be enthusiastic. Here's how to handle resistance:

Types of Resistance:

1. Open Resistance

• "This won't work"
• "We tried this before"
• Advantage: You know where you stand

2. Hidden Resistance

• No replies to emails
• "I don't have time right now"
• Working slowly
• More dangerous because harder to detect

3. Passive Resistance

• Formally cooperative, but no engagement
• "Yes, yes, we'll do it"
• Then nothing happens

Strategies Against Resistance:

Understand, don't fight

• What's the real concern?
• Often: Fear of change, loss of control, extra work

Include rather than convince

• People support what they help create
• "What would need to happen for you to support this project?"

Show quick wins

• Deliver visible success early
• Skeptics become supporters when they see value

Use allies

• Who influences the skeptic?
• Can someone else convince them?

Escalation as last resort

• If nothing helps: Involve the sponsor
• But only after documented attempts

Stakeholder Management for Freelancers

As an external freelancer, you face special challenges:

You're one stakeholder among many

You have no internal network, no history with people, no authority from position. Everything you must build through competence and communication.

Tips for Freelancers:

1. Find your sponsor

• Who brought you in? That's your ally.
• Keep this person always informed.

2. Identify informal decision makers

• Often the official boss isn't the real decision maker.
• Observe who gets listened to in meetings.

3. Build relationships

• Coffee, small talk, show interest
• People work with people they like

4. Document everything

• Confirm decisions in writing
• You have evidence when problems arise

5. Over-communicate rather than under

• As an outsider, you often underestimate how little others know
• Better to inform one time too many than too few

Stakeholder Register Template

#	Name	Role	Interest	Influence	Attitude	Strategy	Action
1	J. Smith	CEO	High	High	Positive	Manage closely	Monthly update
2	S. Miller	IT Manager	High	High	Skeptical	Manage closely	Weekly meeting
3	M. Johnson	Business	High	Medium	Positive	Keep informed	Sprint reviews
4	Sales Team	End Users	Medium	Low	Neutral	Keep informed	Email updates

Conclusion: Projects Are Made by People

Technical excellence is important. But it's not enough.

The best freelancers and consultants know: A project is only as good as the support it has. Stakeholder management isn't a nice-to-have soft skill – it's the difference between project success and project failure.

Invest time in people. It pays off.

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From Stakeholders to Clients

Good stakeholder management in projects leads to satisfied clients. Satisfied clients lead to follow-up work.

And follow-up work starts with a new proposal. With SimpleProposals, you create professional proposals that reflect your competence – fast, structured, convincing.

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