Project stakeholder

About: Project stakeholder is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3317 publications have been published within this topic receiving 110056 citations. The topic is also known as: Project stakeholder.

Can a project champion bias project selection and, if so, how can we avoid it?

Abstract: Purpose – This paper sets out to empirically investigate whether a “project champion” can have an undue influence at the project selection stage and, if so, how this can be both identified and controlled.Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology is based on a single case study and is part of a much wider research investigation.Findings – The case clearly shows that a “project champion” can have a biased influence on project selection. It was shown that in this particular case the “project champion” deemed the project‐specific risks to be lower than that suggested by other appraisal team members and that the strategic benefits to be derived from the project to be higher. Both these influences make the project look more attractive and can result in a project being accepted, which may not be in the best interests of the organisation. By using the financial appraisal profile (FAP) model the organisation was able to identify this bias and reduce its influence.Research limitations/implications – Ge...

Diverse Perceptions of Stakeholder Engagement within an Environmental Modeling Research Team

Abstract: Integrating stakeholder perspectives is increasingly important in environmental science as a growing number of research projects are justified with a “solutions” orientation prioritizing societal relevance. In earth systems modeling, there is potential for model developers to engage with stakeholders who may use modeling results to inform decisions about resource management and policy. Challenges associated with stakeholder engagement relate to how researchers perceive the role of stakeholders and how they view the utility of integrating knowledge and perspectives from outside academia in model development. This study analyzes researchers’ perceptions of stakeholder engagement within BioEarth, a large collaborative regional earth systems modeling project designed to integrate input from agriculture and forestry sector decision-makers. The project addresses the impact of climate change on water, nitrogen and carbon cycling in the US Pacific Northwest. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted to assess perceptions of stakeholder engagement among the 18principal investigators (PIs). Results reveal that PIs have varying perceptions of the role of stakeholders in earth systems modeling and diverse assessments of the optimal type and timing of stakeholder engagement. As funding agencies and research institutions promote increased collaboration with stakeholders from outside academia, these findings demonstrate fundamental differences of opinion among environmental scientists regarding the value of stakeholder engagement. This research has implications for transdisciplinary research projects that seek to address sustainability challenges by involving stakeholders in technical academic modeling. Facilitating learning opportunities for researchers who are new to stakeholder engagement is essential, as is close collaboration among researchers with different levels of prior stakeholder engagement experiences.

Culture, communication, and leadership for projects in dynamic environments

Abstract: Rapid change is an accelerating problem for projects in most industries. This article presents findings from a grounded theory study identifying project management approaches for mitigating rapid change in the course of a project. These results relate to culture, communication, and leadership and are complimentary to results previously presented on planning and control for dynamic environments. The study employed 37 in-depth interviews and three focus groups held with practitioners across ten industries (defense, community development, construction, technology, pharmaceutical, film production, scientific startups, venture capital, space, and research). Themes emerged relating to: a vision led, egalitarian, goal-orientated culture supporting experimentation; timely and efficient communication; and flexible leadership with rapid decision making. The findings address a gap in the project literature management and may be useful to practitioners.

Project managers doubling as client account executives

Abstract: Executive Overview Project managers are increasing in popularity within such industry areas as information technology, aerospace, and management consulting. Project management is typically discussed with regard to planning and delivering project-related tasks within a particular time frame and budget. New to the project-management arena is a look at project managers as the primary link between a service organization and the client organization. Based on a comprehensive set of interviews with project managers and clients in three different information-technology service organizations, we examined two key questions: How can project managers operate more successfully as client-relationship managers and, in many cases, as client account executives? What strategies can the project manager use to build a trusting, long-term relationship with a client organization? We identify the multiple roles of the project manager including coach, entrepreneur, politician, friend, and marketer, and how they facilitate the at...