Module 3: Working effectively with stakeholders

Welcome back. In this module, we’ll learn all about stakeholders and their
importance to a project. In the last set of videos, you learned the ins and
outs of project scope. While exploring how a project can be in-scope or out-of-scope, you learned about
setting SMART goals. We also discussed
launching a project (getting it started) versus
landing a project (whether or not it was successful). And there are a lot more
exciting topics to come! In this module you’ll learn
more about stakeholders. Remember that stakeholders
play a pivotal role. They are people who
are interested in and affected by the project’s
completion and success. You’ll see that each person
involved has a set role and set responsibilities to help bring the project to a landing. Those roles include
project sponsors, customers, team
members, and of course, you, the project manager. You will also find
out about things like stakeholder mapping and
analysis and RACI charts. These are tools that help clarify roles and responsibilities and prevent confusion on who takes
ownership of which tasks. Throughout this module, you’ll have plenty of
hands-on activities, discussion prompts,
and readings to really help you master
how to start a project. As we go through each new skill, imagine checking
off a to-do list. There’s almost nothing more satisfying than
crossing off a to-do!

Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Holly and I will be your accessibility
instructor for this course. Accessibility should
be incorporated into every role at a company, whether a product designer, communicator, developer
or yes, project manager. In my role of accessibility education program
manager at Google, I help ensure all Googlers are
educated on accessibility, from building accessible
products for the entire world, to communicating
accessibility with you throughout this course. I’m deaf myself, so I am able to share my experiences
as a person with a disability too and
help others understand that having a disability
isn’t a barrier in itself. It’s the world around
us that we must strive to make it
accessible for everyone. Accessibility can be defined in a number of different ways. To me, it means actively
removing any barriers that might prevent persons with
disabilities from being able to access technology, information, or experiences, and leveling in the playing field so everyone has an
equal chance of enjoying life and
being successful. A disability is often defined as a physical or mental
condition that substantially limits a
major life activity, such as walking, talking, seeing, hearing, or learning. Over one billion
people in the world have a disability, 1 billion. That’s more than the population of the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan,
Mexico, and Brazil combined. Disability is diverse
and intersectional. Someone can be born with a condition or acquire
it later in life. Disability can affect
us all in some way, whether directly or indirectly, and at any time, from permanent, like deafness, to temporary, like a broken leg, to situational, like trying to operate a TV remote
control in the dark. When you create solutions for
persons with disabilities, you are not only serving the critical audience of people with permanent
disabilities, you are also unlocking
secondary benefits for everyone who may move in and
out of disability over time. As you progress
through this course, it’s also important to keep in mind your fellow classmates. Setting the expectation
that you’ll be interacting with
others that learn and work differently
is a key strength of working with
accessibility in mind. Asking others what they need from you to learn and
communicate and also sharing what you need if you
have a disability yourself is important to working
well together as a team. In project management, you, yourself, people on
your project team, or people highly invested in your project may
have a disability, whether visible or invisible. As a project manager, you are responsible for making sure a group
of people can come together to achieve a common goal using shared tools and systems. In order to be successful, you need to make sure
the infrastructure and culture you set up
works for everyone. Knowing this is a key element
of project management. I’ll teach you how to make your work and content accessible. I’ll also help you become a better project manager by considering accessibility
in your future projects. I’ll offer tips and best practices
throughout the program, starting with this one. Did you know that many
technologies that we all enjoy started out as an
accessibility feature? Think about the Google Assistant, which allows you to control
your home with your voice, or close captioning,
which makes it possible to watch the TV
above a crowded, noisy bar. By considering
accessibility, you can impact everyone’s
lives for the better. I’m excited to share more with you throughout the
program where you’ll learn more about
project management and prepare for a career in
this field. See you later.

Building Your Project Dream Team: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Building the perfect team for your project can make all the difference between success and failure. This tutorial will guide you through the process of assembling your dream team, step-by-step:

Step 1: Define Project Needs and Scope

• Identify project goals and deliverables: What are you trying to achieve? What needs to be done?
• Break down the project into tasks: Create a detailed list of tasks required to complete the project.
• Estimate resources: Assess the skills, expertise, and time commitment needed for each task.

Step 2: Identify Roles and Responsibilities

• Match tasks to roles: Analyze your task list and determine the specific roles needed to accomplish each one.
• Consider skill sets: Define the skill sets required for each role, including technical skills, soft skills, and experience.
• Team size: Determine the ideal team size based on project complexity, budget, and resources.

Step 3: Find the Right People

• Internal talent: Leverage internal resources first, considering existing skills and availability.
• External recruitment: If necessary, explore external options like job postings, talent platforms, or agencies.
• Assess candidates: Conduct interviews and evaluations to assess skills, experience, and cultural fit.

Step 4: Build the Team Dynamic

• Team composition: Consider diversity of perspectives, background, and experience to foster creativity and innovation.
• Communication and collaboration: Establish clear communication channels and expectations for teamwork.
• Motivation and engagement: Cultivate a positive and collaborative environment that motivates everyone to contribute.

Step 5: Ongoing Management and Development

• Clear roles and responsibilities: Ensure everyone understands their role and responsibilities within the team.
• Performance monitoring: Track progress and provide regular feedback to identify and address any issues.
• Training and development: Invest in skills training and development opportunities to continuously improve team capabilities.

Bonus Tips:

• Get creative: Be open to unconventional candidates with transferable skills or potential for growth.
• Value team fit: Consider cultural fit and personality compatibility alongside technical skills and experience.
• Flexibility is key: Be prepared to adapt your team composition and roles as project needs evolve.
• Communication is essential: Maintain open communication throughout the project, fostering trust and collaboration.

Remember: Building a dream team is an ongoing process. By following these steps and adapting to your specific project needs, you can assemble a team that will drive your project to success.

Additional Resources:

• Project Management Institute (PMI): https://www.pmi.org/
• Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2021/10/5-things-high-performing-teams-do-differently
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2021/06/08/how-to-build-a-successful-work-team-this-year/

When choosing a project team, a project manager considers required roles, team size, and which three additional factors?

Availability

Everyone on the team needs to be available to join the project. This means they are not staffed on another big project and have the time to contribute. Beyond availability, team members also need to have key skills and be motivated to complete their tasks.

Necessary skills

Everyone on the team needs to have the right skills to do the job. If they don’t have the necessary skills, the project manager should ensure that they receive timely training to avoid project delays. Beyond key skills, team members also need to be available and motivated.

Motivation

Everyone on the team needs to feel motivated to complete their assigned tasks. Motivation is a key ingredient for great work, so it’s important to pick people who are excited to get involved. Beyond motivation, team members also need to be available and have key skills.

Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Holly and I will be your accessibility
instructor for this course. Accessibility should
be incorporated into every role at a company, whether a product designer, communicator, developer
or yes, project manager. In my role of accessibility education program
manager at Google, I help ensure all Googlers are
educated on accessibility, from building accessible
products for the entire world, to communicating
accessibility with you throughout this course. I’m deaf myself, so I am able to share my experiences
as a person with a disability too and
help others understand that having a disability
isn’t a barrier in itself. It’s the world around
us that we must strive to make it
accessible for everyone. Accessibility can be defined in a number of different ways. To me, it means actively
removing any barriers that might prevent persons with
disabilities from being able to access technology, information, or experiences, and leveling in the playing field so everyone has an
equal chance of enjoying life and
being successful. A disability is often defined as a physical or mental
condition that substantially limits a
major life activity, such as walking, talking, seeing, hearing, or learning. Over one billion
people in the world have a disability, 1 billion. That’s more than the population of the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan,
Mexico, and Brazil combined. Disability is diverse
and intersectional. Someone can be born with a condition or acquire
it later in life. Disability can affect
us all in some way, whether directly or indirectly, and at any time, from permanent, like deafness, to temporary, like a broken leg, to situational, like trying to operate a TV remote
control in the dark. When you create solutions for
persons with disabilities, you are not only serving the critical audience of people with permanent
disabilities, you are also unlocking
secondary benefits for everyone who may move in and
out of disability over time. As you progress
through this course, it’s also important to keep in mind your fellow classmates. Setting the expectation
that you’ll be interacting with
others that learn and work differently
is a key strength of working with
accessibility in mind. Asking others what they need from you to learn and
communicate and also sharing what you need if you
have a disability yourself is important to working
well together as a team. In project management, you, yourself, people on
your project team, or people highly invested in your project may
have a disability, whether visible or invisible. As a project manager, you are responsible for making sure a group
of people can come together to achieve a common goal using shared tools and systems. In order to be successful, you need to make sure
the infrastructure and culture you set up
works for everyone. Knowing this is a key element
of project management. I’ll teach you how to make your work and content accessible. I’ll also help you become a better project manager by considering accessibility
in your future projects. I’ll offer tips and best practices
throughout the program, starting with this one. Did you know that many
technologies that we all enjoy started out as an
accessibility feature? Think about the Google Assistant, which allows you to control
your home with your voice, or close captioning,
which makes it possible to watch the TV
above a crowded, noisy bar. By considering
accessibility, you can impact everyone’s
lives for the better. I’m excited to share more with you throughout the
program where you’ll learn more about
project management and prepare for a career in
this field. See you later.

Understanding Project Roles for Success: A Practical Tutorial

Building a successful project involves more than just great ideas and hard work. A crucial element is having the right people in the right roles, each contributing their skills and expertise towards a shared goal. This tutorial will equip you with the knowledge and tools to understand and assign project roles effectively, setting your team up for success.

Step 1: Define Project Scope and Goals

Before assigning roles, you need a clear understanding of your project’s scope and goals. Ask yourself:

• What are we trying to achieve?
• What deliverables are expected?
• What resources are available?
• What timeframe do we have?

Knowing the answers to these questions will guide your decision-making when identifying and assigning roles.

Step 2: Identify Key Project Roles

Most projects rely on a core set of roles, although their specific titles and responsibilities may vary. Here are some essential ones:

• Project Sponsor: Provides overall direction, approves resources, and ensures alignment with organizational goals.
• Project Manager: Leads the project execution, plans and schedules tasks, manages resources, and communicates with stakeholders.
• Team Members: Execute specific tasks and deliverables within the project plan.
• Customers/Users: The individuals who receive value from the completed project and define its requirements.
• Stakeholders: Any individual or group impacted by the project’s success, including investors, partners, and communities.

Step 3: Match Roles to Skills and Availability

Once you have identified the key roles, evaluate your team members’ skills and availability to find the best fit for each position. Consider:

• Technical skills: Does the person have the required expertise and knowledge to carry out the tasks?
• Soft skills: Are they reliable, collaborative, and able to communicate effectively?
• Experience: Have they previously worked on similar projects or possess relevant experience?
• Availability: Do they have enough time and bandwidth to dedicate to the project?

Remember, flexibility is key. In some cases, team members may need to take on multiple roles, especially in smaller projects or limited resource situations.

Step 4: Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities

This is where things get specific. Create detailed role descriptions outlining each team member’s responsibilities, authorities, and expectations. This ensures everyone understands their contribution to the project’s success.

Step 5: Foster Open Communication and Collaboration

Regular communication and collaboration are essential for a successful team. Encourage open communication between team members, stakeholders, and the project manager. Utilize communication tools and platforms to facilitate information sharing and feedback.

Step 6: Monitor Progress and Adapt As Needed

As the project progresses, evaluate individual and team performance. Don’t be afraid to adapt roles and responsibilities if needed to address challenges or optimize workflow.

Bonus Tips:

• Consider personality dynamics: Think about how team members’ personalities and working styles complement each other.
• Invest in training and development: Provide opportunities for team members to learn new skills and enhance their capabilities.
• Recognize and reward contributions: Celebrate individual and team achievements to keep motivation high.

By understanding and effectively assigning project roles, you create a solid foundation for collaboration, productivity, and ultimately, project success. Remember, a well-oiled team with clear roles and responsibilities is a powerful force on its way to achieving amazing things.

Additional Resources:

• Project Management Institute (PMI): https://www.pmi.org/
• Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2021/10/5-things-high-performing-teams-do-differently
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2021/06/08/how-to-build-a-successful-work-team-this-year/

Who is the project sponsor?

The person who is accountable for the project and ensures the project delivers the agreed-upon value to a business

A project sponsor is the person who is accountable for the project. They ensure the project delivers the agreed-upon value to the business.

As we mentioned in the last video,
when you’re managing a project to meet certain goals, having the right
team around you is a must. Why is it so important? It’s because there could be so
many moving parts on a project. That means you really need
to have confidence and trust that the people around you have the
skills and motivation to do the work well. To feel confident in your team, you need
to know each person’s role from the start. Clearly laying out
the responsibilities for each role helps everyone know what
project tasks they’re accountable for. Odds are, you can’t complete
this project on your own, even if you’re the best project manager
of all time, which we know you will be. Before we jump into the specific
roles on a project, we want to call out that
some roles aren’t fixed. Sometimes team members need to adapt and
take on more than one role at a time. This usually happens if the company
is small or resources are limited. For example, at a small firm,
you might be the project manager, designer, and marketer. Whether they’re fixed or not,
we always have these project roles. Project sponsors, team members,
customers or users, stakeholders, and of course,
the project manager. Let’s learn more about each of them. A project sponsor is the person who
is accountable for the project and who ensures the project delivers
the agreed upon value to the business. They play a vital leadership
role throughout the process. Sometimes they fund the project. The sponsor will probably communicate
directly with managers and key stakeholders. Team members are the heart
of the operation. They’re the people doing the day to
day work and making the project happen. The customers are the people who will get
some sort of value from a successfully landed project. Since the project aims to deliver
something useful to the customers, the customer’s needs usually
define the project’s requirements. You can think of them as
the buyers of the project. In some situations, we have both
customers and users for a project, and we need to differentiate between the two. Simply put, users are the people that
ultimately use the product that your project will produce. To make the distinction nice and
clear for you, think of it this way: a software company has created
a type of software that allows teams to communicate with each other in
an instant message application. The software is purchased by
corporation ABC; they are the customer. But the users are everyone within
corporation ABC that will be using the instant message application every day. Stakeholders are anyone
involved in the project; those who have a vested interest
in the project’s success. Primary stakeholders are people who
expect to benefit directly from the project’s completion, while secondary stakeholders
play an intermediary role and are indirectly impacted by the project. Secondary stakeholders may be contractors
or members of a partner organization, but both primary and secondary
stakeholders help project managers define project goals and outcomes. And finally,
we can’t forget the project manager: the person who plans, organizes and
oversees the whole project. That’s you. Let’s now plug these roles
into our Office Green project. Recall that Office Green is a commercial
plant company that does interior landscaping and plant design for
offices and other commercial businesses. We’re launching our new plant service,
so if you recall our SMART goal— which must be specific, measurable,
attainable, relevant, and time bound— is to roll out a new
service to provide office plants to top clients
by the end of the year. There’s a lot to do when
launching a new service. Plants need to be ordered and
delivered every few days. New clients will need to be familiarized
with Office Green and its procedures. And there will be ongoing
updates to the website and app. For Office Green’s launch, our project
sponsor is the Director of Product. They approve the project’s budget and ensure that everything stays
aligned to the vision, which in this case, is that inexpensive and easy-to-maintain live plants are provided in order to improve
the employees’ work environments. The team’s made up of people
from across departments, and they’re all working together
to support the project. For example, the marketing department
has assigned some people to the team because they’ll need to tell
customers about this new service. On this project, the landscape
designer is also the website designer. This is an example of where a team
member plays more than one role. And you? You’re the project manager. You’re the one managing the information,
people, and schedule to carry this project
to a successful landing. Our customers for this project are buyers
at offices who might be interested in Office Green’s services, such as
the office managers or procurement teams. However, the users are the employees
who work at the offices because they’re the ones who enjoy the plants. And finally, all of these people
are project stakeholders. Secondary stakeholders won’t play
active roles throughout all phases of the project but still need to be informed as they
are a component of what the project needs to succeed. For example,
these include Office Green’s investors, who are helping to fund
the new service launch, and the Office Green receptionist, who
will answer a lot of customer questions about the new service once it’s launched. So, now that we know why it’s so important
to decide on these roles early on and how these roles work within a project,
let’s put them into action!

My name is John Fyle, and I’m a technical program manager for Google in the Chicago office. I’ve worked a couple
different companies. I’ve worked at startups,
I’ve worked at grocery companies, and I’ve
worked at Google. And what I’ve found is
at some companies, what you find is that
there’s engineers that come in and what they’re
looking for is direction. They want to be told what to do; they want to be handed the
task and just execute on it. At Google, people are really
invested in their product. We call Google a bottom-up kind of culture. You know, a lot of companies, you have this directive from the top saying “This is
what we’re gonna do,” but at Google, people
are so passionate about the industry and
what they’re working on, that the ideas really come up and bubble up from the bottom. What I always tell folks is that the technical
and hard skills of program management, you
can pick up in a book. You can learn about Agile, and you can learn about
Extreme Programming. You can learn about all these things: planning, retrospectives,
all these great terms and tools
and stuff like that. At the end of the day,
that’s all they are, though. They’re just a tool, and you can’t use a hammer for a screw. It’s the same thing with
program management; you can’t use the same tools for every project. You have to learn what’s going on in a given team, in a given project, and a
given group of people. And so at the end of the day,
really the challenge is understanding the dynamics of the people that you work with. I like to say that the key about program management is
people and contexts. You have to understand the people that
you’re working with, you have to understand
the context, and only then can you apply the
skills that you learned. You won’t always have
the opportunity to pick and choose what people you
want to work on a project, and that’s okay, because you can just use those tools
that you’ve gained in the past to understand
the backgrounds and the style and the personalities of the people that
you’re working with. The most important part
about program management is understanding the
personalities of the people you work with so
that you can tailor your approach to make
sure that you’re working effectively with them.
Think about it this way. You might be working with
an introverted person. That person needs
different types of attention that an
extroverted person. An extroverted person
wants to talk about their ideas and their
product plans in a meeting. An introverted person,
you might want to get their feedback
offline or to have an async kind of forum opportunity for them
to voice their opinion. It’s really not going to be cut and dry every time
you work on a project, and that’s why it’s really, really important that you’re
flexible in your approach. You want to have people that are challenging the
choices that we make. But at the end of the day,
we all need to agree on a common goal and a common vision so that we
can move forward. We don’t want distractions because that’s the thing
that the one thing that can slow things
down. At the end of the day, technical problems
aren’t that hard. People problems are really hard. And making sure that your team
is sold and bought in on a vision and the project
is super, super important. It’s your goal and
your job role as a program manager to
motivate the team and make sure that
everyone’s on the same page.

Tutorial: Stakeholder Analysis for Project Success

Overview:

Effective project management hinges on understanding and managing stakeholders – individuals or groups impacted by your project. A well-executed stakeholder analysis empowers you to identify these stakeholders, prioritize their needs, and tailor communication strategies for smooth project execution.

This tutorial equips you with the knowledge and tools to conduct a comprehensive stakeholder analysis and leverage it for project success.

1. Identify Stakeholders:

• Brainstorm: List everyone potentially impacted by your project, directly or indirectly, including:
  • Internal: Project team members, executives, departments affected by the project outcome.
  • External: Clients, investors, suppliers, regulators, community members.
• Map Relationships: Identify interdependencies and relationships between stakeholders.

2. Analyze Stakeholder Interest and Influence:

• Interest: Assess the level of concern each stakeholder has regarding the project’s outcome. High interest indicates a direct impact on their goals or priorities.
• Influence: Evaluate the stakeholder’s power to affect the project’s success. This considers their authority, resources, and decision-making abilities.

3. Build a Stakeholder Power Grid:

• Create a matrix: Plot stakeholders based on their interest (vertical axis) and influence (horizontal axis).
• Quadrants:
  • High Interest, High Influence: Key stakeholders requiring close collaboration and communication.
  • High Interest, Low Influence: Stakeholders needing regular updates and consideration of their concerns.
  • Low Interest, High Influence: Stakeholders requiring consultation and addressing their needs to secure project support.
  • Low Interest, Low Influence: Stakeholders needing basic monitoring.

4. Develop Engagement Strategies:

• Tailor communication channels and frequency: Adapt to each stakeholder’s preferences and information needs.
• Prioritize high-impact stakeholders: Ensure their understanding, buy-in, and continuous support.
• Consider forming a steering committee: Comprised of key stakeholders for critical decision-making.

5. Tools and Resources:

• Power Grid template: Utilize online templates or create your own based on your project needs.
• Stakeholder management software: Utilize dedicated software like StakeholderMap or Trello to manage communication and engagement.
• Communication planning tools: Develop detailed communication plans for each stakeholder group.

Additional Tips:

• Engage stakeholders early and often: Encourage active participation and feedback throughout the project lifecycle.
• Maintain transparency: Share project updates, challenges, and successes openly with stakeholders.
• Address concerns promptly: Proactively address stakeholder concerns and mitigate potential conflicts.
• Continuously adapt: Monitor stakeholder needs and adjust your engagement strategies as required.

By taking the time to conduct a thorough stakeholder analysis and implementing these insights, you can build strong relationships, navigate challenges effectively, and ultimately achieve project success. Remember, engaged and informed stakeholders are your invaluable partners in achieving your project goals.

Bonus:

• RACI Matrix: Explore this tool for defining stakeholder roles and responsibilities for specific tasks within the project.
• Case Studies: Research successful projects and analyze their stakeholder engagement strategies for inspiration.

Remember, stakeholder analysis is an ongoing process. Adapt and refine your approach as your project evolves to maintain alignment and ensure a successful outcome.

Which two factors are determined on a stakeholder power grid? Select all that apply.

Interest. Influence.

The stakeholder power grid is a two-by-two grid used for conducting a stakeholder analysis. The power grid assigns each stakeholder a level of importance to the project using two measures: interest and influence

We just saw how
important stakeholders are to the project and how both primary and secondary
stakeholders help project managers define
project goals and outcomes. As a quick refresher,
primary stakeholders are people who will
benefit directly from the project’s success, while secondary stakeholders
are indirectly impacted by the
project’s success. Having all these different people involved on a project can get confusing, and that’s where a stakeholder analysis
comes in handy. This is a visual representation
of all the stakeholders. It helps you avoid surprises, build necessary
partnerships, and ensure you’re involving the right
people at the right time. When done well, your
stakeholder analysis helps you see all the opportunities for success and the potential risks, it illustrates which
stakeholders are taking on which responsibilities, and it can help you include
the right people in important conversations, which is key to
getting the support you need throughout the project. There are three key steps to kicking off a
stakeholder analysis. First, make a list of all the stakeholders
that the project impacts. Then determine the
level of interest and influence for each
stakeholder. And finally, assess their ability
to participate, and find ways to involve them. In the second step, we talk about influence
and interests. What do those terms mean here? Influence measures how
much power a stakeholder has and how much the stakeholder’s actions
affect the project outcome. In our Office Green example, the Director of Product,
who first initiated the project and oversees
new products and services, has a huge amount
of influence, while the vendor providing the
greenery has less influence. Interest is pretty much
what it sounds like: How much are the needs
of the stakeholder affected by the project
operations and outcomes? For example, Office Green’s
human resources department may not have as much interest in the product launch as a
sales department does. The power grid is a super useful two-by-two grid used for conducting a
stakeholder analysis. We use the power grid to assign each stakeholder’s level of
importance to the project, measuring their
interest and influence. The position of the
stakeholder on the grid usually determines their
active role in the project. The higher the interest
and influence, the more important
the stakeholder is to the project’s success. Without their support, it’s unlikely that the project
will successfully land. These people are our
key stakeholders. Now that you have
a better idea of each stakeholder’s
position on the team, you can plan how to
best manage everyone. There are four different
techniques you can use for managing stakeholders. The first group of
stakeholders are the key players, or
key stakeholders. You’ll find these people in the top right corner of the grid. To best manage
key stakeholders, you’ll want to closely partner with them to reach the
desired outcomes. Of course, not everyone’s a key stakeholder, but each role, even the non-key stakeholder, gets a spot on the grid. You’ll find stakeholders
with higher influence but lower interest in the
top left corner of the grid. To manage these stakeholders, you’ll want to consult with
them and meet their needs. Their opinions and input are
important to the project. The Director of Product
has high influence, but may not be vested into day-to-day activities,
and therefore will have a lower interest. Stakeholders with
lower influence but high interest are in the right
bottom corner of the grid. For these stakeholders,
you’ll want to show consideration for them by keeping them up-to-date
on the project. It’s unlikely they’ll need
a say in what’s going on, but keeping them
informed is important. For example, the customer
success team may have lower influence but high interest since they’ll work directly with clients on the new product. Last up, we have stakeholders with low influence
and low interest. You’ll find these in
the bottom left corner. They’re the least important
of the stakeholders, but this doesn’t mean
that they don’t matter. It might just be that for
this particular project, they aren’t as integral. So for this project, you mainly want to monitor them, keeping them in the know. Creating a grid like this
is an effective way to track who should be
communicated with and when. This grid here is an
example of how that might play out, depending on the
project and the stakeholders. You may also want to create
a steering committee made up of a high influence and
high interest stakeholders. These people will be the most senior decision-making
body on any project. They have the authority
to make changes to budget and approve updates
to timeline or scope. The project manager isn’t
a member of the committee, but they’re responsible for bringing the right
project information to the steering committee so that decisions can
be quickly made. How you engage your stakeholders
from this point on depends on your
particular situation. There are different
ways to involve each stakeholder, and you
have to be strategic to get helpful and relevant input from the right people
at the right time. You’ll want to meet with
some stakeholders every single day, and others you’ll just send
periodic updates to. Stakeholder buy-in is the process of involving these
people in decision-making to hopefully reach a broader consensus on the
organization’s future. To get stakeholders to
buy in on the project, you’ll have to pay
particular attention to your high-impact stakeholders and make sure they
feel looped in. You’ll want to explain to them how the project will
help them achieve their goals, and you want to have their support later on
if any issues come up. Here are some important
things to keep in mind when communicating
with stakeholders: If you have one main stakeholder, that stakeholder is
likely to be highly influential and needs
constant communication. But if you’re on a larger project with numerous stakeholders, they won’t be quite as involved
in the day-to-day tasks. For stakeholders who need
time to make decisions about the project,
over-communicate early on. For example, hold
frequent meetings and send daily end-of-day
progress emails. This way, they have
enough time to weigh the options
and make decisions. Think about the level of project details each
stakeholder needs. You don’t want to spend
time diving deep with stakeholders that just
need a project summary. For example, the facilities team that delivers the product doesn’t need daily updates on vendor pricing or website issues. On the flip side, do spend time updating key members that
need frequent updates. The sales team will need to know pricing and availability changes, so a weekly check-in
might make sense here. Great work. You just completed your own
stakeholder analysis. Up next, we’ll check
out another tool, RACI charting. See you there.

Elements of a RACI Chart: Demystifying Roles and Responsibilities

A RACI chart, short for Responsibility Assignment Matrix, is a powerful tool for project management. It helps to clearly define roles and responsibilities for each task or deliverable in your project, ensuring smooth workflow and preventing confusion. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements of a RACI chart:

1. Roles:

• Identify all stakeholders involved in your project. This could include team members, managers, clients, consultants, and any other relevant individuals.
• List these roles across the top row of your chart. Use clear and concise names that everyone understands.

2. Activities or Deliverables:

• Define the key tasks and milestones for your project. Be specific enough to ensure clarity, but avoid excessive detail to maintain simplicity.
• List these activities or deliverables down the left side of your chart. Keep it concise and organized.

3. RACI Matrix:

• At the intersection of each role and activity, assign one of the RACI letters:
  • R (Responsible): The person who actually performs the work to complete the task.
  • A (Accountable): The person ultimately responsible for ensuring the task is completed successfully. Only one person can be accountable per task.
  • C (Consulted): Individuals whose expertise or input is valuable for decision-making or effective completion of the task.
  • I (Informed): People who need to be kept up-to-date on the progress of the task or final decisions made.

4. Pro-Tips for Effective RACI Charts:

• Use roles instead of names if individuals might wear multiple hats in the project.
• Focus on clarity and simplicity. Avoid overly complex tasks or descriptions.
• Assign “R” and “A” roles carefully. Ensure clear ownership and avoid confusion.
• Collaborate with your team to create and refine the RACI chart.
• Update the chart regularly as project needs evolve.

5. Benefits of Using a RACI Chart:

• Clear roles and responsibilities: Everyone knows who does what, minimizing confusion and finger-pointing.
• Improved communication: Teams understand who to collaborate with and for what tasks.
• Enhanced accountability: Ensures tasks are completed and owned by specific individuals.
• Reduced risk of bottlenecks: Identifies potential overlaps and areas requiring additional resources.
• Increased project efficiency: Streamlines workflow and promotes timely completion of tasks.

By understanding and effectively utilizing the elements of a RACI chart, you can empower your team and significantly improve your project’s chances of success.

Bonus Tip: Consider using dedicated RACI chart templates or software for easier creation and management.

Remember, a well-constructed RACI chart is a valuable roadmap for navigating the intricate landscape of project tasks and responsibilities. So, put your RACI knowledge into practice and watch your project sail smoothly towards its goals!

1. Software Development:
   • Responsible: Developers who write the code.
   • Accountable: Project Manager who ensures the project is on track.
   • Consulted: Quality Assurance team who provides feedback on the code.
   • Informed: Stakeholders who need to know about the progress.
2. Marketing Campaign:
   • Responsible: Graphic Designers who create visuals.
   • Accountable: Marketing Manager who oversees the campaign.
   • Consulted: Copywriters who provide input on messaging.
   • Informed: Sales team who needs to know about the campaign launch.
3. Construction Project:
   • Responsible: Construction workers who perform the physical tasks.
   • Accountable: Project Manager who ensures the project is completed.
   • Consulted: Architects who provide input on design decisions.
   • Informed: Clients who need updates on the project’s progress.
4. Event Planning:
   • Responsible: Event Coordinator who handles logistics.
   • Accountable: Event Manager who oversees the entire event.
   • Consulted: Caterers who provide input on menu selection.
   • Informed: Attendees who need to know event details.

In a RACI chart, which type of participation refers to people who need to know about final decisions or that a task is complete?

Informed

There are four types of participation described in a RACI chart: responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. Those who are informed need to know about final decisions or that a task is complete.

In the last video, we saw how a stakeholder analysis shows us how to best work with stakeholders and
when to communicate with all the different people
involved in the project. In this video, we’re
going to check out another handy tool
called a RACI chart. A RACI chart helps to define roles and
responsibilities for individuals or teams to ensure work gets
done efficiently. It creates clear roles and gives direction for each team member. There are four types of participation included
in a RACI chart. These are: responsible, accountable, consulted,
and informed. Let’s take a look at each. Responsible refers to those doing the work to
complete the task. Accountable refers to those making sure the work gets done. Consulted includes those giving feedback, like subject matter
experts or decision-makers. And lastly, we have informed, which includes those
just needing to know the final decisions or
that a task is complete. Here’s an image of how this
breaks down in a chart form. When creating your RACI chart, you need to write down each task or deliverable
for your project, and then assign it
the appropriate role for each stakeholder. To do this, first think about who’s
involved in the project. Write the roles or people’s names in a row
across the top of your chart. Pro-tip: use roles rather than names if some people might
take on more than one role. Next, write down the tasks or deliverables in a
column on the left. Try not to get too specific here. You want the chart to be
simple and easy to read. After that, go through each
task and deliverable and ask: Who’s responsible
for doing this? Who’s accountable if
it doesn’t get done? Who will have strong
opinions to add, and therefore, should be consulted about how this gets done? And who needs to be informed of the progress or decisions
made about this? Assign the letters R, A, C, and I based on your answers. For example, as a project manager on Office Green’s
new service launch, one of your tasks is to create different price points for different packages and
delivery frequencies. The Head of Finance will
be accountable because the project needs to stay
in budget and make money, but it’s the Financial
Analyst who’s responsible, as they’re the person doing the work in determining optimal pricing. The Director of Product
will be consulted on the matter as they oversee
the product offerings. And finally, team members, like those on the sales team, need to be informed
of the final pricing. It’s possible there are
several roles that fall into the “informed” and
“consulted” categories. One thing that will always
remain constant is there will never be more
than one person designated as “accountable.” This prevents confusion,
because having one person accountable clearly
defines ownership. However, the same person that is “accountable” may also
be “responsible.” There are several
other factors that can cause role confusion. For example, there might
be unbalanced workloads, which means some
people might be doing more work or less work
than others on the team. Or there could be an unclear
hierarchy when people aren’t sure who to seek help from
if a task doesn’t get done or unclear ownership
of decisions where people aren’t sure who makes
the final call on a project. Another issue could
be overlapping work. This is when teams or individuals feel that they’re responsible
for the same work. When this happens, things
can get confusing fast. And the same goes for
excessive communication. While communication is
usually a good thing, too much communication can actually make things
more complicated. It can cause information overload where people don’t know what to pay attention to, and so
they miss something important. Wow, there’s a lot of things
that might cause confusion, but all these issues
can be resolved or even prevented
with a RACI analysis. Be proactive and do
this work upfront, and you’ll help ensure the
success of your project.

[MUSIC] If something is stumping you or
you feel stuck at a certain aspect, there’s always someone else who’s
going through the same thing. Anytime I started to feel
overwhelmed by information or like I just wasn’t getting it. I wasted so much time being unsure of
myself that I should have just listened to my friends and family when they
said just do it, you can do it. One of the greatest things that
help me to get back motivated is the accessibility of
the course on my phone. I was just able to go into the app and
listen to a few videos, because I can learn a lot on the go. Having a network of people that
motivates you—it’s so fundamental. Even if it’s a friend or if it’s
a family member that you can get from the beginning, and he can be there for
you on your corner like a coach. And don’t be afraid to ask for
help, whether it be from your peers, from your coaches, friends, family.
There’s always someone who knows more, and you can learn from them. [MUSIC]

Kudos! You finished another module.
That was a fun one! We covered a lot of topics
that were likely new to you. So let’s recap. In our first video, we checked out each
individual role associated with projects. You learned that as a project manager, you’ll have to ask yourself key questions
to make sure you build a successful team. You have to consider things like
team size, necessary skills, availability, and motivation. Then you completed a stakeholder analysis. This helps you understand how you might
manage communication with each person on the project. Next came the RACI chart, which
defined rules and responsibilities for individuals or teams. This helps people get
work done efficiently, and it creates clear lanes and instruction for
each team member to operate within. It does this by assigning which
roles are responsible, accountable, informed, and consulted. Overall, you learned some really
useful concrete tools to help you stay organized throughout the project. You can use these charts as you
work with your stakeholders. And if your project is ever-evolving,
as some are, stakeholder mapping and RACI charting will help you stay on top
of the tasks and communicate effectively. In the next module, you’ll learn
about other useful resources for managing projects and discover how
to know which tool to use when. See you soon.