Identify Decision Makers

Abstract

Projects are a function of inertia, just like anything else. Steady forward motion, like that of a ball rolling down a hill, can be powerful and difficult to stop. This motion, however, is dependent on decisions being made in a way that makes sense to the people who have the authority and ability to make them, and not having those decisions overturned after you’ve based your project plan around them. In order to ensure this, the project manager must do a very deep analysis of a project’s stakeholders and identify who the key decisions makers are, what they want, and how to treat them. Managing this stakeholder group is one of the critical tasks of the project manager—and it does more to ensure success than nearly anything else.