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Engaging Stakeholders on Projects offers a thorough exploration of the subject as outlined in the APM Body of Knowledge 7th edition. It provides project professionals with detailed advice, tools, and practical steps to enhance their methods and demonstrates how effectively leveraging the power of people is key to boosting project success.
This book seeks to address central questions, such as what effective engagement looks like, what tools are available, and how to best connect with, engage, and collaborate with stakeholders. It also explores strategies for minimizing conflict and resistance to change and working toward resolution.
Engaging Stakeholders is designed for professionals involved in project delivery. Whether you’re working at the project, program, or portfolio level, you’ll encounter stakeholders in your activities. This book addresses the challenges associated with managing project-driven change within organizations.
Rating: 5.7 – Engaging Stakeholders on Projects by Elizabeth Harrin provides a solid foundation for understanding stakeholders within an organization, especially for those new to managing multiple people on a project. However, it could be enhanced by considering external stakeholders, including macro-level entities like enterprise-wide stakeholders and regulators.
The text is clear, coherent, and highly readable, with seamless transitions and key takeaways at the end of each chapter that help reinforce understanding. The language is appropriate and deepens comprehension, while the book consistently engages readers with well-paced content. It aligns with the APM Body of Knowledge 7th edition and offers practical insights, though it is somewhat generic. Chapter 3 effectively outlines scenarios for stakeholder engagement but could expand on how technology impacts stakeholders. The book briefly mentions gamification but lacks detailed discussion on measuring engagement through data analysis and decision-making. Technologies like learning management systems are pertinent examples.
While some content provides a fresh perspective, it primarily builds on existing ideas without proposing clear alternatives. The book features engaging personal stories and citations that simplify the material, though the stories are brief. It includes some integrated case studies and provides basic analysis, though this may be somewhat superficial. The appendix features three case studies from the Association for Project Management Stakeholder Engagement Focus Group.
Overall, the book serves as a solid introductory resource, comprehensive and practical for professionals new to project management. The author, an award-winning blogger and recognized expert, effectively cites other researchers and actively engages with the community, further underscoring her significant impact and influence.
The book features a readable font size and a well-organized layout. However, it would benefit from the inclusion of more tables and graphs to better illustrate and explain the content. Additionally, the cover design could be enhanced to be more visually appealing, and the use of color throughout could further improve its attractiveness.
The book provides a solid foundation for understanding stakeholders within an organization and is particularly useful for those new to managing multiple people on a project. However, it could be enhanced by also considering external stakeholders, including those at the macro level, such as enterprise-wide stakeholders and regulators. For instance, the facilitation chapter focuses primarily on techniques for stakeholders who are familiar and accessible, without addressing the involvement of regulators or the legal requirements that impact a project. Additionally, the discussion of facilitating meetings in Chapter 4 would benefit from incorporating the individual cultural norms and practices of project team members to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of the guidance provided.
The text is clear and easy to understand. It is highly coherent, with seamless transitions that enhance readability. The key takeaways at the end of each chapter help you understand what you have read. The language is appropriate and aids in deepening the reader’s comprehension. Moreover, the book consistently engages the reader with its well-paced and captivating content.
The content aligns with the APM Body of Knowledge 7th edition and offers practical insights, though it is somewhat generic. Chapter 3 effectively outlines scenarios for stakeholder engagement, identifying key players and practical steps. However, the book could expand on how technology impacts stakeholders. It briefly mentions gamification but lacks a detailed discussion on measuring engagement through data analysis and decision-making. Technologies like learning management systems, used for onboarding and resource management, serve as pertinent examples.
Some content provides a fresh perspective, although it primarily builds on existing ideas. It occasionally challenges conventional wisdom but does not propose clear alternatives. It lacks significant novelty. To summarize, the formula for engagement is understanding + action + influence.
The author brings relevant qualifications and expertise to the subject matter and is internationally recognized for her contributions. She is the award-winning blogger behind “A Girl’s Guide to Project Management” and has contributed to the community through various publications, including books and scholarly articles. Additionally, she actively engages with the community through her website, “The Rebel’s Guide to Project Management,” and maintains a strong presence on social media, actively contributing to discussions in her field. This interaction with readers and online visibility further underscores her significant impact and influence.
The content is comprehensive, covering a broad spectrum of educational topics and serving as a practical guide for professionals new to project management, such as a CEO undertaking a project for the first time. Each chapter concludes with actionable advice, though it may sometimes lack specificity or direct relevance to the reader’s particular circumstances. As readers gain experience, they might seek a book that offers a deeper analysis of projects, programs, and portfolios within organizations. Overall, this book serves as a solid introductory resource.
The author effectively cites other researchers when contextualizing key points, reinforcing their broad understanding of the topic. However, referencing concepts to create a framework for improving the engagement of project stakeholders is lacking. At times, references from other fields seem more like helpful tips for experimentation rather than integrated, foundational knowledge.
The first few chapters (1-3) of the book effectively use tables and graphs to enhance the reader’s understanding of the content. However, some graphs lack consistency (e.g., Fig. 2.3) or could benefit from additional details (e.g., Fig. 1.2). As the book progresses into the later chapters (4-7), these visual aids are used less frequently. The content in these later chapters tends to be presented in bullet points or brief notes, lacking detailed explanations.