Rethinking Construction
Stakeholder Management in the Construction Industry
"It’s
not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end."
Douglas
Adams (1952 - 2001)
Keywords: project management, scheduling, stakeholder management, culture, organisation, relationships.
Rethinking Construction –
Stakeholder Management in the Construction Industry [P049]
Originally presented as 'Stakeholder Centric Scheduling' @ MyPrimavera,
June 2006
Many technically competent builders are failing to maximise the value of their work to their client organisations/employers by focusing exclusively on technology, data and processes. By including an awareness of communication and relationship management within the overall matrix of skills used to develop a schedule, cost plan, etc, the builder can transform the perception of the documents value from being seen as an ‘administrative overhead’ into a valuable resource.
To achieve the spread of effective relationships needed to succeed, the builder, must recognise that project teams and senior management have different perceptions, expectations and measures of success and customise his/her communication strategy to meet their different requirements. By using appropriate communication strategies, the builder facilitates access the information needed to develop and update the plans and has his/her reports and messages understood and acted upon. The relationship aware builder is trusted and relied on by both project teams and senior management, acting as an effective cultural translator between the two groups.
Technical competence is still a vital requirement, if this is missing there is no point in communicating, but once the technical issues are conquered the difference between average and exceptional performance is found in the capability of the builder to effectively relate and communicate with his/her stakeholders up and down the organisation.
This paper outlines a number of techniques and tools, including the Stakeholder Circle™ that can be used to identify and map stakeholders, understand their requirements and develop an effective communication plan.
Author: Dr. Lynda Bourne
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Download Stakeholder Centric Scheduling Paper |
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