APM/RICS guide focuses on stakeholder success

A joint publication aimed at lifting the lid on successful stakeholder engagement is set for release.

Key principles for leaders to successfully engage the people that can affect project success, the latest Stakeholder Guidance Note published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and supported by APM, will launch on 17^th September. 

The guide, written by Donnie MacNicol, Guy Giffin and Paul Mansell, is intended to provide advice to practitioners who encounter human challenges in their day to day work. 

The final PDF will be available as a free download for APM members.

With human factors or non-technical issues identified as the most likely cause of project problems or failure, the guides authors present a number of real world examples to illustrate how to manage stakeholder relationships. 

Stakeholder engagement should not be seen as a separate activity from real project management, the guide explains. It is vital for project teams, especially the senior members, to continuously develop their understanding of their stakeholders evolving objectives, interests, constraints and expectations, whether they are reasonable or not!

The publication was jointly commissioned by RICS and APM following a survey of 90 people, mainly practitioners, between May and July 2013. The survey revealed that 90% considered stakeholder management to be one of the top three critical factors for successful project delivery. However, 80% felt there insufficient resources being committed to develop the discipline. 

These and other key findings including 10 principles for highly effective project leadership were discussed at the recent APM/RICS Project Leadership Conference, in London.