Visualizing stakeholder influence--two Australian examples

Little is known about the many ways that project stakeholders influence project outcomes. This paper outlines a tool for measuring this influence, a tool called the Stakeholder Circle’, a tool informed by stakeholder theories and designed to help project managers identify, prioritize, and visualize each stakeholders level of influence, information that project managers can use to develop stakeholder engagement strategies. In referencing the literature on stakeholder management and project decision-making, it also describes the factors shaping stakeholder influence and the ways these factors affect project expectations and project outcomes. It then uses the Stakeholder Circle to examine stakeholder influence on two projects (one information and communications technology (ICT), one construction). With this, it discusses how project managers can improve the way they manage stakeholder relationships.