Project Management Professional (PMP) Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Syllabus

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Stakeholder Engagement and Communication in Project Management Professional (PMP), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Stakeholder Identification and Analysis

   4 topics

   • Identifying stakeholders throughout the project
     • Internal vs. external, sponsors, customers, end users
   • Stakeholder analysis and classification
     • Power/interest, power/influence, salience models
     • Stakeholder register and engagement assessment matrix
   • Determining engagement levels: unaware to leading
   • Building and maintaining stakeholder relationships and trust
2. 2

   Planning and Managing Communications

   4 topics

   • Communications requirements analysis
     • Number of communication channels formula
     • Information needs by stakeholder
   • Communication methods and models
     • Interactive, push, and pull communication
     • Sender-receiver model, noise, and feedback
   • The communications management plan
   • Monitoring communications effectiveness and adjusting
3. 3

   Virtual Teams, Meetings, and Information Distribution

   4 topics

   • Managing distributed and global teams
     • Time-zone, language, and cultural considerations
   • Effective meeting management
     • Agendas, facilitation, and action items
     • Stand-ups, retrospectives, and reviews
   • Information radiators and project dashboards
   • Tailoring engagement and communication approaches

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication flashcards for Project Management Professional (PMP)

18 of 51 cards from the Stakeholder Engagement and Communication deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In which process group does stakeholder identification primarily begin, and how often should it be revisited?

   It begins early in Initiating (Identify Stakeholders) but is iterative—stakeholders must be re-identified and reassessed throughout the entire project life cycle as the project evolves.

2. What is the primary output of the Identify Stakeholders process?

   The stakeholder register, which records identification information, assessment information (requirements, expectations, influence), and stakeholder classification.

3. What is a stakeholder in PMI terms?

   Any individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of the project.

4. What is the purpose of stakeholder analysis?

   To systematically gather and analyze quantitative and qualitative information about stakeholders to determine whose interests should be considered, and to plan appropriate engagement strategies.

5. Describe the Power/Interest grid classification model.

   A 2x2 grid plotting stakeholders by authority (power) and concern (interest): High power/High interest = Manage Closely; High power/Low interest = Keep Satisfied; Low power/High interest = Keep Informed; Low power/Low interest = Monitor.

6. Besides Power/Interest, name three other grid-based stakeholder classification models.

   Power/Influence grid, Influence/Impact grid, and the Salience model (and Stakeholder Cube as a 3D extension).

7. What three attributes define the Salience model for classifying stakeholders?

   Power (ability to impose will), Legitimacy (appropriateness of involvement), and Urgency (need for immediate attention).

8. In a stakeholder classification, what does 'directions of influence' classify?

   How stakeholders influence the project: upward (senior management), downward (team), outward (external—suppliers, regulators, users), and sideward (peer project managers).

9. List the five stakeholder engagement levels from least to most engaged.

   Unaware, Resistant, Neutral, Supportive, and Leading.

10. In the engagement levels, what distinguishes a 'Resistant' stakeholder from a 'Neutral' one?

    Resistant: aware of the project and its impacts but opposed to change and the work. Neutral: aware but neither supportive nor resistant.

11. What does the engagement level 'Leading' mean?

    The stakeholder is aware of the project and its impacts and is actively engaged in ensuring the project succeeds.

12. What tool documents current vs. desired stakeholder engagement levels, and how is the gap marked?

    The Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix; current level is marked 'C' and desired level is marked 'D' for each stakeholder.

13. On a Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix, what does it mean when C and D are in the same cell?

    The stakeholder's current engagement is already at the desired level, so no additional engagement action is needed for that stakeholder.

14. What is the main output of the Plan Stakeholder Engagement process?

    The stakeholder engagement plan, which identifies strategies and actions to promote productive involvement of stakeholders.

15. Which process focuses on building and maintaining stakeholder relationships during execution?

    Manage Stakeholder Engagement (Executing process group).

16. What interpersonal/team skills are most important for building stakeholder trust?

    Communication, conflict management, active listening, cultural awareness, leadership, networking, and political awareness.

17. Why is building trust with stakeholders considered foundational to engagement?

    Trust enables open communication, cooperation, willingness to support change, faster issue resolution, and reduces resistance throughout the project.

18. What is the goal of communications requirements analysis?

    To determine the information needs of project stakeholders by combining the type and format of information needed with an analysis of the value of that information.

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