Project Management Risk, Stakeholders, and Communication Syllabus

What is stakeholder analysis?

The systematic process of identifying stakeholders and gathering/analyzing information about their interests, expectations, influence, and potential impact on the project to guide engagement strategy.

What is a power/interest grid and what are its four quadrants?

A stakeholder classification model plotting authority (power) against concern (interest). Quadrants: High power/High interest = Manage closely; High power/Low interest = Keep satisfied; Low power/High interest = Keep informed; Low power/Low interest = Monitor.

Name three stakeholder classification models besides the power/interest grid.

Power/influence grid, influence/impact grid, and the salience model (power, urgency, legitimacy). Also the directions-of-influence and prioritization models.

What three attributes does the stakeholder salience model use?

Power (ability to impose their will), Urgency (need for immediate attention), and Legitimacy (appropriateness of their involvement). Stakeholders are prioritized by how many attributes they hold.

What are the five engagement levels in a Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix?

Unaware, Resistant, Neutral, Supportive, and Leading. The matrix compares each stakeholder's Current (C) engagement level with the Desired (D) level to identify gaps.

How is a gap shown in a Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix?

By marking the current engagement level with a 'C' and the desired level with a 'D'; a gap between them signals that additional engagement actions are needed to move the stakeholder to the desired state.

What is the purpose of a stakeholder register?

To document identified stakeholders and their identification information (name, role, contact), assessment information (requirements, expectations, influence), and classification (internal/external, supporter/neutral/resistor).

Why is managing stakeholder expectations important, and what tool primarily supports it?

Aligning stakeholder expectations with project reality reduces conflict, scope creep, and dissatisfaction. Communication is the primary tool—clear, proactive, tailored messaging keeps expectations realistic and manages perceptions.

What is the difference between requirements and expectations of stakeholders?

Requirements are documented, agreed-upon conditions or capabilities the project must deliver. Expectations are stakeholders' often-unstated beliefs about what the project will provide or how it will behave; unmanaged expectations cause dissatisfaction even when requirements are met.

What are the key inputs the Plan Communications Management process should address?

Who needs what information, when they need it, why (purpose), the format/medium, who provides it, and the frequency—driven by stakeholder needs, regulations, technology, and the communication requirements analysis.

What is the formula for the number of potential communication channels in a project?

$$n = \frac{N(N-1)}{2}$$ where $N$ is the number of stakeholders/people involved.

A project has 10 stakeholders. How many communication channels exist?

$$\frac{10(10-1)}{2} = \frac{90}{2} = 45 \text{ channels}$$

If a project grows from 5 to 6 team members, how many additional communication channels are created?

For 5: $\frac{5 \times 4}{2} = 10$. For 6: $\frac{6 \times 5}{2} = 15$. Additional channels $= 15 - 10 = 5$.

Name the five components of the basic (Shannon-Weaver) communication model.

Sender (encodes message), Message, Medium/Channel, Receiver (decodes message), and Feedback/Acknowledgment. Noise can interfere at any point.

What is 'noise' in a communication model?

Anything that interferes with or distorts the transmission and understanding of a message—e.g., language differences, distractions, cultural bias, technology failures, or attitudes.

What are the three main communication methods (per PMBOK)?

Interactive communication (real-time multidirectional, e.g., meetings, calls), Push communication (sent to specific recipients, e.g., emails, reports), and Pull communication (recipients access at will, e.g., portals, knowledge bases).

Which communication method is most effective for ensuring shared understanding and why?

Interactive communication, because it is real-time and two-way (with immediate feedback), making it the most efficient way to reach common understanding and resolve ambiguity.

Distinguish formal written, informal written, formal verbal, and informal verbal communication with examples.

Formal written: contracts, complex plans. Informal written: emails, notes. Formal verbal: presentations, speeches. Informal verbal: conversations, ad-hoc discussions.

What percentage of a project manager's time is often cited as spent communicating?

Approximately 90% of a project manager's time is spent on communication.

In face-to-face communication, roughly how is meaning distributed across words, tone, and body language (Mehrabian)?

Words about 7%, tone/paralingual about 38%, and body language/nonverbal about 55%—so most emotional meaning is conveyed nonverbally.

What is an 'information radiator'?

A large, highly visible physical or digital display (e.g., task board, burndown chart, Kanban board) placed where the team and stakeholders can easily see up-to-date project information without asking.

Compare work performance data, information, and reports.

Data: raw observations/measurements (e.g., hours worked). Information: data analyzed in context (e.g., status vs. plan). Reports: physical or electronic representation of work performance information compiled to generate decisions or awareness (e.g., status reports, dashboards).

What does a burndown chart show and what does a burnup chart show?

A burndown chart shows remaining work (e.g., story points) decreasing over time toward zero. A burnup chart shows completed work rising toward a total scope line, making scope changes visible.

What are the five stages of Tuckman's team development model?

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (mourning). Teams move through these stages, though they may cycle back when membership changes.

At which Tuckman stage is conflict highest, and at which is the team most productive?

Conflict is highest during Storming; the team is most productive during Performing.

According to Maslow's hierarchy, what are the five levels from lowest to highest?

Physiological, Safety, Social (love/belonging), Esteem, and Self-actualization. Lower needs must be reasonably satisfied before higher needs motivate behavior.

What is the key idea of Herzberg's Two-Factor (Motivation-Hygiene) theory?

Hygiene factors (salary, working conditions, policies) cause dissatisfaction if absent but don't motivate. Motivators (achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth) are what truly drive satisfaction and motivation.

Contrast the assumptions of McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y.

Theory X assumes employees dislike work, avoid responsibility, and need coercion and close supervision. Theory Y assumes employees are self-motivated, seek responsibility, and can direct themselves toward objectives.

What are the three needs in McClelland's Theory of Needs (Acquired Needs)?

Need for Achievement (nAch), Need for Power (nPow), and Need for Affiliation (nAff). One tends to dominate and shapes how a person is best motivated and managed.

What is Vroom's Expectancy Theory, and its formula?

Motivation depends on the expectation that effort leads to performance and reward. $$Motivation = Expectancy \times Instrumentality \times Valence$$ where Expectancy = effort→performance, Instrumentality = performance→reward, Valence = value of the reward.

List the five conflict-resolution modes in the Thomas-Kilmann model and identify the win-win one.

Withdraw/Avoid, Smooth/Accommodate, Compromise/Reconcile, Force/Direct, and Collaborate/Problem-solve. Collaborating (confronting the problem) is the win-win, generally most effective approach; forcing is win-lose.