The power of the PMO in stakeholder engagement

In this podcast, Elise Stevens talks to Hans Arnbjerg about how PMOs can help their project managers improve how they deal with stakeholder issues including stakeholder engagement. Hans has a PMO consultancy firm in Copenhagen, Denmark, which specialises in helping organisations get the most from their PMOs.

Hans spent 15 years in pharmaceutical companies coordinating clinical trials, where stakeholder engagement was key.

Points raised in this podcast:

• It’s not enough to be great at the technical stuff if you don’t engage with the people involved in a project.
• Most PMOs focus on providing information to upper management and tools for project managers, but it is not common for them to have stakeholder engagement as a specific priority.
• The PMO should be a safe haven where project managers can get any help they might need with stakeholders.
• A PMO should help new staff adjust to the project team, giving them an idea of who the key stakeholders are, who the decision-makers are, and what kind of obstacles they might face.
• There is a need in the project management field to provide basic tools for project managers to improve their stakeholder engagement.
• However, stakeholder engagement is something that is learnt primarily through experience, rather than purely academically or theoretically.
• PMOs must be outspoken about stakeholder engagement.
• Project managers sometimes need to bury their egos. It is ok to seek help.
• Project managers often keep their stakeholder analysis in their head. A structured approach to stakeholder mapping that can be shared with all project managers is essential.

This podcast is part of our Stakeholder Management Series to celebrate the launch of our eCourse which is now available on our website