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How to Manage Stakeholders (With Kelly Suter from Mirum Agency) – Digital Project Manager

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This podcast is part a published article on The Digital Project Manager. You can read the entire article here.
Clarizen, a leader in enterprise project management software and enterprise projects, brings you this podcast.
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Stakeholder Management 101: What are the Types of Stakeholders? How to Manage Them?
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Audio Transcription:
Ben Aston:
The DPM podcast is where we go beyond the theory to offer advice that works for leading better digital project. Thank you for listening. Ben Aston is the founder of Digital Project Manager. We all know that projects would be easier to deliver if we didn’t have to worry so much about clients or stakeholders. They are there, no matter how much you love or hate them. The project would not be possible without them. They are the ones who will pay for it.
Our only option is to find a better method to manage stakeholders to help us do our best work. Listen to this podcast about managing stakeholders to learn how to turn them into project mates and show them the love.
Today, I am joined by Kelly Suter, a fan favorite. She is a fan favorite and has moved. You may have seen her on the videocast, but she is now an executive producer at Mirum Agency. This is a huge deal. This was discussed in the videocast. If you haven’t seen our videocast, you can search YouTube for the Digital Project manager to find out more about Kelly’s crazy executive producer role. Kelly, tell us about your new gig.
Kelly Suter
It’s going great. It’s been about two to three months now. I can’t even keep track. It feels like it’s going 100 miles per hour, but it’s actually going very well. There is a lot going on. I have inherited a large project. You inherit all the processes that were Frankensteined by each of your producers or project managers. It’s been a challenging experience for me. I enjoy a challenge so it’s a good challenge for me.
Ben Aston:
Nice. This is a great question to ask people. What advice would you give yourself? What advice would you give yourself?
Kelly Suter
Right. I think I would go back to tell myself that you won’t learn everything and that you will never know all the answers. I thought that I would be able to learn the process from the start of my project management career. I would then just continue applying the process until I was comfortable with it. The reality is that this process is constantly evolving. This is why dpm.com I believe is able and thriving with project mangers all over the world, just talking about their experiences. I would say to myself, be comfortable with being uncomfortable. There’s always something new.
Ben Aston:
Yeah. Yes.

Ferdinand
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What is a WBS? Bill asked a great question about a WBS and how it can be used to plan project scope. Josh, please clarify. I am only at chapter 7, so if you have any questions, please forgive me. So far, it seems like the WBS is different than the schedule. Is this a point you’re making? Or am I misunderstanding it? I thought the WBS was the basis of the schedule. RegardsBill Bill, you are correct. The WBS is separate from the schedule. You should be able to focus only on the deliverables when creating the WBS. This is true regardless of the time. (I hesitate to recommend phase-based deliverables in general but I recognize that some programs may use this structure) I also recommend that you do not use staff roles to organize your work breakdown structure. Next, you break down the deliverables into tasks. The tasks will be what you use to create your schedule. Your schedule will most likely be influenced at least partially by the WBS structure. But not always. My version of a WBS is called a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) in the PRINCE2 world. When I speak of task decomposition in a Base of Estimate (BOE), they use the same terminology for what they call a WBS. Although we do the same thing, the terminology can be confusing if you try to translate across the pond. I recommend that you never open a scheduling tool without first completing the necessary steps.
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What is a Project Coordinator? Scott was thinking about the role of Project Coordinator recently. He replied to one my Project Management Career Coaching questions with this: Josh, I am currently attending school for Project Management and have really enjoyed your daily emails. I am currently a Manufacturing Supervisor in a small company. After graduation, my goal is to be a full-fledged Project Manager. I was interested in your recent post about changing industries and how you were successful in landing a job as Project Coordinator. I have been looking for a company for some time, but I don’t have any way to get to know the workers. It is a different industry than mine and I don’t have any connections to the company. I discovered that they have two positions available for Project Coordinators. I am trying decide if it’s worth taking the risk and making the move now rather than after I graduate. It is difficult to gain experience in managing small projects in the position I am currently in. It’s a small company, so I have to accept the fact that I can’t advance in my career unless I leave or wait for someone else to retire. I am asking you this question: Do you think that a job as a Project Coordinator is a good starting place for an aspiring Project Manager. Or would you prefer to stay at the same place for another year and gain more experience in employee management? I know you are busy, so I appreciate any advice you can offer me. Scott, thank you for your email! What is the role of a Project Coordinator? Project coordinator roles are not the same in all organizations. This is why I don’t believe it fits into all strategic career paths. It depends on the industry and the organization, but as a general rule, a role in project coordination is a good way to get into project management. It indicates that the organization is mature in managing projects. It will also give you an opportunity to experience the ‘world of managing projects’ in that organization. If my experience is any indication, you’ll be right there. Building Relationships – I discuss how to get connected to people in the industry or company. If you approach it with respect and tact, you can use LinkedIn to reach out to these people. LinkedIn is a great networking tool that can bring you face-to-face connections and allow you to make friends and develop relationships over time. It’s not a quick process, but it’s possible to expect great results. It will take some time. It won’t take forever, but it won’t stop. It’s ongoing. Some people find themselves in small companies and want to go into a larger company. Once you have the experience and knowledge from a larger company, it is sometimes best to stay there. However, if you want to return to a smaller company, you can bring your expertise and help grow it. If I was you, I would interview for the position of Project Coordinator, even if it wasn’t something I wanted to do. This will give you valuable experience in interviewing and allow you to ask great questions about the company’s project management. It can make a huge difference in your chances of getting hired.
Project Failure: We are at It Again Serendipity happens. I replied to a student Inside pmStudent eLearning with what turned to be an article about project success and failure. Shim wrote, “Projects failure rates?” a few days later. The conventional wisdom is wrong! His blog is amazing. I began leaving comments, and it quickly became one of those comments that should be its own post. Chaos I mean the reports that various organizations have on project failure rates. Shim outlined the following in his post:
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Project Failure: We are at It Again Serendipity happens. I replied to a student Inside pmStudent eLearning with what turned to be an article about project success and failure. Shim wrote, “Projects failure rates?” a few days later. The conventional wisdom is wrong! His blog is amazing. I began leaving comments, and it quickly became one of those comments that should be its own post. Chaos I mean the reports that various organizations have on project failure rates. Shim outlined the following in his post:
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