Module Handbook (Project Stakeholder Management)

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
Park Road, Chak Shehzad, Islamabad, Pakistan
MODULE HANDBOOK
Project Stakeholder Management

Faculty of Business Administration
Department of Management Sciences
Master of Project Management (MPM) Program &
Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) Program
Weekly on Mondays, 6.00 P.M - 9.00 P.M

Course Instructor: Dr. Aurangzeb Z. Khan
Class: MPM-I (Core Module) / MSPM II (Elective Module)
Current Version: Spring Semester 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cour s e I ns tr uc tor s We l c ome Me ssa ge
02
Ab ou t the Cour s e I ns tr uc tor .. . . . .
03
Cour s e Ba ck gr ound . .
05
Cour s e O bje c ti ve s a nd Ex pe c te d Outc om e s .
06
Cour s e P r e re qui si te s . .
06
Cour s e Dur a ti on a nd P r es e nta ti on S t yl e
06
S tude nt As s e s s me nt: W r i tte n E xa mi na ti ons .
07
S tude nt As s e s s me nt: The P r oje c t As s i gnm e nt
10
S tude nt G r a di ng S ys te m
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Cour s e Q ua li t y I m pr o ve m e nt
17
Li br a r y a nd I nfor m a ti on S e r vi c e s . .
18
S tude nt Di s c i pl i ne .
18
E thi c s a nd Hone st y . .
19
S tude nt S uppor t .
20
Cour s e Li te r a tur e . .
21
Cour s e S yl l a bus .
23
Ap pe ndi x
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Appendix 1: Subject Examination Papers

Appendix 2: PowerPoint Slides (to be e-Mailed weekly)
Appendix 3: Article Collection (to be distributed separately in class)
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Course Instructors Welcome Message

Dear MPM/MSPM Course Participants,
On behalf of the Department of Management Sciences at the COMSATS Institute
of Information Technology and our MPM/MSPM program it is my pleasure to
welcome you all to my course module Project Stakeholder Management.
Together we are about to embark on an exciting fifteen-week journey during
which you will be acquainted with many novel concepts, processes and tools,
and practical examples of stakeholder management and engagement drawn from
numerous projects, large and small, some which have been undertaken and
others which presently are being undertaken across our globe. For many, if not
all of you, much of the material you will be exposed to may seem somewhat unconventional or exotic. Let me assure you, though, that you will find the knowledge acquired in this course immensely useful and practical for managing your
own projects provided that you make the best use of it. The Essence of Knowledge is Having It to Apply It a timeless saying so eloquently formulated more
than two thousand years ago by the great Chinese Philosopher Confucius and
as much true today as it was back then in ancient times.
We are the university which pioneered the MPM and the MPSM degree programs in Pakistan. My colleagues and I have worked very hard on developing
our course modules and attaining a standard which not only sets a benchmark in
project management education in this country, but also rivals the standards set
by long established project management degree programs offered at universities
in North America, Europe and Australia. Hard work is, off course, not a one-way
road. From nothing comes nothing! We expect all of you to start working very
hard in all our modules from day one. Even the most intellectually able and professionally experienced among you will find all modules highly demanding, at
times quite stressful, even intimidating perhaps. It is up to you to make the most
of what our flagship MPM/MSPM offers and I hope that you will not hesitate to
seize this golden opportunity.
So lets commence our journey then! Carefully read through this handbook for
starters and then well proceed on to the exciting world of project stakeholder
management!
Dr. Aurangzeb Z. Khan
Islamabad, January 2012

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About the Course Instructor
Dr. Aurangzeb Zulfiqar Khan is Assistant Professor in the

Department of Management Sciences at the COMSATS
Institute of Information Technology in Islamabad, Pakistan.
A product of the German university system, he holds a PhD
and masters degree in public administration from the German University of Administrative Sciences in Speyer, and a
Diplom (masters) in business administration from the
University of Trier.
Dr. Khan started his professional career in 1992 as Executive Assistant in Hilal
Consultants, a small Pakistani consulting firm specializing in infrastructure projects. He subsequently joined the Hanns-Seidel Foundation of Germany as Programme Coordinator at its Pakistan country office in Islamabad. There he worked
closely with the Foundations partner organizations in government, academia and
the non-governmental sector on various joint projects, primarily in institutional
capacity building and event management. After leaving the Foundation he worked as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, a policy
think tank operating under Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his
tenure at the Institute and Hanns-Seidel Foundation, he extensively researched
the possibilities for economic confidence-building measures in South Asia, authoring two pioneering and acclaimed papers on the subject, in which he proposed
the creation of an integrated hydro-power based electrical grid system for South
and Central Asia, expansion in trade, joint ventures and investment between
South Asian countries, and a regional program of collaborative science and technology projects.
Interesting in joining academia, he returned to Germany in 1998, where he enrolled in the masters program and, on its successful completion in April 2000,
subsequently in the doctoral program in public administration at the German
University of Administrative Sciences in Speyer from where he graduated in 2004
after his dissertation on application of information and communication technology
in Germanys federal police agency, the Bundeskriminalamt, was accepted and
later published.
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On the faculty of the young and rapidly expanding Pakistani public-sector university COMSATS since March 2005, Dr. Khan taught project management and
other management subjects to hundreds of students. In September 2008 he
launched his universitys and Pakistans first professional masters degree program in project management, the MPM, which he headed for its first year of operation. He taught three of the MPM programs core modules - Fundamentals of
Project Management, Project Stakeholder and Communication Management,
and Project Controlling - in addition to hosting the elective module Seminar in
Project Management. His main area of interest is project stakeholder management, which he introduced for the first time as a subject taught at a university in
Pakistan and which, through his teaching and intensive research, he is vigorously
attempting to bring into mainstream project management.
Dr. Khan is winner of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistans coveted
national Best University Teacher Award for the year 2007. In acknowledgement
of the outstanding quality of his teaching and research, with more than a dozen
publications in the United States, Germany and Pakistan, CIIT nominated him
from the universitys entire faculty body in 2008 for the Pakistan presidential
award Izaz-i-Fazeelat.
As a Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Dr. Khan spent eleven months in 2010-11 undertaking research at the University of Maryland in College Park, USA. In the spring
semester 2011 taught two specialized project management courses (one for
undergraduates, the other for graduates) at the Universitys prestigious A. James
Clark School of Engineering. He is presently writing a book on project stakeholder management.
Course Background
Stakeholders are central to all projects in all categories and levels of complexity.
They exist across space and time: No project in history has been stakeholderless. Projects are conceived, initiated, planned, executed, controlled and evaluated by stakeholders for stakeholders. Yet, surprisingly, in project management
degree programs at colleges and universities across the globe, the subject of
stakeholder management is largely ignored as project management teaching
focuses primarily on a projects technical areas such as scheduling, cost, risk,
scope and quality management and their myriad processes, tools and deliverables. Though numerous projects performance surveys undertaken over time
consistently attribute project success or project failure in large measure to stakeholder influences, many project owners, planners, managers and implementers
still are seemingly ignorant of the potential impact of their project stakeholders or
simply take them for granted and fail to invest the time, resources and effort
needed to ensure attainment of the requisite level of stakeholder support and
goodwill which is so essential for the success of their projects.
This innovative and unique course, which has been developed through years of
research, seeks to address this deficiency by spreading awareness of the importance of stakeholders on projects and providing guidance on how best to manage
and engage them in a professional and ethical manner so that a project achieves
its goal and objectives more effectively and efficiently, encounters less risk
caused by ignoring the concerns and power of its stakeholders, and adds value
to its stakeholder community resulting hopefully in a win-win situation for all the
stakeholders.
This course is the only one on project stakeholder management being offered at
a Pakistani university and is currently one of a handful of modules being taught at
universities across the globe which give a deep insight into this exciting, challenging and fast evolving though fragmented and still rather overlooked area of
project management.
The course has been developed independently by Dr. Aurangzeb Z. Khan. Some
of the concepts, ideas and suggestions contained therein are his own and based
on his on-going comprehensive and in-depth research on the subject.
Course Objectives and Expected Outcomes

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive and rigorous exposure to all important areas of project stakeholder management and engagement.
The class presentations and student assessment system have been carefully
designed with a view to encourage students to apply their classroom-acquired
knowledge prudently to practical situations involving stakeholders which they can
be expected to encounter when performing managerial roles and responsibilities
in projects undertaken in their professional environment.
The bottom line is to equip students with the knowledge and instill in them the
confidence needed to manage and engage their project stakeholders effectively
and efficiently, with a very high standard of ethics and in an innovative manner
which seeks to attain a win-win situation for all or for as many stakeholders as
possible.
Course Prerequisites
Students are required to have attended a foundation semester-long course in
project management as prerequisite for attending this course. Students who in
addition have attended related specialized courses such as project management
law, project human resource management, and project communications will be at
an advantage.
Course Duration and Presentation Style

The course comprises fifteen taught classes over the semester. Each class is of
three hours duration, which includes a fifteen minute break for light refreshments.
Student attendance will be taken twice in each class.
The course will be delivered in lecture mode using approximately seven hundred
MS PowerPoint slides developed by the instructor. Several subject-related videos
produced by corporate, government and non-governmental organizations, as well
as videos made by the instructor with Camtasia screen capture software, will be
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presented over the semester using the installed ceiling-mounted digital

projectors. Occasional use will also be made of the class-room whiteboard.
Considerable emphasis is placed on interaction: Throughout the course students
will be invited to ask questions, discuss topics, make comments and suggestions,
and share their personal experiences.
The PowerPoint slides and subject course material for each semester week will
be e-mailed by the instructor to the MPM/MPSM Program Coordinator Mr. Zahid
Malik who in turn will e-mail them to the class representative. He/she is expected
to promptly forward them to all the course participants. Students are requested to
refrain from approaching the instructor directly with requests for slides or any
other material.
Student Assessment: Written Examinations

The student assessment system is based on the standards prescribed by the
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) for all course modules
offered by its Department of Management Sciences undergraduate and graduate
degree programs. The assessment system followed for this module comprises:
(A) the Written Examinations for which 75% of the total course marks are
allocated and (B) the Project Assignment (see section Student Assessment:
The Project Assignment) for which the remaining 25% of total course marks is
allocated.
The written examinations will be conducted at different points in time over the
semester. There are three written examinations (two sessionals and the terminal)
for the MPM program and two examinations (midterm, terminal) for the MPSM
program. The examination dates are fixed by the CIIT Examinations Office and
will be communicated to the students in the MPM/MSPM semester schedule
which they will receive at the beginning of each of their program semesters. The
examinations (with marks allocation and duration) are:
Program
Examination
Marks
Duration
MPM
First Sessional Examination
10%
1 Hour
MPM
Second Sessional Examination
15%
1 Hour
MPM
Terminal Examination
50%
3 Hours
Marks
Duration
Program
Examination
MPSM
Mid-Term Examination
25%
2 Hours
MPSM
Terminal Examination
50%
3 Hours
One or two questions will be asked in each MPM sessional examination covering
material presented and discussed in class from the beginning of the semester
until the examination date. Two or three questions will be asked in the MPSM
midterm examination which will likewise cover material presented and discussed
in class from the beginning of the semester until the examination date. The final
examination will cover the entire course syllabus material and will contain three
to five questions, some or possibly all comprising sub-questions. All questions in
all MPM/MPSM examinations are mandatory.
No Multiple Choice Questions will be asked in any examination all questions
are exclusively essay-type. Students who in the examinations reproduce contents of slides presented in class or passages from documents verbatim can
expect to be heavily penalized. High achievers are typically those who can
understand and carefully and critically analyze the questions and sub-questions
in a holistic perspective, demonstrate good analytical skill, are systematic, can
communicate convincingly in writing and propose realistic and creative solutions.
As mature, academically well qualified and professionally experienced adults, a
very high standard of work from MPM/MSPM students is expected much higher
in fact than the standard we would expect from our universitys BBA or even MBA
students.
The marked answer booklets of the sessional and midterm examinations will be
shown to the students in class in the week following the respective examination
and must be returned to the instructor by the end of that class. The answer booklets of the terminal examination will not be shown to students as these must be
submitted for archival to the examinations office with immediate effect on
completion of the evaluation process.
The sessional, midterm and final examination papers from previous semesters
have been included in this handbooks appendix for the information of the
students. The examinations for the current semester will be structured accordingly.
No arguing over marks will be entertained in connection with the examinations
and the project assignment! The instructor makes every attempt to evaluate the
students work fairly and, in fact, spends considerable time carefully reading
through each submitted work line by line and making comments in red ink where
deemed necessary. Students are expected to read these comments and act
accordingly.
Students may note that the quality of their work not the quantity - is the sole
criteria on which their evaluation is based. It is far better to write one page which
shows insight, analytical ability, sound reasoning and creativity than to write ten
pages at the end of which the instructor is none the wiser about what is intended
to be communicated by the student and whether the student has actually
benefited from his/her participation in the course. In attempting their examination
papers students should to spend some time very carefully reading and re-reading
the set questions, especially in their terminal examination, consider what is being
asked from different angles, and then make rough notes before starting to formulate their answers. In most cases the examination questions are such that there
is no single correct answer but, depending on the perspective from which they
are viewed, possibly multiple correct answers and the students are challenged to
apply their class-acquired knowledge and professional experience to come up
with good realistic and innovative solutions in the allotted examination time which
is quite sufficient for the purpose.
Important Please Note: Retakes of missed terminal examinations are prohibited under the CIIT Statutes, Regulations and Rules. Students who miss their
terminal examination must register again (with full payment!) for the course in the
following semester and attend all classes. Retakes of MPSM midterm examinations are also prohibited.
An attendance rate of 80% or above is mandatory for students in each core and
elective MPM/MPSM course module. Students with a course attendance level
less than 80% by the end of the semester will automatically be barred by the CIIT
examinations office from participating in the terminal examination for that course.
They must register for the course again, attend all classes and attend all examinations.
Student Assessment: The Project Assignment

(A) General Information & Objectives
While 75% of the total course marks are allocated for the examinations, the remaining 25% are discretionary marks, i.e. they are allocated for work chosen at
the instructors discretion. Some MPM/MSPM instructors prefer to split the 25%
marks among several quizzes and mini-assignments distributed over the semester. For this module, students are required to submit only one assignment, the
topics of which will be selected and communicated by the instructor to the students within four to six weeks of course commencement. Students are NOT permitted to choose their own assignment topics.
If the number of students exceeds fifteen, group assignments may, at the instructors discretion, be submitted in place of individual assignments. In this case, the
instructors expectations and evaluation standard will be higher. If the number of
students enrolled in the course is less than fifteen, individual assignments may
be required to be submitted. Depending on the availability of time, students may
be required to present and defend their work in class at the end of the semester.
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Students are expected to read and closely follow the guidelines given below (see
sections B1-B3) before attempting their assignments. From experience, students
are advised to commence work on their assignments as early as possible. Procrastination can lead to serious complications later on if students encounter difficulties in gathering information or writing their assignments.
The project assignments principal objective is to determine the students ability
to independently (individual assignment) or collectively (group assignment) scientifically research, report and present their work on a given subject-related topic to
a standard which is normally expected from students with high academic standing and professional experience.
Another principal objective of the assignment is to ascertain how and to what
extent concepts, ideas and tools presented and discussed in class can be
applied effectively to situations in the field. The stronger the link between theory
and practice, the higher is the assignments value. Great emphasis is placed on
originality. Do not recycle parts of assignments from your other MPM/MPSM
course modules. This should be an original work.
The ease of comprehension will be considered when evaluating your assignment. Time to read them is limited and if the assignments gist can be understood
immediately from its Executive Summary then that may be a good guide as to its
readability. Some assignments reveal little about what the project is about even
halfway through reading them. Put yourself in the place of an ignorant reader
and make it easy for him or her to understand what you are trying to communicate.
Students often opt for assignments that are thematically simple and leave few
issues to discuss. Students working on more complex assignments will be given
credit for the additional degree of difficulty.
All assignments must be submitted in writing and electronically by the submission deadline which is one week before the departmental deadline for entry of all
course instructors marks into the student on-line database system COMSIS.
This date will be communicated to students well in advance. The assignment
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must be bound (soft cover) with the title, course module, instructor, group
members and the semester imprinted on it. Submission of one copy is sufficient.
(B1) Assignment Guidelines: The Form
Assignments must be submitted in printed and electronic form. The printed

version should be spiral or tape bound. No loose sheets will be accepted.
The assignment should ideally be between 12-15 pages (for an individual

assignment) or 20-30 pages (for a group assignment) in length. This page
count does not include the assignment appendix which can be significantly
larger.
Assignments must by computer-typed and printed on A4 sized sheets using

Arial font size 12 with a spacing gap of 1.2 lines in the body of text. Paragraphs must be separated from each other and from section headings by
gaps of reasonable size. Adequate space (1.2 - 1.5 inches) should be left for
the four margins on each page (left, right, top and bottom).
Every section must have an emboldened heading. Tables, figures and diagrams etc. must have emboldened captions.
All pages from the introduction onwards must be numbered. Start each major
section on a fresh page.
Assignments must be free as much as possible from misspellings and poor

grammar and improper formatting. It is not the instructors responsibility to
correct such errors.
Students should refrain as much as possible from using I, my, you, we, us,
our etc. in the assignment text.
Proper referencing is extremely important! Use an internationally accepted

referencing system such as for e.g. the Harvard AGPS Referencing Guide.
Any quotations from written documents, for example, must be placed in
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quotations marks and the source (author(s) or editor(s), document title,

journal name/volume number/publication month (if applicable), year of publication, publisher, page number(s) etc.) clearly indicated in the assignment.
(B2) Assignment Guidelines: The Structure

The assignment must be structured as follows:
Cover Sheet
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
Lists of Tables, Illustrations, Abbreviations and Acronyms
Introduction
Analysis
Conclusion
Recommendations (if any)
Bibliography (if any)
Webliography (if any)
Appendix (if any)
(B3) Assignment Guidelines: The Content
The Cover Sheet contains the title of the assignment and the course module,
the semester, date of submission, and the names of the student or students
who have worked on it and the instructor Dr. Aurangzeb Z. Khan. The words:
Master of Project Management (MPM), Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Islamabad or
Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM), < > must also be
mentioned on it.
The Executive Summary is a maximum one-page document that clearly

indicates at a glance the purpose of the assignment, its scope, and a summary of its conclusions and recommendations.
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The Table of Contents is a requirement for every document (including very

short ones). It lists the numbered headings and subheadings of all assignment sections along with their corresponding page numbers for easy look-up.
The Lists of Tables, Figures or Illustrations, Abbreviations and Acronyms are necessary if the assignment contains one or more of such elements.
Each must be listed on a separate page. Tables and Figures/Illustrations
must be sequentially numbered according to a standardized system, for e.g.:
Table 1, Table 2 Table N, or Table 1.1, Table 1.2, Table 1.N, Table 2.1,
Table 2.2, Table 2.N etc.. The List of Abbreviations and Acronyms must be
in alphabetical order.
The Introduction comes before the assignment analysis, conclusions and

recommendations. Its purpose is to introduce the assignment in context,
explain the intent behind it, the fundamental questions it addresses and why it
does so, how the assignment is structured, what methodology it follows and
what limitations it has, and how it can contribute to a better understanding of
the subject theme. It is comparatively short, usually not exceeding three
pages.
The Analysis constitutes the core of the assignment. It combines the elements of description and analysis whereby students are expected to accord
as much emphasis on the analytical component as possible. In particular,
they must relate the concepts and ideas, processes and tools they learned in
class to their assigned topic. Reproduction of material from other sources is
inadequate students must attempt to come up with context-sensitive insights and inputs of their own and, where and when appropriate, make value
judgments about situations, events and approaches relevant to their assignment. Care must be taken to operationalise definitions used as many definitions for the same concept usually exist in management and social sciences
and it is important that students and the instructor work with the same
definitions. Students should also refrain from making sweeping statements
and generalizations and try to be objective and dispassionate when undertaking their work.
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Students usually collect data and information for their work from primary and
secondary sources. In collecting data and information students must keep in
mind that these may be colored by the mission, objectives, interests and
ideological or political leanings of their respective sources. For instance, a
corporation undertaking a high-profile project would tend to highlight the
benefits accruing from that project while a critical NGO may tend to highlight
the projects more negative aspects. Taking both sources into consideration
gives a more balanced picture which would be closer to the projects true
position. Also (important!) remember to separate fact from opinion.
Qualitative and/or quantitative techniques may be applied to analyze data
collected through surveys etc. However, such techniques (especially quantitative ones) must be used prudently to prevent the assignment from degenerating into a pool of statistical tables, equations and coefficients. Explanations
and interpretations of numerical material must be included and the methodology used must be outlined.
Remember to start each new main section on a new page. Also feel free to
use diagrams, illustrations and tables if they can communicate information
more effectively. For example, a stakeholder analysis may be much more
clearly understood if presented in a tabular or diagrammatic format. Tables
and figures must be numbered sequentially and using a standardized format,
for example: Table X.1: <caption>, X.2 <caption>, etc., where X represents
the assignments chapter or section number. Note that tables should not start
at the bottom of a page. Start them on a new page. If there are multi-page
tables consider placing them in the appendix.
The Conclusion sums up the major findings of the assignment. It should be

succinct, not exceeding two pages in length. Try to restrict it to one page.
The Recommendations are the students own input and suggest one or
more courses of action which may lead to a situational, process or methodological improvement or effectiveness and/or efficiency enhancement over the
short, medium and/or long-term. Like the conclusion, the recommendations
should not exceed two pages in length. Recommendations must be as
specific, realistic and practical as possible.
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The Bibliography is an alphabetical listing of all the secondary information

sources used in making the assignment. These could be, for instance, books,
chapters or sections in books, articles in research journals or newspapers and
magazines, official reports and corporate documents etc.. Websites which
were consulted should also be listed separately in a Webliography along
with the URL-addresses of the specific webpages and the dates they were
consulted. If interviews and/or surveys were conducted to gather information,
these should be indicated on a separate sheet with indication of the date, time
and place of the interview/ survey, and the name, designation and organization of the interview partner(s)/persons surveyed and interviewer(s)/surveyors.
The Appendix contains material which normally would not be included in the
assignments major text sections (introduction, analysis, conclusion and recommendations). This could include, for instance, relevant official documents
and important correspondence, contracts and legal documents, technical
illustrations, survey questionnaires, templates, checklists and so forth. Only
material relevant for the assignment must be included. The appendices must
not become a document dumping ground or be filled in the mistaken belief
that including more material necessarily means getting higher marks or
impresses the instructor.
Student Grading System

For the MPM program the following grading system applies:
Letter Grade
Grade Points
A (Superior / Excellent)
4.0 = 90% or above
A-
3.7 = 85-89%
B+
3.3 = 80-84%
B (Good/ Better than Average)
3.0 = 75-79%
B-
2.7 = 70-74%
C+
2.3 = 65-69%
C (Competent / Average)
2.0 = 60-64%
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C-
1.7 = 55-59%
D (Fair/Passing)
1.3 = 50-54%
F (Fail)
0 = Below 50%
For the MSPM program the following grading system applies:

Letter Grade
Grade Points
A (Superior / Excellent)
4.0 = 90% or above
A-
3.7 = 85-89%
B+
3.3 = 80-84%
B (Good/ Better than Average)
3.0 = 75-79%
B-
2.7 = 70-74%
C+
2.3 = 65-69%
C (Competent / Average)
2.0 = 60-64%
F (Fail)
0 = Below 60%
Course Quality Improvement

CIITs Department of Management Sciences accords tremendous importance to
ensuring that all its courses offered are of a high quality comparable to international standard. This applies especially to all its MPM/MPSM modules. Student
feedback in the form of suggestions and constructive criticism constitutes an
effective tool which can help the instructor improve this course module in terms
of content and content delivery style.
At the end of the semester, an anonymous written survey will be conducted by
the Department of Management Sciences where students will have the opportunity, by accessing CIITs COMSIS, to assess the course and instructor on the
basis of several pre-defined evaluation criteria.
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Library and Information Services

All students are entitled to full access of CIIT Islamabads library. CIIT has a wellstocked newly-constructed library comprising tens of thousands of books, including a dedicated section on project management with many current contributions.
CIIT provides all its students with access to the Higher Education Commission of
Pakistans highly-acclaimed digital library system through which articles from
around 25,000 research journals, including project management journals, and
approximately 60,000 eBooks can be accessed free of cost. The library has set
up special cubicles for researchers where they can peacefully undertake their
work. The whole library is covered by a wireless broadband system.
MPM/MSPM students are encouraged to visit the library. In case of queries,
assistance can be provided by the library staff and the Head Librarian Raja
Ibrahim.
Student Discipline
Students are expected to come to class on time, i.e., they should all be quietly
seated and prepared to take notes latest by the time the class commences at 6
P.M.
Students are also expected to behave in a manner which facilitates the instructor
and other students and is conducive to an overall productive and comfortable
learning environment. During the classes, all attention must be focused on
watching, carefully listening to and trying to understand the instructors
presentation, taking notes when necessary, and asking questions or making
comments.
All mobile phones must be switched off prior to entering the classroom. No calls
may be taken or made at any time when classes are in session and no SMS
messages written, sent or received.
No misbehavior will be tolerated in class! The instructor will promptly bring such
occurrences to the attention of the MPM/MSPM Program Incharge, and/or the
Head of Department of Management Sciences who may, in certain circum18
stances, refer the cases to the CIIT Campus Disciplinary Committee for decision
which in more serious ones may lead to the suspension or termination of the
student or students from the program.
Ethics and Honest y

For group assignments all members are required to contribute equitably towards
planning, researching, writing, editing and formatting, and (if required) presenting
the assignment. Past experience shows that free-riding tends to be a common
problem in groups and such behavior, besides being unethical, prevents the
group from realizing its full work and creative potential. All students are warned
that there are ways to detect free-riding and those engaging in it will be penalized
by having marks deducted.
CIIT takes very serious note of any cases of cheating or use of fraudulent and
unfair means during the examinations. In the event that any student is caught
indulging in such acts, he/she faces punitive action which can range from a
written reprimand or the imposition of a fine or deduction of a percentage of the
examination marks to expulsion from the program or university.
CIIT has a zero tolerance approach to the menace of plagiarism, i.e., passing off
someone elses writings and ideas as your own. Whether unintentional or on
purpose, all incidents of plagiarism will be dealt with severely. Project assignments submitted electronically will be subjected by him to a plagiarism check
using the anti-plagiarism software Turnitin provided to CIIT by the Higher
Education Commission of Pakistan. Any individual or group assignment
which is discovered to have been willfully plagiarized will be graded with
zero marks!
Students are advised to read the Higher Education Commission of Pakistans 13page publication The Little Book of Plagiarism: What It Is And How To Avoid It
which can be downloaded free of cost from the Commissions website at
www.hec.gov.pk.
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All material used ad verbatim in assignments must be wrapped in quotation

marks along with indication of the source used. Proper referencing is required
even if students are using material which they themselves have written and
published previously.
When using information obtained through interviews, discussions or other forms
of interaction with respondents sure that your sources know why you are asking
them for information and how you intend to use the information they provide. Do
not deceive them into thinking otherwise and do not include material in your
report or examinations for which permission to disclose has been explicitly
refused or which is highly confidential in nature. Such disclosures can, at best,
cause considerable embarrassment for the persons concerned and at worst may
create serious complications for them, possibly even dismissal from service.
Student Support
Students are welcome, individually, in groups, or collectively, to approach their
instructor for any subject-related queries, problems or issues they encounter over
the course of the semester. Class breaks and visits to the instructors office
provide good opportunities for this form of interaction.
Visiting and consultation hours are Fridays from 10 A.M to 4.30 P.M at the
instructors office on the ground floor of Academic Block II. Visits during Mondays
to Thursdays are possible but by appointment only. Support can also be provided
by e-Mail at aurangzeb_khan@comsats.edu.pk and telephonically at 0300
5546815.
For administrative enquiries and issues MPM/MPSM Program Assistant Mr.
Zahid Malik (zahid_malik@comsats.edu.pk; cell phone 0322 8524592) should be
approached first for guidance.
Guidance and support can, if desired, also be sought from the MPM/MSPM
Program Incharge Mrs. Ghazala Amin (ghazala_ amin@comsats.edu.pk; cell
phone 0322 5065421) or the Head of the Department of Management Sciences
Professor Dr. Khalid Riaz (kriaz@comsats.edu.pk).
20
Course Literature
Recommended Reading (Books):
Dow, William & Taylor, Bruce (2008), Project Management Communications
Bible, Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Chinyio, Ezekiel & Olomolaiye, Paul (eds.) (2010), Construction Stakeholder
Management, Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Friedman, Andrew L. & Miles, Samantha (2006), Stakeholders: Theory and
Practice, New York: Oxford University Press, 1. Edition.
McManus, John, (2005), Managing Stakeholders in Software Development
Projects, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 1. Edition.
Recommended Reading (Chapters & Sections in Books):

Brown, James T. (2008), The Handbook of Program Management. How to
Facilitate Project Success with Optimal Program Management, McGraw-Hill, pp.
53-74 (Chapter 3: Stakeholder Management).
Calvert, Stuart, Managing Stakeholders, in: J.R. Turner (ed.) (1995), The Commercial Project Manager, London: McGraw-Hill, pp. 214-222.
Cleland, David I. & Ireland, Lewis R. (2002), Project Management: Strategic
Design and Implementation, McGraw-Hill, 4. Edition, pp. 161-190 (Chapter 6:
Project Stakeholder Management).
Cleland, David, Stakeholder Management, in: Jeffrey K. Pinto (ed.) (1998),
Project Management Handbook, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 55-72.
Gardiner, Paul (2005), Project Management. A Strategic Planning Approach,
Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 106-125 (Chapter 5: The Project Manager, Sponsor and
Other Stakeholders).
Tuman Jr., John, Studies in Communication Management: Achieving Project
Success Through Team-Building and Stakeholder Management, in: Paul. C.
21
Dinsmore & Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin (eds.) (2006), The AMA Handbook of

Project Management, 2. Edition, pp. 174 183.
Wideman, R. Max, How to Motivate all Stakeholders to Work Together, in: D.I.
Cleland (ed.) (2004), Field Guide to Project Management, John Wiley and Sons,
Inc., 2. Edition, pp. 288 304.
Winch, Graham M., & Bonke, Sten, Project Stakeholder Mapping Analyzing the
Interests of Project Stakeholders, in: Pinto, Jeffrey K. / Cleland, David I. / Slevin,
Dennis P. (eds.) (2003), The Frontiers of Project Management Research, Project
Management Institute, (Chapter 23).
Miscellaneous Material:
Over the semester several articles from research journals, case studies, reports
and other printed and electronic documents from diverse sources will be e-Mailed
through the MPM/MPSM program administration to the students in Adobe pdf
and MS Word/ Excel formats for the purpose of reference and study for each of
the module sections covered.
22
Course Syllabus
Section 1
Introduction to Project Stakeholder Management
Weeks 1 & 2
Relevance of Stakeholders for Projects
Personal Introductions by the Course Instructor and the Students

Class Rules for Students (Dos & Donts)
Course Objectives and Literature, and Assessment Methodology
Tips on Attempting Sessional/Midterm and Terminal Examinations
Definitions: Project Stakeholders, Project Stakeholder Management/Engagement
Project Stakeholders Categorizations
Project Stakeholder Management as a Specialized Field of Project
Management
Fundamental Principles of Project Stakeholder Management and
Engagement
Project Stakeholders in Relation to the PMBOKs Knowledge
Areas
Cost of Project Stakeholder Management and Engagement
Project Stakeholders in Cross-Disciplinary Subject Perspective
(i.e. their connection to Ethics, Law, Public Administration and
Policy, Sociology and Psychology etc.)
Course Instructors Ten Best Practice Suggestions for Project
Stakeholder Management
Section 2
Project Stakeholders: Interests/Stakes, Roles,

Major Responsibilities or Relationship to Projects
Weeks 3 & 4
Internal and External Project Stakeholders
Internal Project Stakeholders:

-
Senior Management
The Project / Program Management Office
Project Steering Committees
The Project Sponsor
The Project Client
The Project Manager and Team
Project Consultants
Project Contractors & Subcontractors
23
External Project Stakeholders:

-
Project Suppliers
Project Financers
Government Agencies
etc.
Business Competitors
Families
Local Communities
Non-Governmental Organizations
The Media
Academics and Researchers
Professional and Civic Organizations
Government Agencies
etc.
Stakeholders on Projects with Transboundary Relevance (e.g.

energy, water, transportation)
Several examples will be presented and discussed for internal,
external and transboundary project stakeholders.
Section 3
The Drivers of Project Stakeholder Management and

Engagement
Week 5
A Brief Overview of the Nine Principal Drivers behind the

Emergent Global Interest in Project Stakeholder Management and Engagement
Awareness and Knowledge

Increasing Complexity of the Project Environment
Stakeholder Theory
Corporations, Society and the Environment
Transformation of Legal, Policy and Governance Frameworks
Development Financing and Implementing Organizations
Non-Governmental Organizations
The Media
Information and Communication Technology
24
Section 4
Professional Project Stakeholder Management:

The 5-Step Project Stakeholder Governance Model
Week 5
Introduction to the Governance Model; Stakeholder

Processes and Understanding the Project Context
Week 6
Project Stakeholder Identification Processes and Tools
Week 7
Identifying Project Stakeholders

Examination of Powerful Project Stakeholder Identification Tools
Strengths and Limitations of the Identification Tools
The Project Stakeholder Register / Directory
Project Stakeholder Identification Examples / Case Studies
Project Stakeholder Analysis
Week 8
Introduction to the 5 Steps of the Project Stakeholder Governance

Model
Step 3: The Project Stakeholder Management Process Framework
Strengths and Limitations of the Framework
The Role of Processes in Project Stakeholder Management
The Context of Projects
Overview of Project Categorization and Classification Systems
Russel Archibalds Project Categorization System
Varying Complexity of Project Categories and Implications for Project Stakeholder Management
Criticality of Analyzing Project Stakeholders

Overview of the Stakeholder Analysis Process
Strengths and Limitations of Project Stakeholder Analysis
Key Attributes of Project Stakeholders: Power, Interest, Concerns,
Attitude and Behaviour
Social Network Analysis, Social Capital, Stakeholder Coalitions
and Implications for Stakeholder Management
Information in the Stakeholder Analysis Process
Information as the Key Input in Project Stakeholder Analysis

The Concept of Quality Information
Sources of Information on Project Stakeholders
Strengths and Limitations of Stakeholder Information Sources
Tools for Collecting Information on Project Stakeholders
Strengths and Limitations of the Tools
Mediums of Storing Information on Project Stakeholders: Human
25
Memory, Paper Files and Computerized Information Systems and

their Respective Strengths and Limitations
Week 9
Complex Processes for Analyzing Internal & External

Project Stakeholders
Week 10
Supportive and Adversarial External Project Stakeholders
Week 11
Motives of Supportive Project Stakeholders (e.g. Employment Creation, Business and Investment Opportunities, Tourism, Support
for Change and Recognition of Project Need)
Motives of Adversarial Stakeholders (e.g. Property Expropriation,
Loss of Property Value and Rents, Pollution, Lack of Consultation,
Use of Strong-Arm Tactics)
Presentation of three Videos Depicting Supportive and Adversarial
External Stakeholder Positions on the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline
Project: (1) the International Finance Corporation, (2) EssoChad,
(3) Friends of the Earth International
Options of External Project Stakeholders
Week 12
Specific Project Stakeholder Analyses:

(1) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats Analysis
(2) Causes, Complications and Impact Assessments Analysis
(3) Scenario Analysis.
Case Study: SWOT-Analysis and (Qualitative, Quantitative)
Assessment for Suppliers for an Airport Construction Project
Modeling Tools (e.g. AHP)
Influencing Projects: External Stakeholder Options

Options Used by Supportive External Stakeholders (e.g. Provision
of Inputs and Services, Declaration of Support)
Options Used by Adversarial External Stakeholders (e.g. Boycotts,
Petitions, Networking, Rallies, Litigation, Terrorism)
Case Studies
Organization Profile: Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger
Delta (MEND)
Project Stakeholder Analysis Tools, Templates & Software

Spectrum of Project Stakeholder Analysis Tools Including:
Visual Mapping Tools
26
Week 13
Responsibility Assignment Matrices

Quadrant Diagrams (Two-Dimensional, Three-Dimensional)
Force-Field Diagrams, Influence Diagrams and Bubble Charts
Complex Diagrammatic Models For Tracking Changes in the Diverse Attributes of Multiple Stakeholders Over Time
Software Programs Used in Project Stakeholder Management
(e.g.: Stakeholder Circle, sMAP)
Project Stakeholder Engagement
Purpose and Benefits of Project Stakeholder Engagement

Goals and Principles, and Indicators/Criteria of Effectiveness of
Project Stakeholder Engagement
Ethics in Project Stakeholder Engagement
Video Documentary: Lyari Highway Project in Karachi, Pakistan
(shows lack of stakeholder engagement)
Overview of Stakeholder Engagement Strategies
Stakeholder Engagement Strategies and Plans on Projects
Project Stakeholder Engagement Examples & Case Studies
Video: Project Stakeholder Engagement at PetroCanada Corp.
(shows good stakeholder engagement)
Section 5
Project Communication Management
Week 14
Project Communication: Relevance, Challenges, Tools
Communication between Stakeholders: Central Role in Projects

Forms of Communication in Projects (Speaking, Reading, Writing,
Listening, Non-Verbal)
The Basic Communication Model
Process and Intent of Communication in Projects
Challenges to Communication Between Stakeholders in Projects
(e.g. Miscommunication, Lack of Communication)
Cultural Issues and Constraints in Project Communication
Communication in the Context of the PMBOK
The Project Stakeholder Communication Net
Sample Project Stakeholder Communication Strategies, Guidelines and Plans
Complexity of Stakeholder Communication in International
27
Projects
Week 15
Project Communication: Advanced Topics and Role of ICT
Verbal and Non-Verbal Mediums of Communication and their

Strengths and Limitations
Analog and Digital Technology in Project Communication
The Project Management Information System (PMIS)
PMIS: Benefits and Limitations
Video: PMIS System Case Study (Nokia-Siemens)
Web Collaboration and Documentation Software
Project Teams (e.g. Cross-Functional and Virtual) and Communication
Project Meetings
Case Studies: Managing Communication Challenges and Issues
in Project Teams
28
APPENDIX I
Project Stakeholder Management
Final, Midterm & Sessional
Examinations (2008-2012)
29
COMSATS University
(Fall Semester 2011)
30
COMSATS INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Course: Project Stakeholder Management
Instructor: Dr. Aurangzeb Z. Khan
Class: MSPM II
Date: 15 November 2011
Duration: 2 Hours
Marks: 25% of Total Course Marks
Both questions are mandatory. Try to be specific in answering and focus more on
delivering quality answers. Both questions consist of sub-questions which must
be answered.
Question 1 (15 Marks): Reflect on your past and/or present professional work
experience with programs or projects. Identify and rank in order of perceived importance (a) the ten biggest issues or problems you faced/are facing in dealing
with internal project or program stakeholders and (b) the ten biggest issues you
faced/are facing in dealing with external project or program stakeholders. Give
examples if possible. How would you mitigate or eliminate such issues or
problems?
Note: If you dont have any professional experience - in which case you shouldnt
have been admitted to the MSPM program! - then state what you think could be
the biggest issues for (a) & (b) and justify your answers.
Question 2 (10 Marks): You were acquainted in class with several methods for
identifying project stakeholders. State five identification methods and discuss the
limitations of each method.
Can you suggest two methods for identifying project stakeholders which were not
discussed in class? Also state their potential limitations.
31
TERMINAL EXAMINATION - FALL 2011

Course: PROJECT STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
Program: MSPM
Semester: II
Date: 11-01-2012
Total Marks: 50
Time Allowed: 3 Hours
Instructor: Dr. Aurangzeb Z. Khan
___________________________________________________________________________________
Note to Students: All four questions must be attempted! Do not rush into
answering them. Read them and their embedded sub-questions very carefully
first and think hard before you start to write. Consider making rough notes before
attempting your answers. Keep in mind that each question carries different marks
and you should allocate your time and effort accordingly. Marks will not be as
easy to get as they were in the midterm examination so you will really have to
exert yourselves this time.
Avoid answering too generally be as specific as you can possibly be. Refrain
from writing irrelevant details. If you have professional work experience feel free
to use examples from your work on projects, past or present, in your respective
organizations. Also feel free to be creative where and when you have to but do
be realistic and practical also.
Keep in mind the holistic character of project stakeholder management and that
in answering these questions you may have to look to other areas of project
management (and hopefully you are already knowledgeable in several of these
areas now at this stage of your MSPM program) for assistance should the need
arise. If you think you need to make assumptions in answering some or all
questions, you may feel free to do so but remember to state these assumptions.
Use graphical means (tables, diagrams, illustrations etc.) if you think they can
convey your point better than text only but make sure they are clear to read and
understand. Write legibly and avoid clumping too much text together this
makes it difficult to read and evaluate! There should be some space between
each paragraph.
Good luck and remember the often quoted saying of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius: The Essence of Knowledge is Having It to Apply It!
___________________________________________________________________________________
32
Question 1 (10 Marks)

You learned this past semester in your course on project stakeholder management that every stakeholder entity has some interest/interests (i.e. stakes) in a
project. You also learned that there are numerous entities which collectively
normally constitute the stakeholder community of a (complex) project. For
simplicitys sake it was assumed that stakeholder interests are clearly defined
and largely self-evident, and that they drive the attitudes and behaviors of
stakeholders towards the project.
Take the case now of a public-sector federal or provincial agency in Pakistan or anywhere else for that matter - which maintains a portfolio comprising several
projects in its assigned field of work.
What specific information about the agency would you need in order to determine
the type of projects it considers for inclusion in its project portfolio? (5 Marks)
Are the agencys institutional interests always necessarily identical to the professional and personal interests of the individuals who are managing or controlling the agency? Discuss and give examples where appropriate. What are the
possible implications for stakeholder analysis by project planners? (5 Marks)

You are, or should be, aware of the existence of Project Management Offices.
Countless organizations in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors across the
globe, and in Pakistan, have set up such offices. These may possess varying
degrees of authority and responsibility.
In the context of project stakeholder management and engagement, list five
specific services a Project Management Office could possibly provide for organizations, irrespective of whether these organizations are based in the public,
private or not for-profit sectors. (5 Marks)
List five possible hurdles or difficulties that the Project Management Office could
encounter in attempting to introduce stakeholder management and engagement
processes in organizations. (5 Marks)
33

Refer to the illustration below.
(a) Discuss the possible positive and negative impacts on project activities which
may come about as a result of primary and secondary stakeholder actions. Be
specific and use examples if necessary. (5 Marks)
(b) What actions by primary stakeholders can have a significant tangible or
perceivable negative impact on project activities? Give specific examples. (5
Marks)
Project Primary Stakeholders

(Positive & Negative Impact)
Project Activities
X, Y, Z
Project Secondary Stakeholders

(Positive & Negative Impact)

Change. Its the fundamental purpose behind every project undertaken anywhere
and at any time across our globe. It is also conceived, planned, executed,
monitored and evaluated by stakeholders.
Change is not always welcomed by all entities. The following article discusses
ten reasons why people oppose change. Read the article carefully. Taking any
organization undertaking various types of in-house projects propose for each of
the ten stated reasons one effective measure which can reduce or, if possible,
eliminate the resistance to change. The measures you propose (which are ten in
total) must be practical, realistic and specific and they must be different from the
mitigation or elimination measures the articles author proposed for each reason.
34
Overcoming Resistance to Change: Top Ten Reasons for Change Resistance

by A. J. Schuler, Psy. D.
Top Ten Reasons People Resist Change:

1. The risk of change is seen as greater than the risk of standing still.
Making a change requires a kind of leap of faith: you decide to move in the
direction of the unknown on the promise that something will be better for you.
But you have no proof. Taking that leap of faith is risky, and people will only
take active steps toward the unknown if they genuinely believe and perhaps
more importantly, feel that the risks of standing still are greater than those
of moving forward in a new direction. Making a change is all about managing
risk. If you are making the case for change, be sure to set out in stark, truthful
terms why you believe the risk situation favors change. Use numbers
whenever you can, because we in the West pay attention to numbers. At the
very least, they get our attention, and then when the rational mind is engaged,
the emotional mind (which is typically most decisive) can begin to grapple
with the prospect of change. But if you only sell your idea of change based on
idealistic, unseen promises of reward, you wont be nearly as effective in
moving people to action. The power of the human fight-or-flight response can
be activated to fight for change, but that begins with the perception of risk.
2. People feel connected to other people who are identified with the old
way.
We are a social species. We become and like to remains connected to those
we know, those who have taught us, those with whom we are familiar even
at times to our own detriment. Loyalty certainly helped our ancestors hunt
antelope and defend against the aggressions of hostile tribes, and so we are
hard wired, I believe, to form emotional bonds of loyalty, generally speaking. If
you ask people in an organization to do things in a new way, as rational as
that new way may seem to you, you will be setting yourself up against all that
hard wiring, all those emotional connections to those who taught your
audience the old way - and thats not trivial. At the very least, as you craft
your change message, you should make statements that honor the work and
contributions of those who brought such success to the organization in the
past, because on a very human but seldom articulated level, your audience
will feel asked to betray their former mentors (whether those people remain in
the organization or not). A little good diplomacy at the outset can stave off a
lot of resistance.
35
3. People have no role models for the new activity.

Never underestimate the power of observational learning. If you see yourself
as a change agent, you probably are something of a dreamer, someone who
uses the imagination to create new possibilities that do not currently exist.
Well, most people dont operate that way. Its great to be a visionary, but
communicating a vision is not enough. Get some people on board with your
idea, so that you or they can demonstrate how the new way can work.
Operationally, this can mean setting up effective pilot programs that model a
change and work out the kinks before taking your innovation on the road.
For most people, seeing is believing. Less rhetoric and more demonstration
can go a long way toward overcoming resistance, changing peoples
objections from the It cant be done! variety to the How can we get it done?
category.
4. People fear they lack the competence to change.
This is a fear people will seldom admit. But sometimes, change in
organizations necessitates changes in skills, and some people will feel that
they wont be able to make the transition very well. They dont think they, as
individuals, can do it. The hard part is that some of them may be right. But in
many cases, their fears will be unfounded, and thats why part of moving
people toward change requires you to be an effective motivator. Even more, a
successful change campaign includes effective new training programs,
typically staged from the broad to the specific. By this I mean that initial
events should be town-hall type information events, presenting the rationale
and plan for change, specifying the next steps, outlining future
communications channels for questions, etc., and specifying how people will
learn the specifics of what will be required of them, from whom, and when.
Then, training programs must be implemented and evaluated over time. In
this way, you can minimize the initial fear of a lack of personal competence
for change by showing how people will be brought to competence throughout
the change process. Then you have to deliver.
5. People feel overloaded and overwhelmed.
Fatigue can really kill a change effort, for an individual or for an organization.
If, for example, you believe you should quit smoking, but youve got ten
projects going and four kids to keep up with, it can be easy to put off your
personal health improvement project (until your first heart attack or cancer
scare, when suddenly the risks of standing still seem greater than the risks of
change!). When youre introducing a change effort, be aware of fatigue as a
factor in keeping people from moving forward, even if they are telling you they
believe in the wisdom of your idea. If an organization has been through a lot
of upheaval, people may resist change just because they are tired and
overwhelmed, perhaps at precisely the time when more radical change is
most needed! Thats when you need to do two things: re-emphasize the risk
36
scenario that forms the rationale for change (as in my cancer scare example),
and also be very generous and continuously attentive with praise, and with
understanding for peoples complaints, throughout the change process. When
you reemphasize the risk scenario, youre activating peoples fears, the basic
fight-or-flight response we all possess. But thats not enough, and fear can
produce its own fatigue. Youve got to motivate and praise accomplishments
as well, and be patient enough to let people vent (without getting too caught
up in attending to unproductive negativity).
6. People have a healthy skepticism and want to be sure new ideas are
sound.
Its important to remember that few worthwhile changes are conceived in their
final, best form at the outset. Healthy skeptics perform an important social
function: to vet the change idea or process so that it can be improved upon
along the road to becoming reality. So listen to your skeptics, and pay
attention, because some percentage of what they have to say will prompt
genuine improvements to your change idea (even if some of the criticism you
will hear will be based more on fear and anger than substance).
7. People fear hidden agendas among would-be reformers.
Lets face it, reformers can be a motley lot. Not all are to be trusted. Perhaps
even more frightening, some of the worst atrocities modern history has known
were begun by earnest people who really believed they knew what was best
for everyone else. Reformers, as a group, share a blemished past . . . And so,
you can hardly blame those you might seek to move toward change for
mistrusting your motives, or for thinking you have another agenda to follow
shortly. If you seek to promote change in an organization, not only can you
expect to encounter resentment for upsetting the established order and for
thinking you know better than everyone else, but you may also be suspected
of wanted to increase your own power, or even eliminate potential opposition
through later stages of change.
I saw this in a recent change management project for which I consulted, when
management faced a lingering and inextinguishable suspicion in some
quarters that the whole affair was a prelude to far-reaching layoffs. It was not
the case, but no amount of reason or reassurance sufficed to quell the fears
of some people. Whats the solution? Well, youd better be interested in
change for the right reasons, and not for personal or factional advantage, if
you want to minimize and overcome resistance. And youd better be as open
with information and communication as you possibly can be, without reacting
unduly to accusations and provocations, in order to show your good faith, and
your genuine interest in the greater good of the organization. And if your
change project will imply reductions in workforce, then be open about that and
create an orderly process for outplacement and in-house retraining. Avoid the
drip-drip-drip of bad news coming out in stages, or through indirect
37
communication or rumor. Get as much information out there as fast as you

can and create a process to allow everyone to move on and stay focused on
the change effort.
8. People feel the proposed change threatens their notions of themselves.
Sometimes change on the job gets right to a persons sense of identity. When
a factory worker begins to do less with her hands and more with the
monitoring of automated instruments, she may lose her sense of herself as a
craftsperson, and may genuinely feel that the very things that attracted her to
the work in the first place have been lost. I saw this among many medical
people and psychologists during my graduate training, as the structures of
medical reimbursement in this country changed in favor of the insurance
companies, HMOs and managed care organizations. Medical professionals
felt they had less say in the treatment of their patients, and felt answerable to
less well trained people in the insurance companies to approve treatments
the doctors felt were necessary. And so, the doctors felt they had lost control
of their profession, and lost the ability to do what they thought best for
patients.
My point is not to take sides in that argument, but to point out how change
can get right to a persons sense of identity, the sense of self as a
professional. As a result, people may feel that the intrinsic rewards that
brought them to a particular line of work will be lost with the change. And in
some cases, they may be absolutely right. The only answer is to help people
see and understand the new rewards that may come with a new work
process, or to see how their own underlying sense of mission and values can
still be realized under the new way of operating. When resistance springs
from these identity-related roots, it is deep and powerful, and to minimize its
force, change leaders must be able to understand it and then address it,
acknowledging that change does have costs, but also, (hopefully) larger
benefits.
9. People anticipate a loss of status or quality of life.
Real change reshuffles the deck a bit. Reshuffling the deck can bring winners
. . . and losers. Some people, most likely, will gain in status, job security,
quality of life, etc. with the proposed change, and some will likely lose a bit.
Change does not have to be a zero sum game, and change can (and should)
bring more advantage to more people than disadvantage. But we all live in
the real world, and lets face it if there were no obstacles (read: people and
their interests) aligned against change, then special efforts to promote change
would be unnecessary.
Some people will, in part, be aligned against change because they will clearly,
and in some cases correctly, view the change as being contrary to their
interests. There are various strategies for minimizing this, and for dealing with
38
steadfast obstacles to change in the form of people and their interests, but the
short answer for dealing with this problem is to do what you can to present
the inevitability of the change given the risk landscape, and offer to help
people to adjust. Having said that, Ive never seen a real organizational
change effort that did not result in some people choosing to leave the
organization, and sometimes thats best for all concerned. When the
organization changes, it wont be to everyones liking, and in that case, its
best for everyone to be adult about it and move on.
10. People genuinely believe that the proposed change is a bad idea.
Ill never forget what a supervisor of mine said to be, during the year after I
had graduated from college, secure as I was in the knowledge of my well
earned, pedigreed wisdom at age twenty-two. We were in a meeting, and I
made the comment, in response to some piece of information, Oh, I didnt
know that! Ricky, my boss, looked at me sideways, and commented dryly,
Things you dont know . . . fill libraries. The truth is, sometimes someones
(even gasp! my) idea of change is just not a good idea. Sometimes
people are not being recalcitrant, or afraid, or muddle-headed, or nasty, or
foolish when they resist. They just see that were wrong. And even if were not
all wrong, but only half wrong, or even if were right, its important not to
ignore when people have genuine, rational reservations or objections.
Not all resistance is about emotion, in spite of this list Ive assembled here. To
win peoples commitment for change, you must engage them on both a
rational level and an emotional level. Ive emphasized the emotional side of
the equation for this list because I find, in my experience, that this is the area
would-be change agents understand least well. But Im also mindful that a
failure to listen to and respond to peoples rational objections and beliefs is
ultimately disrespectful to them, and to assume arrogantly that we innovative,
change agent types really do know best. A word to the wise: were just as
fallible as anyone.
39
The University of Maryland

(Spring Semester 2011)
40
Offered Spring 2011 Only!

ENCE 688Z Project Stakeholder & Communications Management
Stakeholders are central to all projects in all categories and levels of complexity. Projects are conceived, initiated, planned, executed, controlled and evaluated by stakeholders for stakeholders. Numerous project performance surveys consistently attribute
project success or project failure primarily to stakeholder influences. However, project
management education has largely ignored the subject of stakeholder management,
focusing on hardcore technical themes such as scheduling, cost, risk, scope and
quality management and their myriad processes, tools and techniques. This innovative
course aims to spread awareness of the importance of stakeholders on projects and
provide practical guidance on how best to manage and engage them in a professional
and ethical manner which helps the project achieve its goal and objectives more
effectively and efficiently, reduces risk caused by ignoring the concerns and power of
project stakeholders, and seeks to attain a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
Monday 6:00 8:30 EGR 2103 - Dr. Aurangzeb Khan
41
ENCE 688Z
PROJECT STAKEHOLDER
MANAGEMENT
SPRING 2011
MID-TERM EXAMINATION
(On-Line)
March 19, 2011 March 28, 2011
NOTE TO STUDENTS - PLEASE READ: This essay-style midterm examination

carries 25% of your total course marks and runs for two hours. It is easily attemptable in
this time duration. All four questions MUST be attempted. Each question carries 6% of
your course marks. An additional 1% will be awarded automatically to all students.
Please do NOT reproduce any of my PowerPoint slides! In formulating your answers
use your insights, (if applicable) your past experience and apply the knowledge you
gained since the beginning of this semester by studying my PowerPoint slides and the
texts you may have read which I uploaded onto our course Blackboard. And do keep in
mind that quantity is NO substitute for quality. Feel free to be creative when and where
you feel you must (this is much appreciated on my side). Read each question very
carefully before attempting. You may consider making rough notes before you formulate
your answers. It may be a good idea to print out the paper first and foremost.
42
NO paper written notes, laptops, digital diaries and other electronic appliances may be
used in attempting this midterm examination. Please do not communicate with each other
in any shape, manner or form while attempting the examination.
Question 1: As you all (hopefully) know at this stage of the course, project stakeholders
are those entities who have by definition some interest in a project. They also have
concerns and apprehensions, expectations and perceptions etc. which are important
considerations and mustnt be overlooked by project planners and implementers.
Assume that you work for a medium-sized commercial organization which is seeking to
adjust itself to changing external environmental conditions, i.e., globalization and
intensity of competition, changing consumer preferences, appearance of new
technologies and so forth. The organizations top management is cognizant of the fact
that in order to stay afloat things have to change in our organization. Specifically,
management is thinking of substantive changes in both the organizations structure as
well as its system of processes. These changes should be completed within a time period
of 18 months.
As an employee of this organization for the past five years and with a background in
project management - and some good insight into stakeholder management and
engagement - the management assigns you the task of advising them with regard to the
stakeholder aspect of its intended organizational restructuring and transformation
project. Specifically, the management wants to know how receptive or unreceptive the
organizations employees (your colleagues) would be to the project and what
methods/tools could be used to determine their receptiveness, and what approach
management should adopt in order to try and reduce or eliminate resistance by its
employees to the project.
Note: You may need to make some assumptions in order to answer this question. Feel
free to make any (realistic) assumptions you want but remember to state them clearly.
Question 2: Managing and engaging project stakeholders has a cost attached to it. The
cost can be categorized in overheads (i.e. attributable to all or multiple projects) and
specific (i.e. directly attributable to a single project).
Assume you are working on the team of a civil engineering project which will commence
in the near future. Your project manager has developed an interest in project stakeholder
management and engagement after hearing about it from you and wants to document all
the costs which are specifically attributable to stakeholder management and engagement
on this project throughout its life-cycle. The projects traditional accounting system
(obviously) cannot provide this information. After getting this cost information he will
try to assess whether the benefits of stakeholder management/engagement outweigh the
costs or vice versa.
43
Design a project stakeholder management and engagement cost accounting system,

listing the headings/sub-headings etc you think should be included. The system is NOT
intended to replace the traditional project cost accounting system, but serves just as an
informational tool to supplement it. Information contained in the traditional cost
accounting system can be used in the stakeholder cost accounting system.
Question 3: Ethics is a theme which is of crucial importance in project stakeholder

management and engagement.
Assume you are an engineer on the team of a large building construction project which is
now in its execution phase in a fast-growing Middle Eastern country. Your organization
is the projects Lead Contractor and your work involves interacting frequently with many
primary stakeholders working on the project, providing it with construction labor and
other resources and services.
In the course of your inspection rounds you observe that the projects construction
workers are performing their tasks under conditions which both surprise and shock you:
Long hours with irregular pauses in summer temperatures sometimes reaching 50 degrees
Celsius, cramped living quarters where beds are used in shifts, lack of hygiene and lack
of sanitation facilities, inadequate observance of safety measures at the construction site
and inadequate training for accidents among other things. Moreover, the construction
workers who are migrants from developing Asian countries tell you that the pay they get
is low (barely above the wage level they would get for construction work in their own
countries) and that their passports are kept in the custody of their employing organization.
You also find out that strikes are prohibited by law and complaints are dealt with by
threatening employees with immediate dismissal and prompt expulsion from the country.
What, if anything, would you do in response to this situation?
Question 4: In one of your classes you were acquainted with the project stakeholder
governance model developed by your course instructor. Enthusiastic about this model,
you propose it to your organizations top management for consideration. You hope that
ultimately it will be adopted and serve as a framework for all your organizations
programs and projects.
Your management invites you to give them a 10 minute briefing on the subject in their
conference room and after listening to you patiently and with obvious interest it asks you
to provide a brief proposal (max. 2 pages) outlining the steps you want the organization
to take to introduce the model, the preconditions which must be met for it to work in the
44
organization and the envisaged costs, benefits and risks to the organization which may
result from its application.
Write such a proposal. Try to be specific.
END OF EXAMINATION
The Essence of Knowledge is Having It to Apply It (Confucius)
45
ENCE 688Z
PROJECT STAKEHOLDER
MANAGEMENT
SPRING SEMESTER 2011
FINAL EXAMINATION
(On-Line)
May 12, 2011 May 18, 2011
NOTE TO STUDENTS - PLEASE READ: This essay-style final examination carries

50% of your total course marks and runs for three hours. It is easily attemptable in this
time. All four questions with sub-questions MUST be attempted. Two questions each
carry 15% of your course marks while the other two each carry 10%.
Keep in mind that quantity is NO substitute for quality. Feel free to be creative when and
where you think you must. Read each question very carefully before attempting. Consider
making rough notes prior to formulating your answers. It may be a good idea to print out
this paper first.
Note: In case you need to make assumptions in order to answer any or all questions feel
free to do so but be realistic and remember to state your assumptions clearly.
46
Question 1: As you are (hopefully) aware, a large number of tools have been
developed over time which find application in the project stakeholder analysis phase.
Name three such tools. Discuss the respective strengths and limitations of using your
three chosen tools in analyzing project stakeholders (15 Marks).
Question 2: Does technology (meaning here any technology other than information &
communication technology) have a role to play in helping project planners address and
eliminate or mitigate the concerns of (external/secondary) project stakeholders? Discuss.
Give specific examples, if possible preferably from your experience working on projects
or programs (10 Marks).
Question 3: Good project stakeholder management and engagement means searching for
practical win-win solutions, i.e., solutions which benefit both the project in terms of
reducing negative stakeholder risk to its goal, cost and schedule, as well as which result
in a net gain for all project stakeholders, regardless of whether they are internal or
external.
Develop a general methodology or process specifically for determining win-win solutions for either internal or external project stakeholders, briefly outlining each step in
your proposed methodology or process (15 Marks).
Question 4: Looking back at your entire course and the wealth of information which is
available on project stakeholder management and engagement, discuss how in your
professional work environment you intend to apply (or how you intend to try to apply)
the knowledge you gained in this course. What opportunities and limitations for applying
professional project stakeholder management/engagement do you anticipate in this
connection and how will you address them? (10 Marks)
END OF EXAMINATION
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND PARTICIPATION IN
THIS COURSE
47
COMSATS University
48

FIRST SESSIONAL EXAMINATION

Course Subject: (Project Stakeholder Management) Marks: 10
Date: 15th March 2010
Time: 6 PM 7 PM
i.
ii.
iii.
Please attempt the question / subquestions below.

Do not write unnecessary details, it will be considered as negative point.
Books, notes, mobile phones, laptops, calculators, digital diaries and other
electronic devices are not permitted in the examination hall.
****
Question: You are familiar with several project stakeholders in the two stakeholder categorization categories (primary, secondary) proposed by David Cleland
and Lewis Ireland.
Select five stakeholders from any one - or, if you want, from both - of these categories and for each of the five stakeholders you have chosen identify and briefly
discuss their five most important expectations which they normally would have on
a project.
Note: Do not confuse the stakeholder roles which we discussed in class with
stakeholder expectations. Roles and expectations are not the same thing.
Good Luck!
49

SECOND SESSIONAL EXAMINATION

Date: 26th April 2010
Time: 8.30 PM 9.30 PM
i.
iv.
v.

****
Question: In one of your classes earlier this semester your Course Instructor
suggested the creation of a Project Stakeholder Management Handbook as a
useful reference document for assisting program and project planners and implementers working for the public sector, corporations and non-governmental
organizations to manage their programs and projects more effectively and
efficiently.
Assume you have been tasked with compiling this handbook for your organization. What information would you include in it? Outline the documents structure
and thematic headings and subheadings.
Suggest two more stakeholder management best practices which organizations
could adopt on all their programs and projects.
Good Luck!
50


FINAL EXAMINATION
Course Subject: Project Stakeholder Management
Marks: 50
Date: 11th June 2010
Time: 6.30 9.30 PM
Please attempt all questions / subquestions below.
Do Not write unnecessary details, it will be considered as a negative point.
Books, cell phones, laptops, calculators, digital diaries and other electronic
devices are not permitted in the examination hall.
Note to Students: Do not rush into answering the three questions! Read
all questions and their embedded sub-questions very carefully first and
think hard before you start to write. Consider making rough notes before
attempting your answers. Keep in mind that each question carries different
marks and you should allocate your time and effort accordingly. Marks will
not be as easy to get as they were in the first and second sessional
examinations and you will really have to exert yourselves this time.
Try to avoid answering too generally be as specific as you can possibly
be. Refrain from writing irrelevant details. If you have professional work
experience feel free to use examples from your personal experience
working on projects, past or present, in your respective organizations. Also
feel free to be creative where and when you have to but do be realistic
also.
Keep in mind the holistic character of project stakeholder management and
that in answering these questions you may have to look to other areas of
project management (and hopefully you are already knowledgeable in
several of these areas now at this stage of your MPM) for assistance
should the need arise. If you think you need to make assumptions in answering some or all questions, you may feel free to do so but remember to
state these assumptions.
Use graphical means (tables, diagrams, illustrations etc.) if you think they
can convey your point better than text only but make sure they are clear to
51
read and understand. Write legibly and avoid clumping too much text
together this makes it difficult to read and evaluate! There should be
some space between each paragraph.
Good luck and remember the often quoted saying of the great Chinese
philosopher Confucius: The Essence of Knowledge is Having It to Apply It!
Question 1 (15 Marks):
You have learned in your course on project stakeholder management that
one of the biggest challenges on projects is attaining a win-win solution
for its stakeholders, i.e., trying to ensure that preferably all stakeholders
benefit from the project and that the benefits for each stakeholder exceed
their incurred cost. Sadly this is often ignored in practice by project planners and implementers who traditionally tend to focus primarily on attainment of the projects cost, schedule and scope and quality objectives and
do not go the extra mile to satisfy their stakeholders.
Can technology and innovative ideas help project planners and implementers attain win-win solutions for their projects? Discuss. Give at least five
examples in this regard.
(Note: Technology is a broad notion which includes, but is not confined to,
the field of Information & Communication Technology. Innovation does not
mean technological innovation only but extends to any form of innovation
which, when applied in the context of project stakeholder management,
can help in achieving win-win solutions for stakeholders).

Project management, as it is being taught in degree programs in colleges
and universities, and in training courses throughout the world, is essentially
about best practices documented over years of observation on projects of
all categories undertaken across the globe.
Is there a discernible relationship between the intensity of application of
these project management best practices and the overall satisfaction level
of stakeholders on projects? In other words, does the application of more
best practices necessarily imply a (comparatively) greater level of stakeholder satisfaction and consequently a smaller number of issues and
complications with stakeholders? Can a point can be reached where, with
a best practice system in place, no stakeholder issues and complications
will be observed on a project? Discuss with the help of examples.
52

Dr. A is an Assistant Professor at a young but upcoming and reputed university in Pakistan where he teaches specialized project management
courses to students in the Master of Project Management degree program
he launched a couple of years back primarily for experienced professionals
working in the public-sector, in corporations and in non-governmental organizations. A hard-working man and winner of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistans national Best University Teacher Award, Dr. A takes
great pride in his teaching and always strives to perform his very best in
the classroom environment. He also has a good record of research publiccations in the United States of America, Germany and Pakistan.
Recently, Dr. A applied for and succeeded in winning the coveted Fulbright
post-doc visiting scholarship to the United States of America. He is excited
both at the prospect of undertaking research for a period of nine to ten
months there and lecturing in his field of specialization to students at one
of Americas leading state universities located in proximity of the American
capital Washington D.C.
One of the main declared goals of the visiting scholar program is to promote goodwill between the people, institutions and governments of the
United States of America and Pakistan. Therefore, besides his (very)
heavy research and teaching commitments, Dr. A is challenged to come
up with an appropriate and effective stakeholder engagement plan which
he intends to start implementing as soon as possible after his arrival in the
United States in late August or early September 2010 and which will end at
the time of his departure from the US in June 2011. Specifically, his plan
must at least achieve the following objectives:
1) Overcome any reservations which his American host (the University of
Maryland), the Fulbright post-doc sponsoring agency (the US Department of State) and the American general public may have about Dr. A
given that he is visiting the United States from a country dubbed as the
most dangerous in the world and whose citizens, particularly visitors
and immigrants to the US, are subject to intense scrutiny.
2) Promote the image of Pakistan which sadly has been severely tarnished in the West since 2001 as a result of the evil terrorist acts committed
by many Pakistanis and by foreigners misusing Pakistan as a base of
planning their terrorism against the United States and its allies, and the
perception which has emerged across the world that most terrorist
53
schemes are now connected to Pakistan, and that the Pakistani establishment is not serious about confronting the problem and its root
causes. Off course, there a myriad other considerations which many
people in the United States are mindful of and which add to the complexity of Dr. As job, such as, Pakistans dismal system of governance,
the rampant corruption prevalent in the country, economic and social
impoverishment, social evils like honor killings and its institutionalized
mistreatment of minorities.
3) Build solid bridges of understanding and trust with the large number of
Americans who Dr. A will encounter in his professional and private
capacity in the course of his stay in the United States and encourage
American people and organizations to establish a line of communication
with Pakistan and pursue cooperation with their Pakistani counterparts.
Dr. A has, off course, certain constraints which would realistically limit his
engagement plan. These include (a) financial constraints: Though Dr. A
will receive a (hopefully) generous research grant he will invest most of it in
acquiring material for his research and cannot invest heavily in engagement activities, (b) time constraints: Dr. A intends to spend five days a
week from morning until late night working solely on his research project
and preparing for his classes which have priority for him, and (c) personal
constraints: as an visiting scholar acting in his individual capacity there are
only so many activities he can realistically pursue and, moreover, he will
try to confined these as far as possible to weekends. If necessary, he is
willing to pursue relationship-building activities during the week but to compensate for the time spent thereon he would work on his research and
class preparation on the weekend.
Dr. A greatly values your input in developing his stakeholder engagement
plan. Suggest as many specific (and effective) relationship and trust-building, and dialogue-enhancing, activities and measures as you possibly can
which you think Dr. A could pursue realistically in the United States within
his given set of constraints. Rank these in order of priority. Be innovative
where you have to.
54
COMSATS University
55


Date: 17th November 2009
Time: 8.15 PM 9.15 PM
i.
vi.
vii.

****
Question: Stakeholders have always been an integral part of projects. No project - past or present was or is stakeholderless. In fact, projects are initiated,
planned, implemented and controlled by stakeholders for stakeholders. Yet surprisingly, in project management degree programmes which are being offered by
colleges and universities across the globe and in project management text
books, the subject of project stakeholder management usually receives scant
attention (although a welcome change is being witnessed in this regard in recent
years as you must have realized since you started your MPM programme at CIIT
Islamabad).
Discuss (a) why does project management as it is being taught today tend to
(largely) ignore or downplay the crucial role of the project stakeholders and (b)
what considerations may, in your opinion, have contributed to the growing interest by practitioners and academics in this subject area?
Good Luck!
56


Date: 24th November 2009
Time: 5.30 PM 6.30 PM
i.
viii.
ix.

****
Question: A multitude of factors and considerations have precipitated the increasing interest in the subject of project stakeholder management among practitioners and academics.
Discuss how (a) the internationalization of projects and (b) the electronic and the
print media have contributed to this growth in interest in project stakeholder
management.
Good Luck!
57


Date: 15th December 2009
Time: 8.15 PM 9.15 PM
i.
ii.
iii.

Books, mobile phones, laptops, calculators, digital diaries and other
electronic devices are not permitted in the examination hall
****
Question: Stakeholder Analysis constitutes one step in the project stakeholder

management process framework. Through this analysis, inter alia, it is expected
that the negative risks or threats which stakeholders may pose for a project (or
its phases) are determined and assessed, and that appropriate steps are taken
to avoid, reduce or, where possible, to eliminate the possible negative impact on
the project for example, schedule slippage and cost overruns - should these
risks or threats transform into events.
Suppose that an associate of yours, who works for a large foreign-based NGO,
has been appointed manager of a project for setting up a vocational training
institute in a small town in a remote location in Pakistan. The Institute will offer
around 200 local youths from the township and its surrounding areas admission
into several short-term and a few diploma-level courses every year. Through this
initiative, it is hoped that new economic opportunities will be created and unemployment, which has stayed chronically high in the region, will be reduced over
time.
58
The associate shows you his projects table of activities (see below and note that
not all activities are listed) with the request that you analyze it carefully in order to
(a) identify fifteen potential stakeholder-induced risks/threats in the given activities and (b) for these fifteen identified risks/threats to propose corresponding
realistic and effective proactive measures which can be adopted by the project
manager and his small team to counter them.
Do this keeping in mind that stakeholders can be both internal as well as external to this project. Feel free to make any assumptions you need about the project, its listed activities and its stakeholders in order to answer this question but
be sure to state these assumptions on your answer booklet.
Activity
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
Activity Description
Duration
Undertake project feasibility

Acquisition of land for Institute
Apply to and get permission from the local town
authority to set up the Institute
Finalize design of Institute
Shortlist and select building contractor
Construct the Institutes building
Connection of water, electricity, gas and sewerage systems
Curriculum Design
Advertise, recruit and select trainers, administrative staff and head of the Institute
Advertise, shortlist and select suppliers/vendors
of furniture and fixtures, hardware, software etc.
Student selection and enrollment process
Formal commencement of Institutes operations
2 months
1 month
4 months
1 month
1 month
6 months
2 months
2 months
2 months
1 month
On completion of
the project
Note: It is not necessary to know the dependency relationships between the project activities in order to answer this question.
Good Luck!
59

SECOND SESSIONAL EXAMINATION (REPEAT)

Date: 31st December 2009
Time: 8.15 PM 9.15 PM
i.
iv.
v.

****
Question: Law is one of several subject disciplines which have a strong connection to project stakeholder management. Why is this so?
Identify at least ten areas of law which, in your opinion, are directly relevant in the
context of project stakeholder management and discuss why you consider these
areas important. Give examples if possible.
Good Luck!
60


MPM FINAL EXAMINATION
Marks: 50
Date: 27th January 2010
Time: 6.30 9.30 PM
Please attempt all questions / subquestions below.
Do Not write unnecessary details, it will be considered as a negative point.
Books, cell phones, laptops, calculators, digital diaries and other electronic
devices are not permitted in the examination hall.
Note to Students: Do not rush into answering the three questions! Please
read all questions and their embedded sub-questions very carefully first
and think hard before you start to write. Consider making rough notes before attempting to answer the questions. Keep in mind that each question
carries different marks and you should allocate your time and effort
accordingly. Marks will not be as easy to get as they were in the first and
second sessional examinations and you will really have to exert yourselves
this time.
Try to avoid answering too generally be as specific as you can possibly
be. Refrain from writing irrelevant details. If you have professional work
experience feel free to use examples from your personal experience
working on projects, past or present, in your respective organizations. Also
feel free to be creative where and when you have to but do be realistic
also.
Keep in mind the holistic character of project stakeholder management
and that in answering these questions you may have to look to other areas
of project management - and hopefully you are already knowledgeable in
several of these areas now at this stage of your MPM - for assistance
should the need arise. If you think you need to make assumptions in answering some or all questions, you may feel free to do so but remember to
state these assumptions.
61
Use graphical means (tables, diagrams and illustrations etc.) if you think
they can convey your point better than text only but make sure they are
clear to read and understand. Write legibly and avoid clumping too much
text together this makes it difficult to read and evaluate! There should be
some space between each paragraph.
Good luck and remember the often quoted saying of the Chinese philosopher Confucius: The Essence of Knowledge is Having It to Apply It!
You are familiar with many of the issues determining the relationship between a project and its secondary or external stakeholders for example:
competitors, local communities, NGOs, media, state agencies, politicians
and courts and so forth. If these stakeholders are not managed professionally in the course of the project life-cycle, you are well aware that they can
cause significant difficulties for your project.
You also know that a project, in terms of its stakeholder community, is
comprised of several stakeholder categories which Cleland/Ireland place
under the category primary. Depending on the nature of the project,
primary stakeholders normally include the project manager, project team,
project sponsor, resource providers, senior management, clients and users
in addition to the project financers, consultants, contractors and subcontractors, suppliers and vendors, government agencies and so forth. Each
primary stakeholder category has (or should have) clearly defined roles
and responsibilities on a project and through their involvement in it all
primary stakeholders are bound together, directly or indirectly, in a relationship system which may be quite complex. It is very important, obviously,
that the entire relationship system is managed very effectively over the
course of the project life-cycle so that no undesirable consequences
such as, unwanted changes to the project scope, a project cost overrun
and schedule slippage, or in the worst case premature termination - of
the project occur.
In a perfect (theoretical) world the management of relationships between
the project and its primary stakeholders normally presents few problems:
each stakeholder is fully committed to the project and puts in its maximum
effort, meets fully all its obligations at the right time and demonstrates
initiative, flexibility and unabating interest and enthusiasm in contributing to
the project etc. etc. In the real world, however, this is often unfortunately
not the case and complications which may manifest themselves merely as
minor and temporary irritants and problems, as more serious and per62
vasive conflicts, and occasionally as project-endangering crisis situations,

can and probably will occur sometime over the course of the project lifecycle. Such complications, individually and/or collectively, may have a
considerable negative impact on a project and at the very least obstruct it
from achieving its goal on time and within its allocated budget to the full
satisfaction of its key stakeholders.
(a) Identify five complications of a serious nature which, over the life-cycle
of a complex project, may overshadow the relationship between the
projects primary stakeholders (i.e., in the relationship between two
primary stakeholder categories, and/or between more than two primary
stakeholder categories, and/or between all the primary stakeholder
categories) and state clearly the possible causes of these complications.
(b) Assume that the complications you mentioned in (a) have all occurred
in your project. How would you deal with them now individually to
eliminate or overcome them or, if this is not realistically possible, to at
least reduce to the maximum extent their expected negative impact on
your project? Suggest two alternative solutions for each complication.
(c) Suppose that you are at a very early stage in the project life-cycle and
so far (luckily) no serious complications have occurred yet in the primary stakeholder relationship system but there is, in your experienced
judgment, a good chance that such complications will occur eventually.
What measures would you adopt and/or what mechanisms which you
incorporate into your project management processes, methodology, tool
inventory etc. to prevent such serious complications from occurring or if complete and lasting prevention is not possible - at the very least, to
minimize the chance that these complications will occur?
The pyramid depicted below is well known to social scientists: Developed
in the early 1940s by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow, the
pyramid hierarchically shows the needs of individuals, starting from their
basic physiological needs at the pyramid base and evolving in steps to
more personalized abstract needs (self-actualization) at its tip.
63
Surprise! - Maslows pyramid can also be applied in the context of project

stakeholder management. You will now have the privilege of doing this,
possibly for the first time ever! Analyze the pyramid carefully. From the
perspective of the external project stakeholders of construction infrastructure projects discuss how it can be related to their concerns and
expectations, and the consequent formation of attitudes and behaviours
towards the projects in question. Give at least five practical examples to
supplement your discussion.

In recent years researchers and practitioners have developed maturity
models in project management. Based on levels or stages, the models
define successive strata of sophistication of project management processes, tools, institutional support etc. with the initial level or stage (i.e. level/
stage one) normally constituting the lowest (meaning, the least developed)
level/stage of sophistication and the fourth/fifth level or stage constituting
the highest (meaning, the most developed and effective) level/stage of
sophistication.
64
Forward-looking organizations will naturally seek to evolve from lower to

higher levels/stages over the passage of time. Sometimes this translates
into a period of years and accumulation of extensive knowledge and
hands-on experience of projects along the way.
Suppose you have been assigned the responsibility for developing a maturity model specifically for project stakeholder management. Your employer
is an international project management consulting organization which
seeks to introduce a universal model, that is, one which can be flexibly
applied in practically any organization anywhere in the world (with appropriate contextual modifications if necessary). Your model will be required to
have four levels: level one will constitute the lowest, most rudimentary
stage of project stakeholder management maturity, and level four will constitute the highest, that is, the most evolved and sophisticated level of
maturity in project stakeholder management which is realistically attainable. Levels two and three will lie in-between these two extremes with level
three exhibiting a higher stage of sophistication than level two.
(a) For each of the envisaged four stakeholder management maturity levels
identify all the constituting processes, tools, concepts etc. etc. which
you think merit inclusion in that level and justify your choice.
(b) What difficulties would you expect the adoption of your maturity system
by organizations to encounter? State and briefly discuss at least five
such difficulties and how you think they may be possibly overcome.
*****
65
COMSATS University
66
COMSATS INSTITUTE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Plot 30, Sector H-8/1, Islamabad, Pakistan

Course Subject: (Project Stakeholder Management)
Date: 31st March 2009
i.
vi.
vii.
Marks: 10
Time: 8 PM 9 PM
Please attempt the question below.

****
Question 1: The subject of Stakeholder Management has assumed considerable

importance in the context of managing projects in the corporate, public and nongovernmental sectors.
Suggest and discuss three possible reasons which, in your opinion, have contributed significantly in the past couple of decades to this global surge in interest
in (project) stakeholder management.
Good Luck!
67

FIRST SESSIONAL EXAMINATION (REPEAT)

Date: 6th April 2009
Time: 6.30 PM 7.30 PM
i.
viii.
ix.

****
Question 1: In this semester you learned that there are several tools for identifying project stakeholders. Select three of these tools and discuss their advantages and limitations.
Can you suggest any tools for identifying project stakeholders which were not
discussed in class?
Good Luck!
68


Course Subject: (Project Stakeholder Mgt.)
Date: 5th May 2009
i.
x.
xi.
Marks: 15
Time: 8.30 PM 9.30 PM

****
Question 1: Over the past few weeks you have been acquainted with a number
of options which (adversarial) project stakeholders may excercize against a project.
Identify and briefly elaborate at least three other options for adversarial project
stakeholders which have not been reviewed in class.
Good Luck!
69

SECOND SESSIONAL EXAMINATION (REPEAT)

Date: 8th May 2009
Time: 8.30 PM 9.30 PM
i.
xii.
xiii.

****
Question: Discuss the role which Information and Communication Technology

(ICT) plays in project stakeholder management.
Good Luck!
70

FINAL EXAMINATION
Date: Wednesday (17-June-2009)
Marks: 50
Time: 6.35 9.35 PM
MPM-I
I. Please attempt ALL FIVE questions. Each carries ten marks.

II. Some questions may contain two or more subquestions. Answer them all.
Failure to answer all subquestions questions will result in a deduction of marks.
III. DO NOT write unnecessary or irrelevant details. Marks may be deducted for
this.
IV. Laptops, mobile phones, calculators, digital diaries and other electronic devices
are NOT permitted in the examination hall.
V. Books, typed or handwritten notes etc. may NOT be used or consulted in the
examination.
****
You are a graduate of the Master of Project Management (MPM) programme

which a reputed and dynamic public-sector university in Islamabad launched in
September 2008. After earning your degree you applied for the position of Junior
Consultant in a large consulting organization with offices across the globe and in
three Pakistani cities, and was selected for the post out of a large pool of
applicants.
Your first three months on the job are in a probationary capacity. Five assignments relating to project stakeholder management are handed to you in this
period and you are expected to handle them all appropriately and to the full satis-
71
faction of your clients and your supervisor in order to be taken on by the organization as a regular employee. The assignments are given below:
1. One client, the manager of a large construction project, is interested to know
how external project stakeholders (communities, NGOs etc.) can influence
the cost and schedule of a project. Specifically, he wants to know how such
stakeholders can intervene in the (managerial, technical) processes of a project resulting in issues and problems for the project over the course of its lifecycle. Having an answer to this question could, so he believes, help generate
ideas as to what proactive measures can be adopted by him and his team to
reduce the impact of such interventions. How would you respond?
2. One of the key considerations in project stakeholder management is the
power dimension. You are frequently asked by your clients about this. Discuss the concept of stakeholder power? What tools can a project manager
use to assess the power of project stakeholders? Is stakeholder power static
or dynamic? Be specific and, if possible, give examples from your own experience working on projects.
3. One of your clients, a Director in the Planning Commission of Pakistan, suggests that the Project Management Center of Excellence at your university
which launched the MPM should consider launching a specialized Masters
Programme in Project Stakeholder Management (MPSM). Splendid idea! You
get down to work designing the MPSM which you will formally propose soon
to the Center of Excellence. In line with the Centers requirement for one-year
professional master degree programmes, the MPSM will encompass thirtythree credit hours running over one year (i.e. two semesters) and will cater to
working professionals from both public and private-sector organizations.
Specifically, you are trying to identify the core MPSM modules (of which you
will propose five (5)) and the elective modules (of which you will give a list of
fifteen (15)). Do so using the table format below:
Core Modules (5)
Elective Modules (15)
72
4. You are asked to conduct a stakeholder SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threat) Analysis for a multi-billion Rupee project by a foreign entity to
construct a large five-star hotel in Islamabad. The hotel will offer all the
amenities normally available at its other operating locations in North America,
Europe and Asia and which are of top hotel industry standard. Do this and
state the assumptions you think you need to make.
Note to Students: In a stakeholder SWOT-Analysis the Strength component
signifies how and to what extent the project in question can benefit its
stakeholders, the Weakness component signifies how the project can cause
problems and issues for stakeholders, the Opportunities component signifies
the extent to which the project can engage its stakeholders with a view to
achieving its goal/scope and objectives within budget and schedule, and the
Threat component signifies how stakeholders can exert negative influence on
the project through the exercise of various means.
5. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized the way
people and organizations interact. ICT also plays a crucial role on projects
too. A number of queries have been received by you about the possibility of
using Project Management Information Systems (PMIS). Identify five benefits
and five limitations which a PMIS offers on projects.
Note to Students: Feel free to use illustrations or diagrammes if you deem
necessary to make your point in answering any of the five questions. And do
keep in mind too that project management is mostly common sense.
Good Luck and Remember the Saying of Confucius: The Essence of Knowledge
is Having it to Apply it!
73
COMSATS University
74

MID-TERM EXAMINATION
Date: 21st November 2008
i.
xiv.
xv.
Marks: 25
Time: 7 PM 9 PM
Please attempt both questions. They carry equal marks.

****
Question 1: A small furniture-making company is considering introducing an ITInfrastructure (hardware, software, networking etc.). Since its creation, the company has managed its information resources using a paper-based filing system
but, as it wants to expand into new product fields and venture for the first time
into overseas markets, and is encountering increasing competition, it feels that it
cannot effectively and efficiently pursue its goals without the support of an
adequate IT-Infrastructure.
As Project Manager you will also want to consider the impact this project will
have on its stakeholders, particularly the ones internal to the organization who
will be most affected by the significant change this project will inevitably bring
with it. On the basis of a stakeholder analysis, suggest six possible reasons the
internal project stakeholders may have to support the project and six possible
reasons they may have to oppose it. Discuss how you would engage your
internal project stakeholders?
Question 2: Pakistan has a bad reputation across much of our globe! In many
peoples minds the word immediately conjures up images of extremism, terrorism
75
and violence, poverty, corruption, bad governance, honour killings, drug and
human trafficking and a host of other nasties.
Concerned with this image problem and cognizant of the fact that the critical
eyes of the world are upon Pakistan - the Federal Government in Islamabad asks
you to manage a project whose (somewhat vague) goal is to improve peoples
perception of Pakistan at the international level. For this project you are given
one-years time and a budget of Rupees one billion to spend as you please on
any activities you deem necessary. No extra time and budget will be made
available to you. How would you go about this project, what high-impact activities
would you pursue and how would you assess their effectiveness in terms of
changing peoples negative perceptions?
Good Luck!
76

MID-TERM EXAMINATION (REPEAT)

Course Subject: (Project Stakeholder Management)
Date: 19th December 2008
i.
xvi.
xvii.
Marks: 25
Time: 4 PM 6 PM
Please attempt both questions. They carry equal marks.

***
Question 1: A consultancy has been approached by the management of a client

organization, which is a software development company, to provide advice in
connection with a number of projects the company intends to undertake for
different customers in the near future. The IT company has negative experience
in the past in the context of managing its project stakeholders with the result that
on occasions the stakeholders expressed frustration and dissatisfaction to the
companys top management about their dealings with the companys project
managers and their teams. The reasons for their frustration and dissatisfaction
were not communicated.
Your assignment as a consultant is to systematically examine the possible
causes for the above-mentioned problems and come up with an effective and
efficient solution so that problems with the companys project stakeholders do not
arise to such an extent in future. What would you suggest to the IT companys
management? Outline any processes and tools you think may be appropriate for
this purpose.
Question 2: The Manager of a large construction project is worried about the
impact which the adversarial stakeholders may have on his work and consults
77
you in this regard. In particular, he wants to know how he and his team can
detect the emergence of (adversarial) stakeholder alliances and networks, what
can be done to prevent such relationships from emerging and what action, if any,
can be taken to reduce the negative impact such alliances may have on the
project after they have been formed. Do this.
Good Luck!
78

FINAL EXAMINATION
Course Subject: Project Stakeholder Mgt.
Date: 20th January 2009
i.
xviii.
xix.
Marks: 50
Time: 6.30 PM 9.30 PM
Please attempt all questions. They carry equal marks.

****
The importance of effectively managing stakeholders is clearly known to project
managers for years. Surprisingly, stakeholder issues and problems continue to
seriously plague projects of all sorts, both large and small.
You have been employed by a large international consulting organization as a
Consultant. Your consulting interest lies especially in the closely related fields of
stakeholders and communications management and your employer has clients in
several countries, many of whom are seeking counseling on managing stakeholder and communications on their projects with a view to enhancing the
chances of project success and reducing the number of stakeholder headaches
they encounter in the process of doing so. In the first month of your new job, the
following assignments present themselves to you for your expert input:
Assignment 1: The client is a recently established copper mining company
which is trying to develop mines at different locations in Africa and Asia. The
company is greatly concerned about its reputation given the negative publicity
that the mining industry as a whole - and the numerous mining projects and
operations across the globe - has attracted in recent years from different NGOs
and the media. It wants to have an external professional entity (i.e. you) provide it
79
with some objective advice on how to deal with the stakeholders who are going
to be (positively and/or negatively) affected by its future projects.
Specifically, the company asks you to identify possible unethical practices which
may be committed both by the company as it undertakes its projects as well as
by its stakeholders so that proactive measures can be taken to try to prevent
such practices from occurring on both sides. Discuss what you think can be
done. (10 Marks)
Assignment 2: One of your client organizations commissions you to design a
diagram (or whatever you like) on a sheet of paper which it can use for its project
stakeholder analysis and mapping. You know from your study of project
stakeholder management that visual tools have been developed, such as quadrant diagrams drawn as boxes on a sheet of paper, and which indicate diverse
items of information such as the identification of different stakeholders along with
their respective power and interest in the project. Your client knows about quadrant diagrams but is not too happy with them because it feels that important
information (for e.g., changes and trends over time) is lacking. Specifically, the
client wants you to develop a new (preferably graphical) tool which is capable of
indicating on a single sheet of paper (at the very least) the following information
for the entire project life-cycle (i.e. from initiation through to closure) for a given
set of stakeholders:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
the stakeholders identification

the stakeholders power
the stakeholders interest
the stakeholders attitude
the main determining factors of the stakeholders attitude to the project
Do this using three fictitious stakeholders A, B and C and remember that stakeholder attitudes, interest etc. are not necessarily constant over the project lifecycle but may change over time so your visual tool has to make allowances for
this. (10 Marks)
Assignment 3: Another of your clients a town authority - wants to play it safe.
In other words, it wants to determine to the maximum possible extent how it can
prevent stakeholders from obstructing a major urban infrastructure development
project which it wants to initiate next year. The authority has previously never
80
undertaken projects so complex and costly covering a number of populated

localities
The town authority asks you to conduct a special weakness analysis of the project, looking in particular how adversarial stakeholders could find issues that,
though not obvious or explored at present, may present them at some stage with
the opportunity to significantly influence or even derail - the project. You think
about this for a while before ideas then start coming to mind. How would you
conduct a weakness analysis for this project and where would you get the
information for this? (10 Marks).
Assignment 4: Communication is indispensable for all projects. However,
project communication can present serious challenges. Explain carefully to one
of your clients who visits you in your office what you perceive to be the top ten
communication challenges encountered on all types of projects and what
measures you would apply in order to deal and try to overcome these challenges.
(10 Marks)
Assignment 5: Teams are a very potent force on projects. Teams can only
unleash their full potential, though, if the framework conditions exist for them to
do so. For a presentation which you are conducting on behalf of your
organization at a regional project management seminar - and from a communicational perspective - discuss the complexities, challenges and conflicts which may
arise working in teams and suggest realistic ways and means of overcoming
them. (10 Marks)
In attempting this paper remember that:
All (if any) subquestions contained in the assignments must be answered

Quality (not quantity) should be your main concern.
You can be creative where you feel you need to.
The essence of knowledge is having it to apply it.
I dont want to see reproductions of my PowerPoint slides! (makes me
very angry!)
81
APPENDIX II
PowerPoint Slides
These will be distributed to
students by e-mail on a weekly
basis commencing from the first
week of the semester
82
APPENDIX III
Project Stakeholder
Management Articles
These will be distributed in the
first weeks of the semester
83

Module Handbook (Project Stakeholder Management)

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COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

Park Road, Chak Shehzad, Islamabad, Pakistan

Project Stakeholder Management

Weekly on Mondays, 6.00 P.M - 9.00 P.M

Ab ou t the Cour s e I ns tr uc tor .. . . . .

Cour s e O bje c ti ve s a nd Ex pe c te d Outc om e s .

Cour s e Dur a ti on a nd P r es e nta ti on S t yl e

S tude nt As s e s s me nt: W r i tte n E xa mi na ti ons .

S tude nt As s e s s me nt: The P r oje c t As s i gnm e nt

Appendix 1: Subject Examination Papers

Course Instructors Welcome Message

Islamabad, January 2012

About the Course Instructor

Dr. Aurangzeb Zulfiqar Khan is Assistant Professor in the

Course Objectives and Expected Outcomes

Course Duration and Presentation Style

presented over the semester using the installed ceiling-mounted digital

Student Assessment: Written Examinations

First Sessional Examination

Second Sessional Examination

Student Assessment: The Project Assignment

Assignments must be submitted in printed and electronic form. The printed

The assignment should ideally be between 12-15 pages (for an individual

Assignments must by computer-typed and printed on A4 sized sheets using

Assignments must be free as much as possible from misspellings and poor

Proper referencing is extremely important! Use an internationally accepted

quotations marks and the source (author(s) or editor(s), document title,

(B2) Assignment Guidelines: The Structure

(B3) Assignment Guidelines: The Content

The Executive Summary is a maximum one-page document that clearly

The Table of Contents is a requirement for every document (including very

The Introduction comes before the assignment analysis, conclusions and

The Conclusion sums up the major findings of the assignment. It should be

The Bibliography is an alphabetical listing of all the secondary information

Student Grading System

4.0 = 90% or above

B (Good/ Better than Average)

For the MSPM program the following grading system applies:

4.0 = 90% or above

B (Good/ Better than Average)

Course Quality Improvement

Library and Information Services

Ethics and Honest y

All material used ad verbatim in assignments must be wrapped in quotation

Recommended Reading (Chapters & Sections in Books):

Dinsmore & Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin (eds.) (2006), The AMA Handbook of

Introduction to Project Stakeholder Management

Relevance of Stakeholders for Projects

Personal Introductions by the Course Instructor and the Students

Project Stakeholders: Interests/Stakes, Roles,

Internal and External Project Stakeholders

Internal Project Stakeholders:

External Project Stakeholders:

Stakeholders on Projects with Transboundary Relevance (e.g.

The Drivers of Project Stakeholder Management and

A Brief Overview of the Nine Principal Drivers behind the

Awareness and Knowledge

Professional Project Stakeholder Management:

Introduction to the Governance Model; Stakeholder

Project Stakeholder Identification Processes and Tools

Identifying Project Stakeholders

Project Stakeholder Analysis

Introduction to the 5 Steps of the Project Stakeholder Governance

Criticality of Analyzing Project Stakeholders