ABSTRACT
An important characteristic of modern projects is the potentially very long list of parties that have a stake in them and that can influence their outcome. This list can include internal staff, client staff, suppliers, end users, partners, government officials, regulators, clients customers, the media, project team members, competitors, shareholders, environmental groups, local communities, trade unions and more. In addition to needing technical, financial and commercial expertise, the twenty-first-century project manager often needs to be a politician, ambassador, promoter, consultant, listener, upward and outward communicator, diplomat, relationship manager and team leader. Stakeholder management is not an activity to be regarded as separate from real project management. Multiple stakeholders with diverging and evolving interests are a key source of complexity in any project. The disciplines of project management can be viewed on a continuum from objective to subjective. Managing the more objective aspects can be regarded as science, and managing the more subjective aspects as art.
