Discussion question post

Assigned Readings:

Chapter 5 – Executive Stakeholders

Chapter 7 – Stakeholder Communication

Initial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

Before attempting this case study, students must review the following article:

This article provides essential context on the characteristics, expectations, and influence of C-level stakeholders in project environments. Your insights should reflect an understanding of how executive relationships impact project outcomes.

Tania, a senior consultant at Nexen Business Consultants, has been assigned to lead a high-impact digital transformation initiative for MediCore, a $1.5B healthcare technology company. The project has broad implications for MediCores operations, from patient record systems to supply chain analytics.

Tania is not just managing tasks and timelinesshes navigating a complex network of executive stakeholders, each of whom has high influence and unique expectations:

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is focused on competitive advantage and investor confidence, and expects to see clear ROI metrics early.
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is concerned about cost overruns and is hesitant to approve additional resource requests.
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) wants detailed risk assessments tied to operational disruptions.
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) has mandated Agile delivery but rarely attends sprint reviews.
The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) is interested in how the change will affect staffing and culturebut feels left out of the loop.

Tania knows that executive stakeholders can make or break project success. If she fails to win their trust, attention, and ongoing support, the project may lose funding, hit resistance, or fall short of strategic alignment.

Tania is developing a Stakeholder Management Plan focused specifically on executive-level stakeholders. She is also creating a Stakeholder Network Register to track conversations, expectations, influence, and commitment levels across the executive suite. Her goals are to:

Communicate effectively across multiple leadership styles
Build credibility and trust
Align the project to strategic goals
Prevent disengagement or passive resistance

Discussion Questions

Why do executive stakeholders require a unique engagement strategy compared to mid-level or operational stakeholders? How do power, influence, and organizational knowledge shape their involvement?
What is the specific role of a Stakeholder Register in managing executive engagement? How can Tania use this tool to support her communication strategy and anticipate challenges?
What are the essential components of a Stakeholder Management Plan focused on C-level executives? How do these elements differ from plans designed for non-executive stakeholders?
Based on the lessons learned in the PMI abstract (e.g., Let them quickly catch on, Be visible, Break hierarchy), which two tactics should Tania prioritize when developing relationships with the MediCore C-Suite? Why?

[Your post must be substantive and demonstrate insight gained from the course material. Postings must be in the student’s own words – do not provide quotes!]

[Your initial post should be at least 450+ words and in APA format (including Times New Roman with font size 12 and double spaced). Post the actual body of your paper in the discussion thread then attach a Word version of the paper for APA review]

Chapter 5 – Executive Stakeholders

Overview:

Executive stakeholders are typically powerful. The project manager should pay close attention to this stakeholder group to ensure the project is aligned with their expectations. Executive stakeholders include the customer, the executive sponsor, the executives who are on the Executive Council, executives actively involved in the project, and supplemental executive stakeholders who are likely to come and go as the project ebbs and flows. The project manager should include executive stakeholders in the project, clearly communicate project success and shortcomings, and always find ways to proactively identify potential barriers to success. We discuss the importance of relationships between the project manager and key executives. Executives, like most stakeholders, are busy. We discuss the top watch-outs for working with executive stakeholders. The project manager and project team should constantly be vigilant for ways to make their communications with the engagement of executives concise and efficient.

Learning Objectives

Understand the categories used to analyze stakeholders
Understand the need for and use of the stakeholders engagement assessment matrix
Able to articulate the importance of a stakeholder management plan
Define the elements within a stakeholder management plan

Chapter 7 – Stakeholder Communication

Overview:

Project stakeholder communication is part science and part art. The main point of this chapter is that there are many different types of communication: verbal, nonverbal, written, visual, kinesthetic, and emotional. The most effective communicators learn how to use these communication channels holistically. Since poor communication has been the cause of failure for so many projects, the savvy project manager embraces the holistic approach to communication. It is important to be persistent in the communication of the message. Successful project managers communicate the same message to their stakeholders over and over. It takes repetition for the message to sink in. The successful project manager realizes that communication is a two-way street and is constantly open to communication from their stakeholders. The project manager should ask clarifying questions and ensure that they understand the message being communicated to them.

Learning Objectives

Understand the various types of communication
Understand the need for constant, persistent stakeholder communications
Discuss how a project manager communicates differently with an executive stakeholder as opposed to other stakeholders
Discuss various communication channels and which each is more applicable

Supplementary Readings:

Requirements: 450 + words

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