The following article is part of the self-preparation for the modern BVOP® Project Management Certification program.
In the early stages of planning the entire product, its vision, and features, defining stakeholders and searching for proper potential users or customers who may provide valuable information about what needs to be developed may be an extensive and challenging process.
- Defining stakeholders and users
- Management of research sessions
- Management of remunerations
- Management of tools and environments
Careful analysis and filtering of the stakeholders and user input is a critical initial stage for the entire future development.
Stakeholders and users management activities may include:
- Defining stakeholders and users.
- Management of research sessions.
- Management of remunerations.
- Management of tools and environments.
Defining stakeholders and users
The Business Value-Oriented Project Management (BVOPM) office collaborates with the Business Value-Oriented Product Management (BVOPDM) office in defining and evaluating stakeholders and users.
Management of research sessions
Collecting information, conducting interviews, surveys, focus groups, or other activities requires time and attendance for anyone involved in the research process. Plans, schedules, and agendas may be needed. The BVOPM office supports these activities.
Management of remunerations
If the participants in the research sessions are external individuals or organizations, their remunerations may need to be calculated and planned.
Management of tools and environments
The collected information or the process of information collection may require special needs. Planning and providing the appropriate tools and environments according to the current organizational resources is needed for optimized and productive initial stages of product research and development.
The following issues related to chapter "Product stakeholders and users management" are included in the certification exam. The sequence of questions is presented in the table.
The data is current as of September 7, 2024, 8:50 pm
| ID | Issue | Time | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Management of tools and environments | 60 sec | PM, PDM |
| 1 | Defining stakeholders and users | 60 sec | PM, PDM |
| 2 | Management of remunerations | 60 sec | PM, PDM |
| 3 | Management of research sessions | 60 sec | PM, PDM |
Comments from the BVOP™ community on “Product stakeholders and users management”
David Thomas
Finding the right stakeholders is a difficult task in any case. In the first case, if the organization is small and has limited personnel and access to real people who can participate adequately and productively, stakeholders can be a scarce resource.
In the other case, when the organization is enormous, the persons who may be the potential stakeholders of the project should be persecuted and praised constantly. Responsibilities are often blurred or unclear. Their participation in the project is weak and they usually do not have strong interest.
Organizing and conducting sessions is even more difficult because time is always limited and participants are missing. Planning such processes can be a real nightmare.
Perhaps an appropriate strategy would be to involve outsiders to participate in the project as consultants.
We merge stakeholders and users here. This is a topic that can be discussed further.
Summary
Defining stakeholders and potential users/customers is a challenging process in the early stages of product planning. It is crucial to carefully analyze and filter their input for future development. The BVOPM office collaborates with the BVOPDM office for this purpose.
Management of research sessions, including collecting information, and conducting interviews, surveys, and focus groups, requires planning and scheduling. Remunerations for external participants may also need to be calculated. Providing appropriate tools and environments for the research process is essential for productive initial stages of product development.
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There are amazing principles and modern management ideas indeed. Stakeholders management needs a high attention in my thinking. Also users management is again a large topic. A lot of people confuse these and can't really survive management of important project participants like these mentioned in this section.
Hello guys, I would like to ask if usability or accessibility tests and analysis are included in the stakeholders and users management practices?
Hi Mateo, Usability and accessibility are usually not topics of product stakeholder analysis and user management. These are design practices that primarily concern the user interface of a product.