Restoration Project Management - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 26

5. Be realistic.
6. Include illustrations (e.g., drawings, tables, and charts) wherever possible.
7. Obtain stakeholder approval (have stakeholders sign off on the list of requirements).
IDENTIFYING STAKEHOLDER GOALS
All projects exist to satisfy certain stakeholder goals. When the stakeholders' goals are satisfied, the
project can be judged a success (Martin and Tate 1997). Therefore, it is imperative that project
managers focus the project development team on answering the following questions:
• What is the project supposed to accomplish?
• Has the stakeholder identified any goals or objectives for the project?
• Can we resolve the need with restoration techniques?
• Who are the stakeholders most directly affected by the need?
• Do the stakeholders agree that the need is worthwhile?
• Are there policies or restrictions that may limit or impede the restoration efforts?
• When is the project to be completed?
• How should it look?
• Do the stakeholders have the same expectations?
• How soon should results become apparent?
• Are there special considerations that may govern the implementation methods or project
schedule?
Identifying answers to these questions is one thing. However, managing stakeholder expectations
is difficult because project sponsors and other stakeholders can have very different perspectives
that may conflict with one another. Finding appropriate resolutions to such differences is a major
challenge of project management. The project team must identify the stakeholders on a project,
determine their needs and expectations, and then manage and influence those expectations to
ensure a successful project.
HANDLING CHANGES TO PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
Invariably, project requirements will change. Therefore, each project manager should establish a
system to carefully monitor and control changes made to the requirements. As a part of handling
any proposed change in requirements, the project manager should document the change and
seek approval from the project sponsor. This is especially true if the change significantly affects the
scope, schedule, or cost. Depending on the magnitude of the change, the documentation can vary
in information. At a minimum, the change should describe the action—including its impact to the
project in terms of cost, schedule, or scope—and have the sponsor or other appropriate stakehold-
er sign and date the document. If the change is significant, it would be helpful to the team to list
the tasks and staff affected and provide a detailed schedule and cost analysis.
The change documentation should include the following information (Frame 1995):
• Date of the change request
• Name of the person requesting the change