Stakeholders: Managers

Any large project will have an impact upon a wide constituency. Groups are affected first by the development process and then by the end product. It is easy to forget that people affected by a project often have the power to influence its outcome for good or ill. In the first of an occasional series examining stakeholder groups, we look at managers.

A project manager will often sit at the centre of a management huddle. She must take senior management into account, share resources with colleagues on other projects, and oversee middle managers who look after production teams. You should take advantage of the insight and experience that these groups can offer your project. Forget to include them in your planning and you may suffer the consequences.

Management Peers

Few projects are undertaken in a vacuum. A project manager is likely to be surrounded by colleagues responsible for their own outcomes.

Peers can be invaluable in providing input throughout a project. Ask for insight into potential danger areas: has a manager tried a particular approach or technology with poor results? Has a similar product failed?

Other managers may be of material use as well. Look for synergies. Does a parellel project have any overlap with your own that might save on development time? Can you gain in good will by looking for needs that your project can address in other departments?

A failure to achive buy-in from colleagues can have disastrous consequences. Missing out on the benefits that input might bring is a negative outcome in itself. Other problems tend to be more political in nature. Conflicts over access to resources can damage a project's prospects, for example. The nature of a product itself can cause fallout.

Ensure that any manager materially affected by the development and completion of your project is involved at all stages. If you're building a system to automate publishing to the Web, for example, have you considered the impact on the working practices of the editorial department? If you're building an online classifieds system, have you overcome the objections of the print advertising department who may be upset that you might be leeching from their market?

Producers

Producers are managers directly responsible for groups of developers. They can act as a conduit for communications between coders on the ground and a project manager or owner.

In close communication with developers and designers, these managers can provide an early warning mechanism for technical and usability problems on a project. When delegation works effectively a producer can act as a trusted lieutenant, moderating demands for time and attention, and ensuring that project objectives are met.

Left out of the loop though, this group can be very dangerous. Practices that can disrupt your project include 'work to rule', in which the letter of policy is ruthlessly and unthinkingly applied; 'muttering campaign' in which a negative commentary on all decisions is passed on to developers, and 'turncoat' in which the producer becomes the mouthpiece for, and even instigator of, developer dissent. If you are working with producers on your project, seek their input throughout and act on their suggestions where appropriate.

Senior Management

Unless you are writing the cheques, it is likely that ultimate ownership of your project resides with a senior manager. The business need originates with this person, even if the project was your idea.

Because senior management are interested in tangible benefits, seeking feedback on your project can help you to maintain focus. You should be able to prioritise those features that matter for your organisation.

Failure to consult senior management as development progresses is extremely dangerous. The fact that your project could be cancelled at any time is only the most obvious threat. Even a project that is progressing well, and fulfilling its objectives, is likely to present senior management with an array of opportunities for active management. It is better to handle these as you go. Seek specific advice on matters of design and presentation. It is generally the background colour of your screens, or the font of your menus that will exercise a manager if the thrust of a project is already correct. These can be trivial to adjust throughout a project. A long list of changes presented days before delivery can destroy your schedule and damage relations with your developers.

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