Stakeholder analysis in projects: Challenges in using current guidelines in the real world

The authors of this paper investigated the usability of current guidelines regarding stakeholder analysis by letting four project managers apply the guidelines to their renewal projects. The project managers found several challenges in using the guidelines. Especially, the guidelines lack clarity regarding (a) how to identify stakeholders and determine their importance and (b) how to reveal stakeholders’ expectations. Further, the application revealed that the project manager may not have the skills or the resources required to carry out the tasks involved in making the necessary inquiries. Therefore, the stakeholder analysis may be based on superficial rather than deep knowledge. It seems that the current guidelines should be considered as a conceptual framework rather than instructions on how to do a real world stakeholder analysis.