Book Structure
The content of this book is set out in five chapters, a Conclusion and an Appendix
as follows:
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1.
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Project Stakeholders
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2.
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The Project Sponsor
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3.
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The Project Team
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4.
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External Clients and Contractors
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5.
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Internal Customers and Gatekeepers
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Conclusion
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Bibliography
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Each chapter starts with a description of what the chapter is about, contains an example taken from the authors' experiences and concludes with a brief Summary. The book has a total of 115 pages. It does not include a Glossary of Terms.
The book is well written in a clear style and is a pleasure to read. It is illustrated by 24 Figures and Tables together with frequent bulleted and numbered lists for ease of reference. As the title of the book indicates, it is a Practical Guide rather than an in-depth study of the role of social psychology in the workplace. As such it introduces the reader to the real world of practical project Stakeholder Engagement where individuals and groups behave like ordinary people: often unpredictable, irrational, emotional or just unhelpful.[8]
The authors find that many project managers do not enjoy this side of project management. That's not only because it can be hard and frustrating, but also because in the typical curriculum most project management training today does not include this side of a project manager's responsibilities. Hence, newly minted project managers in particular do not know how best to deal with the normal run of "everyday confrontations". Consequently they find their attention increasingly diverted, leading to high levels of stress, frustration and burn out. It doesn't have to be like that.
This book sets out by categorizing Project Stakeholders into four broad groups and then describes the sorts of situations that can arise, and then makes recommendations on how to deal with each.
8. Ibid, p89
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About the Authors
