What is a stakeholder register in project management?

The stakeholder register is one of the most important tools in project management. It's a list, and sometimes a very lengthy one, of all the people who are going to be affected by your project. They range from customers and users to partners and vendors—and everything in between! When you're creating a stakeholder register for your project, it helps if you know what makes up a good one so that you can make sure yours is effective.

What is a stakeholder register?

A stakeholder register is a list of all the people who have an interest in your project, their roles and responsibilities, what they expect from the project, and how they will be involved. 

This can include:

  • Name and job title/description
  • External or internal?
  • Project role (internal or external)
  • Preferred communication channel(s) (email, phone call, etc.)
  • Influence on project

The purpose of this list is to help keep everyone on the same page with regards to expectations and involvement. That way no one feels like they're being left out or not heard by other..

How to create a stakeholder register

To create a stakeholder register, start by writing down the names of all the people who have a stake in your project. You should also include people who may not be directly involved, but could affect the outcome of your project (for example, a neighbor whose house is near where you need to build). It's important that you get this information right because if you have incorrect data or contact details for any of these individuals, it can cause delays and complications.

Once you've written down all the stakeholders' names, write down their primary contact information so that it's readily available when needed. For instance: "Jane Smith (phone number)". It's also helpful to note whether each stakeholder is an internal or external party; this information can help determine how frequently conversations take place with each party and what kind of communications are appropriate for each situation.

What is a stakeholder?

A stakeholder is anyone who will be affected by your project. This can include internal employees, external customers and suppliers, shareholders, regulators, politicians and more. The point is that stakeholders are people who have a vested interest in the outcome of your project.

Stakeholders can be individuals, groups or organizations. They could have an active role in decision-making or they might not have any say whatsoever in how things pan out—but either way they're part of the equation because their needs and expectations must be considered if you want to succeed with your project.

Some examples of stakeholders might include:

  • Your boss (internal) - if she's happy with how things are going then she may give you more money or resources to complete your work successfully; but if she's unhappy then there's no guarantee she'll keep giving support... so it's important to consider what makes her tick!
  • Your team members (internal) - these people will depend on successful delivery for their own wellbeing; if something goes wrong then there won't just be one person affected—the whole team could suffer due to reduced productivity levels etcetera... so again it's vital that we think about what keeps them happy too!

What's the difference between stakeholders and project sponsors?

You probably have a good idea of what a stakeholder is, but let's briefly talk about the difference between a stakeholder and a sponsor.

Stakeholders are people who have an interest in the project. They may or may not be involved in it, and they usually aren't responsible for making sure that it happens. Sponsors are people who are responsible for managing the project. They might also be stakeholders—or even just interested parties—but their primary responsibility as sponsors is to make sure it gets done well and on time. Stakeholders can include anyone from shareholders to employees to customers, while sponsors can include executive management or project managers (or both).

How do you identify stakeholders?

When it comes to identifying stakeholders, your best bet is to start with those who are directly involved with the project. These people will be affected by your decisions and actions, so they're easy to spot.

You can also identify stakeholders by asking yourself if anyone could be affected or affected by the project. If someone is going to use a new app as part of their job, for example, that person's manager should also be considered a stakeholder even if he or she doesn't directly interact with you during development.

When it comes down to it though: there are no hard rules when it comes to identifying stakeholders! Just keep in mind that these are just some examples; you may disagree with some of them (in which case feel free not apply them). But the goal here isn't accuracy—it's making sure everyone knows what each other thinks about issues related specifically

How can you use your stakeholder register to help keep your project on track?

The stakeholder register is a great tool for keeping your project on track. It's an organized, comprehensive list of everyone involved in the project’s success, including internal and external stakeholders, executives, and team members. As you work through your project plan phases and tasks with your team members and stakeholders, you can use this list to make sure that everyone has all the information they need at each stage of the process. Plus it makes it easier for people from different departments or even different companies to communicate effectively.

If there are any questions about who should be involved at any point in time during your planning process (e.g., more stakeholders should be included as you move into implementation), simply add them to your stakeholder register! If there are changes later on down the line (someone leaves their job or gets promoted), update their status so that others know who they're working with now too!

A good stakeholder register can help make sure everyone in your project is on the same page.

You’ll have to decide what you think is the best stakeholder register for your own project management needs. It can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, but if you take the time to develop a good system now, it will save you from headaches later on down the road when things get hectic in your office.

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