What do you do if stakeholders and clients are not receptive to project updates?

In my experience, there are definitely times when stakeholders and clients may not be receptive to project updates, and this can be challenging indeed however thinking out of the box and going an extra mile to improve communication and engagement helps significantly. If we take the time to understand why they are unresponsive - are they overwhelmed with other tasks or confused about how they should be responding to an email hence reaching out and also changing our communication approach may help. There could be instances where if we don't provide regular status updates via the previously agreed channels, this could impact the chances of engagement hence reinforcing that all stakeholder's feedback is valued and makes a difference.

The first thought that comes to mind is "why are the stakeholders not receptive to project updates?" Understanding the why will put the next steps into perspective. This assessment is best done by having an open conversation with the stakeholder. Having a clear assessment of the reasons could either reveal, ambiguous reporting, wrong prioritization, or some other potential concern the stakeholder has. This way your resolution can be tailored to the gain the best outcome possible.

In such situations, my first step would involve delving into the root causes of their disengagement. This could involve gathering feedback via dedicated calls or direct discussions with both the client and the team to gain a deeper understanding of their concerns or preferences. Using this feedback, I would tailor the communication strategy to ensure that project updates are presented in a way that aligns with the client's expectations and needs. This could include emphasizing the importance and results of the updates and addressing any potential misunderstandings, aiming to boost engagement and responsiveness from stakeholders and clients.

Lo primero que se debe hacer es profundizar y obtener un análisis que pueda ver posibilidades, alternativas y posibles workaround que apalanquen la no implementación de estas mejoras o actualizaciones. Una vez determinado estas, lograr comunicar claramente los posibles riesgos y alternativas posibles, en este momento es muy oportuno hacer participar a los distintos sponsor y en esta instancia de dialogo y entendimiento lograr el acuerdo balanceado para a continuidad y puesta en marcha del proyecto.

Muchas veces pareciera que las partes interesadas no están colaborando como se espera esto puede traer mucho estrés al proyecto ya que se pone en riesgo el cumplimiento del mismo. En este caso creo que la mejor forma es que asegurarse que factores están afectando a la falta de participación, conociendo los factores se deberán tomar en cuenta para realizar modificaciones pertinentes y lograr un mayor compromiso por parte de los stakeholders

I agree, nothing can replace open dialogue, one thing i like to stick with and constantly remind myself and clients about are project scopes, after identifying the root cause for disengagement, the next step I'd take is comparing that to project goals and limitations and reassessing how valid the root cause is, if required add it to the next project.

Creating an open dialogue is crucial when addressing disengagement. Beyond merely reaching out, consider framing discussions in a way that invites candid feedback and fosters trust. For instance, emphasizing a culture of continuous improvement can encourage stakeholders to share their thoughts openly, knowing that their input contributes to ongoing enhancements. Use these conversations not just to address immediate concerns but also to explore innovative ways to increase engagement. Perhaps proposing collaborative brainstorming sessions or offering incentives for active participation can inject new energy into project discussions and reinvigorate stakeholder involvement.

Engage in open and transparent communication with stakeholders and clients. Schedule regular meetings or calls to discuss project progress, address concerns, and gather feedback. Encourage active participation and two-way dialogue to ensure everyone feels heard and involved.

Excellence in communication is an extremely important factor in good project management practices. Therefore, it is extremely important to create a communication channel integrating the client and interested parties during the preparation and formatting of project updates, bringing not only the engagement of everyone involved, but also the approvals of important phases of the project through of everyone’s monitoring and participation. This practice has helped me a lot in managing risks and scope changes.

- Encourage stakeholders to share thoughts via surveys, comments, or meetings. - Act on feedback to show commitment to improving communication. - Implement transparent approach to demonstrate feedback's influence on decisions. - Regularly communicate changes based on feedback to stakeholders. - Use feedback to refine project updates and ensure relevance to stakeholders.

Considero que de todo los puntos este es el más importante, escuchar a las partes interesadas/clientes, entender sus necesidades y motivaciones, te permite enfocar el informe de seguimiento de un proyecto a información que para ellos es de valor, con eso podrás captar su interes, participación y colaboración.

Create a feedback loop to continuously refine your communication approach. Solicit feedback from stakeholders and clients on the format, frequency, and content of project updates. Use this feedback to tailor your communication style and ensure it effectively meets their needs.

- Assess timing of updates for stakeholder convenience. - Consider stakeholders' busy schedules and decision-making process. - Adjust update timing to align with stakeholders' availability and needs. - Monitor if changes in timing enhance stakeholder engagement.

Consider the timing and frequency of project updates. While regular communication is essential, avoid overwhelming stakeholders with excessive updates. Find a cadence that strikes a balance between keeping them informed and respecting their time.

There's nothing better than visual management with interactive dashboards showing the current situation and the project's expected progress. This can be done via e-mail, a meeting or even an application where the client can access the data whenever they need it and from anywhere. It contains periodic updates according to the client's needs and what I always like to present, in addition to the graphs that correlate the project/supply/construction deliveries on the timeline, the preventive actions for the critical paths and the corrective actions for the deliveries that are currently behind schedule and how we are acting to minimize the impacts.

I usually find a high level executive report with a couple of core visuals and 1or 2 sentences the most appealing. I'd like to be prepared and even offer more than one type of representation for each metric which i'd like to offer as appendices

Simplify project reports to make them clear, concise, and easy to understand. Use visuals, charts, and graphs to present complex data in a digestible format. Avoid jargon and technical terms that may alienate non-technical stakeholders.

I find using a SRM are usually beneficial in this area. stakeholders are any individual, group, or organization that can affect – or be affected by the project, SRM allows for organizing all of their relationships for each stakeholder and helps you have an organized communication plan.

I find using a SRM are usually beneficial in this area. stakeholders are any individual, group, or organization that can affect – or be affected by the project, SRM allows for organizing all of their relationships for each stakeholder and helps you have an organized communication plan.

Recognize that stakeholders and clients have different communication preferences. Some may prefer detailed written updates, while others may prefer concise verbal summaries. Tailor your communication style to match their individual preferences to ensure effective engagement.

Few things necessary at begining of project for proper alignment and smoodh execution: 1. Share, align and sign-off the plan with deliverables at each milestone, to the decision maker. 2. Clearly identify customer representative who would endorse the progress. 3. Clearly communicate clear requirements of any resource/sub approval customer has to provide with proper due date/TAT. 4. Communicate clear project status at agreed frequency. For any unplanned changes should be immediately communicated to respective stage keeper and decision maker, with possiblr workarounds to keep up the pace.

One thing we need to keep in mind, that is we as human beings, will focus and own something (a project or a proposal) when that will offer us some benefits; e.g. organizational, business and personal (hidden) Hence one need to constantly focus on the project, its progress, its challenges, its opportunities in terms of the stakeholders benefits. Otherwise, if the stakeholders can't connect the project with their benefits, they won't pay any heed as for them spending time and energy on this would be a futile exercise. Hence, it is mandatory to present every phase of the project in a F.A.B structure to the stakeholders, i.e. Feature, Advantage and Benefit. This structure will always assure the stakeholders to rethink "What is there for me?"

As project evolves from conceptualization to the final outcome in this process there are a number of measures that need to be put in place from time to time , this involves an evolving OMP as challenges arise due to internal & external environment . Thus it is imperative in any project to always look out for early signs of disengagement and quickly action out discussion with relevant stakeholders and align on the information flow for effective execution of plans . A project lead will always need to have a proactive mindset than a reactive mindset .