FIT5057 · Project Management
Stakeholder and Quality Management
This chapter pairs the people side and the quality side of delivery. On stakeholders: you classify and register them, place them on the power/interest grid (manage closely, keep satisfied, keep informed, monitor), go beyond the 2×2 with the salience model (power, legitimacy, urgency), and read engagement levels (unaware → resistant → neutral → supportive → leading) to spot the gap between where a stakeholder is and where you need them. Communication management covers the three methods and the matrix, plus the channels formula n(n−1)/2 that explains why bigger teams slow down. On quality: the three dimensions, the plan/assure/control phases, cost of quality, and the 7 basic quality tools (with control charts and the rule of seven). The quiz tests the grid placements and the assure-vs-control distinction; the agile and predictive assignments both need a stakeholder and communication plan.
What this chapter covers
- 017.1 Classifying & registering stakeholders; the power/interest grid
- 027.2 The salience model — power, legitimacy, urgency
- 037.3 Engagement levels — the assessment scale
- 047.4–7.5 Communication methods, the matrix & the channels formula
- 05Quality management — the 3 dimensions & plan/assure/control
- 067.6 Cost of Quality (COQ)
- 077.7 The 7 basic quality tools; control charts & the rule of seven
- 087.8–7.9 Continuous improvement & project integration
Worked example: the communication-channels formula
- +1Recall the formula: the number of communication channels for n people is n(n−1)/2 — every pair is one channel.
- +1At n = 5: 5×4/2 = 20/2 = 10 channels.
- +1At n = 8: 8×7/2 = 56/2 = 28 channels.
- +1Interpret: adding 3 people nearly tripled the channels (10 → 28). Channels grow faster than headcount, so communication overhead rises sharply — which is why larger projects need a deliberate communication matrix and smaller, focused teams.
Key terms
- Power/interest grid
- A 2×2 that places stakeholders by their power and their interest, giving four strategies: high power + high interest = manage closely; high power + low interest = keep satisfied; low power + high interest = keep informed; low power + low interest = monitor. The classic mix-up is keep satisfied vs keep informed.
- Salience model
- A finer classification than the grid, using three attributes: power (ability to impose will), legitimacy (a valid claim), and urgency (time-sensitive demand). Stakeholders with all three are "definitive" and need the most attention; the model captures dynamics the 2×2 misses.
- Engagement levels
- The scale used to assess where a stakeholder currently is and where you need them: unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, leading. The plan targets the gap between current and desired engagement — for example, moving a key resistant stakeholder to neutral or supportive.
- Quality assurance vs quality control
- Assurance is process-focused and proactive — are we following the right procedures to build quality in? Control is product-focused and reactive — inspecting and testing the actual deliverable to find defects. "Build quality in, don't inspect it in."
- The rule of seven
- A control-chart heuristic: seven or more consecutive points on one side of the centre line (or a steady run up or down) signals a non-random pattern worth investigating, even if all points are within the control limits. It catches a process drifting out of control early.
Stakeholder and Quality Management FAQ
What's the difference between "keep satisfied" and "keep informed"?
It is about power. Keep satisfied applies to high-power, low-interest stakeholders — they can hurt the project if unhappy, so meet their needs without overloading them with detail. Keep informed applies to low-power, high-interest stakeholders — they care a lot but can't dictate, so keep them in the loop. The mix-up (swapping the two) is the most common grid error in the quiz.
Why does adding people to a project slow it down?
Communication channels grow as n(n−1)/2, faster than the number of people. Five people have 10 channels; ten people have 45. Each new member adds links to everyone already there, so coordination overhead climbs sharply. This is why "I emailed it" is not engagement and why larger projects need an explicit communication matrix and smaller sub-teams.
Is "I sent the email" the same as stakeholder engagement?
No. Pushing information out (a one-way email) is communication, not engagement. Engagement means the right message reaches the right stakeholder through the right channel at the right cadence, and that they are actually involved at the level the plan requires. The communication matrix specifies who needs what, how and how often — that is engagement.
Which of the 7 quality tools should I recognise?
Cause-and-effect (fishbone/Ishikawa) diagram, flowchart, check sheet, Pareto chart, histogram, control chart and scatter diagram. The quiz tests recognition and one trap in particular: a Pareto chart is an ordered bar chart that highlights the vital few causes (the 80/20), whereas a plain histogram just shows a frequency distribution — don't blur them.
Exam move
For the quiz, lock in the power/interest grid placements (especially keep satisfied vs keep informed), the salience attributes (power, legitimacy, urgency), and the assure-vs-control distinction — these are reliable recognition items. Know the channels formula n(n−1)/2 and what it implies. For the 7 quality tools, focus on recognising each and the Pareto-vs-histogram trap, plus the rule of seven on control charts. For both project assignments you produce a stakeholder register, a power/interest analysis and a communication plan, so practise turning a scenario's cast of characters into grid placements and a matrix.
