Noisemakers: Dealing with Problem Stakeholders

I believe a productive and ongoing dialog with all the project stakeholders is critical to project success. That being said, when stakeholders become nothing more than noisemakers they can hurt morale, hinder performance, and put projects in jeopardy.

What is a noisemaker?

A noisemaker is someone who tries to influence a project or a project's outcome to a degree that is disproportionate to their role and negatively affects project performance. It's possible a noisemaker could be a stakeholder who is not directly involved in the project, a team member who overrides customer input on requirements, a customer who attempts to dictate technical details, or even an end user who insists his or her area of functionality receives attention at the expense of others.

That being said, not everyone who becomes involved in a project outside of their role is necessarily a "noisemaker." Sometimes a stakeholder outside of your project can help you deal with other out-of-control stakeholders. It all depends on whether or not their additional input has a positive effect on the project. However, left unmanaged, noisemakers can have a disastrous effect on project based work.

How Does One Manage Noisemakers?

The first step is to recognize the problem—and this is a project-long activity.

Still, recognizing the problem doesn't solve it. The next step is to make sure that there is an appropriate way for stakeholders to participate and offer input. Directly soliciting opinions early sometimes helps cut noisemakers off at the pass—and helps circumvent any damage they might cause later on in the project.

There may also be times when you need to solicit help from other stakeholders to help turn a noisemaker into a team player—making them an asset to the project. However, sometimes noisemakers actively work to prevent project success and you may need help to remove their influence in every way possible.

Managing stakeholders is an ongoing process and critical for work management success. Successful project management requires diligence, persistence, and tact when working with stakeholders—and noisemakers. I have yet to meet a project management professional who doesn't have to deal with noisemakers at one time or another. I'd love to hear about what you are doing to manage those issues.

About this Author: As an "accidental" project manager and marketing veteran with over 25 years of experience, Ty Kiisel makes the concepts and best practices of web-based project management accessible to both the expert and novice project professional by weaving personal experiences, historical references and other anecdotes into daily discussions around effective leadership approaches that maximize the effectiveness of project teams. Ty is also the host of the popular podcast, TalkingWork.com.