When it comes to stakeholders, it is your duty as project manager to adapt to their needs for your project. Ask each of your stakeholders how they prefer to communicate and how often. Do they want to meet in person or over the phone? Or do they prefer to have a dashboard that they can check whenever they want? Figure out your stakeholders’ preferences and tune to their needs.
With stakeholders, it is all about building relationships. To make a strong and lasting relationship, focus on direct and truthful two-way communication. Being open and honest allows you and your stakeholder to build trust and rapport. Be proactive and try to avoid surprises if you can. Anticipate issues and potential conflict situations by communicating early and often when your gut tells you that something may be off.
Check out the Stakeholder Management tip video from The Wild West of Software Project Management series below.