• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
Sheriffs:
  • paul wheaton
  • Rob Spoor
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Stephan van Hulst
  • Tim Holloway
  • Carey Brown
  • Frits Walraven
  • Tim Moores
Bartenders:
  • Mikalai Zaikin

What means stakeholder really?

 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1855
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi,

I often stumble across the word stakeholder in english literature. And I imagine that with stakeholder one always means customer or client.

Is that true?

Regards,
Darya
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 904
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Google mate..
 
Rancher
Posts: 43081
77
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I've seen it most often with respect to a company. Whereas shareholders are just the investors, stakeholders also includes the customers and the employees.

In the context of IT projects/processes it would include everybody involved: developers, management, customers, support folks, ...
 
Darya Akbari
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1855
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Svend Rost:
Google mate..



Did that mate. But the term seems to be overloaded
 
Darya Akbari
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1855
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Ulf Dittmer:
In the context of IT projects/processes it would include everybody involved: developers, management, customers, support folks, ...



Can you see it . Those people you name are from all parties. But aren't the stakeholder only the one who use your product, people only from your customer not your own people?

Regards,
Darya
 
author
Posts: 11962
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Darya Akbari:
Aren't the stakeholder only the one who use your product, people only from your customer not your own people?


Technically a "stakeholder" is someone who has an interest--a stake--in the success of the project or product. Having said that, it's true that most of the time when we say "stakeholder" we're not thinking of project personnel but stakeholders that aren't part of the project team, e.g. people in the steering group, the CEO, the VP of engineering, the pilot customer, and so forth.
 
Darya Akbari
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1855
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Thanks Lasse having clarified this.
 
author
Posts: 14112
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Would it be reasonable to say that a stakeholder is someone who contributes to the decision on whether the project was a success or not?
 
Darya Akbari
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1855
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
This could be again everyone
 
(instanceof Sidekick)
Posts: 8791
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
We also include folks who have to contribute to the success ... network and infrastructure, production support, legal, partner systems. About the only area I believe our ever-heavier processes really help is having well defined relationships with some of these other groups.

All stakeholders are not equal. An ancient story for those who may not have heard it: Chicken and Pig are talking and Chicken says "Hey, let's open a restaurant." Pig says, "What kind of food would you serve?" Chicken says "Ham and Eggs." Pig says, "No thanks, you'd be interested but I'd be committed!"
 
Bartender
Posts: 2968
6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Darya Akbari:
This could be again everyone



Wikipedia: Projektmanagement


Als Stakeholder bezeichnet man dabei jede Person oder Organisation, deren Interessen durch den Verlauf oder das Ergebnis des Projekts betroffen sind.


Or more succinctly Interessengruppe(n) (i.e. anybody who is affected by the success or failure of the project) which isn't all that specific either.

The stakeholders have a vested interest in the success of the project. What the 'stakes' are can vary. One group of stakeholders may simply hope that upon successful conclusion of the project they will be able to accomplish something that wasn't possible before, make something easier to accomplish or be able to accomplish something in a more productive manner. Another group of stakeholders may have used their influence and/or assets to bring the project about - they need the project to A) come to a successful conclusion and B) effect the desired improvements to preserve their reputation, credibility and/or their assets.

I�ve never seen the term 'stakeholders' being applied to a group that has a vested interest in a project not being launched or not succeeding (though with some stakeholders you have to wonder ).

As Lasse already pointed out projects tend to have designated stakeholders who usually have the authority to affect course of the project - in a sense they are supposed to represent the interest of the business or organization that launched the project in order to derive value from it.
[ April 26, 2007: Message edited by: Peer Reynders ]
 
Darya Akbari
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1855
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Thanks for all your comments.
 
Ilja Preuss
author
Posts: 14112
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Stan James:
"No thanks, you'd be interested but I'd be committed!"



I think that was *involved* vs. committed...
 
Stan James
(instanceof Sidekick)
Posts: 8791
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Thanks, my brain was not able to get that word out. I made up another.
 
author
Posts: 608
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
In my Active Stakeholder Participation article I have a pretty good definition of stakeholder. More importantly I provide some insight in to how to work with them effectively.

- Scott
 
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic