Stakeholder Management for Project Managers

A Practical Guide for Managing Projects and Engaging People. Learn stakeholder engagement, mapping, communication planning, and change management

Master Stakeholder Engagement—The Skill That Defines Every Successful Project

Stakeholder engagement is the lifeblood of project management—and yet it remains one of the most underdeveloped skills in any project manager's toolkit. Whether you're navigating a multi-million-dollar digital transformation or leading a cross-functional initiative, your ability to identify, analyze, and engage stakeholders determines whether your project succeeds or stalls.

Stakeholder Management for Project Managers gives you a complete, practitioner-focused playbook for managing every stakeholder relationship—from project kickoff to final delivery.

What you'll gain from this book:

• A complete stakeholder engagement framework—from identifying and mapping stakeholders to building a robust Stakeholder Engagement Plan that drives alignment and reduces friction at every project phase
• Practical tools and templates—including stakeholder registers, power/interest matrices, the salience model, RACI charts, empathy maps, and communications management strategies you can apply immediately
• Change management strategies—learn how to apply ADKAR, Kotter's change model, and the change curve to move stakeholders through uncertainty and toward adoption
• Empathy-driven project leadership—discover how cognitive, emotional, and compassionate empathy transform stakeholder relationships and fuel project success

Whether you're a seasoned PMP, a project coordinator stepping into a leadership role, or a business analyst managing client relationships, this guide meets you where you are. Every chapter builds your ability to anticipate stakeholder needs, manage resistance, and deliver measurable value to your organization.

Authored by Michelle Bartonico—a certified PMP, PROSCI-certified change practitioner, and former Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing at Trinity University, where she led enterprise-wide transformations with 90%+ adoption rates—this book brings nearly two decades of real-world experience directly to your project management practice.

Build the stakeholder expertise that defines high-performing project professionals. Add this essential guide to your professional library today.

Michelle Bartonico is a PMP & PROSCI-certified project manager and strategist with 20 years of experience leading strategic initiatives, teams, and enterprise-wide change programs.

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