---
reference_type: Performance Domain
reference_id: PD01
name: Stakeholders
version: "1.0.0"
status: Deprecated
edition: PMBOK7
pmbok8_source: "PMBOK8 Guide §2.1 — Stakeholders Performance Domain"
authority: PMI-derived
---

# PD01 — Stakeholders Performance Domain
**Type:** Performance Domain
**PMBOK8 Source:** PMBOK8 Guide §2.1 — Stakeholders Performance Domain
**Version:** 1.0.0

## Definition
The Stakeholders Performance Domain addresses the activities and functions associated with stakeholders throughout the project life cycle (PMBOK8 §2.1). A stakeholder is any individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project. This domain focuses on identifying who stakeholders are, understanding their interests, needs, expectations, and degree of influence, and then working continuously to build productive working relationships, manage engagement, resolve conflicts of interest, and align stakeholder expectations with project objectives. The domain recognizes that stakeholder relationships are dynamic — they evolve as the project progresses — and therefore require ongoing attention rather than a single up-front analysis.

## Desired Outcomes
Per PMBOK8 §2.1, effective execution of the Stakeholders Performance Domain results in the following outcomes:

- **A productive working relationship with stakeholders throughout the project** — stakeholders are engaged, informed, and collaborative rather than passive or adversarial.
- **Stakeholder agreement with project objectives** — expectations are aligned early and continuously revalidated so that scope, schedule, and value definitions reflect shared understanding.
- **Stakeholders who are project beneficiaries are satisfied** — those who receive the project's outputs or are affected by its outcomes experience the project as responsive to their needs.
- **Stakeholder resistance to change is minimized** — proactive engagement reduces the friction that organizational or personal resistance can create for project delivery.
- **Conflicting stakeholder interests are identified and managed** — tensions between stakeholder groups are surfaced, addressed, and resolved rather than suppressed or ignored.

## Key Activities and Considerations
Grounded in PMBOK8 §2.1, practitioners operating in this domain carry out the following:

- **Identify stakeholders continuously** — Initial identification occurs early, but the stakeholder landscape changes as the project evolves; new stakeholders emerge and existing ones shift in influence or interest.
- **Analyze stakeholder characteristics** — Understand each stakeholder's interests, expectations, role, degree of influence, and potential impact on and from the project to prioritize engagement approaches.
- **Plan and execute tailored engagement** — Develop and implement engagement strategies appropriate to each stakeholder's profile; one-size-fits-all communication is insufficient for complex stakeholder landscapes.
- **Build trust through consistent communication** — Regular, transparent, and honest communication establishes credibility and reduces the likelihood of surprise or opposition.
- **Monitor stakeholder engagement levels** — Track whether engagement activities are achieving the desired results and adapt strategies when stakeholders become disengaged, resistant, or misaligned.
- **Manage conflicting interests** — When stakeholder groups hold competing priorities or expectations, surface these conflicts explicitly and work with governance structures and the team to resolve or balance them.
- **Close out stakeholder relationships at project completion** — Formally recognize stakeholder contributions, communicate final outcomes, and conduct lessons learned activities that include stakeholder feedback.

## Relationship to Principles
| Principle | Connection |
|---|---|
| P03 — Stakeholders | This principle directly grounds the domain: project teams engage stakeholders proactively, understand their needs and expectations, and work to foster positive relationships. The domain operationalizes this principle across the project life cycle. |
| P06 — Leadership | Effective stakeholder engagement requires leadership behaviors — empathy, active listening, conflict resolution, and the ability to build coalitions. Project managers and team leaders apply leadership skills to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics. |
| P12 — Change | Stakeholder engagement is inseparable from change management; stakeholders are the people who must accept, adopt, or adapt to project-driven change. Understanding readiness and resistance is central to both this principle and this domain. |
| P04 — Value | Stakeholder perspectives define what constitutes value; understanding and aligning with those perspectives ensures the project delivers outcomes that are genuinely beneficial rather than technically correct but organizationally rejected. |

## Artifact Connections
| Artifact | Connection |
|---|---|
| A07 — Stakeholder Register | The primary artifact of this domain. Documents all identified stakeholders, their roles, interests, influence levels, engagement status, and communication preferences. It is created early and updated throughout the project life cycle. |
| A10 — Communications Management Plan | Defines how, when, and in what format information is communicated to each stakeholder group. Directly supports planned and targeted engagement. |
| A28 — Communications Reporting Record | Documents the actual communication activities carried out — meeting records, status reports distributed, and engagement interactions logged. Provides an audit trail of stakeholder engagement execution. |
| A29 — Change Readiness and Adoption Record | Tracks stakeholder readiness for project-driven organizational change. Links stakeholder engagement to change management outcomes, especially for projects with significant organizational impact. |
| A14 — Integrated Project Management Plan | Incorporates the stakeholder engagement approach and communications strategy as integrated components; stakeholder decisions influence scope, schedule, and delivery planning. |

## Skill Connections
| Skill ID | Skill Name | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| SKL-02-02 | Identify Stakeholders | The foundational skill for this domain — systematically identifies all parties who may affect or be affected by the project, analyzes their characteristics, and creates the Stakeholder Register. |
| SKL-04-06 | Manage Stakeholder Engagement | The execution skill — implements the engagement strategy, builds relationships, addresses concerns, resolves issues, and fosters stakeholder participation throughout the project. |
| SKL-05-07 | Monitor Stakeholder Engagement | The control skill — tracks whether engagement efforts are achieving desired outcomes, identifies shifts in stakeholder posture, and triggers adjustments to engagement strategies as needed. |

## Interaction with Other Domains
| Domain | Interaction |
|---|---|
| PD02 — Team | Team members are also stakeholders; the Stakeholders domain includes the project team in its analysis, while the Team domain focuses specifically on enabling the people doing the work. Engagement principles apply internally as well as externally. |
| PD06 — Delivery | Stakeholders are the ultimate recipients and evaluators of deliverables. Their acceptance criteria, satisfaction signals, and feedback loops connect delivery outcomes directly to stakeholder engagement health. |
| PD07 — Measurement | Stakeholder satisfaction is a key project outcome metric. Measurement activities include assessing engagement levels, tracking sentiment, and evaluating whether stakeholder expectations are being met over time. |

## Questions to Ask in Practice
1. Have all affected stakeholder groups been identified, including those who may be indirectly impacted or who perceive themselves to be affected?
2. Do we understand each key stakeholder's real interests and motivations — not just their stated positions — and are we engaging accordingly?
3. Are there unresolved conflicts between stakeholder groups that could derail acceptance, adoption, or delivery of project outcomes?
4. Is our stakeholder engagement approach being adjusted as the project evolves, or are we relying on an outdated initial analysis?

*Authority: PMBOK8 Guide §2.1 — Stakeholders Performance Domain · Source type: PMI-derived*
*Repository: https://github.com/fakhruldeen/PMOSkills*
