Lesson 8: The Stakeholder You Forgot Will Come Back to Haunt You – Managing Hidden Influencers
Welcome back to my 21-part series on lessons learned throughout my IT project management career. Today’s lesson is about a silent project killer that has ruined many IT initiatives: the forgotten stakeholder.
By Tom Jones, IT Project Manager
Welcome back to my 21-part series on lessons learned throughout my IT project management career. Today’s lesson is about a silent project killer that has ruined many IT initiatives: the forgotten stakeholder.
You know how it goes—your project is moving along, milestones are being met, and then suddenly, a person you barely knew existed shows up and throws everything into chaos.
Maybe it’s the compliance officer who blocks your go-live because they weren’t consulted. Maybe it’s an operations lead who refuses to adopt the new system because their team wasn’t included in planning. Either way, your project is now at risk.
In today’s lesson, I’ll cover: ✅ Why missing a key stakeholder can cripple a project. ✅ How to identify hidden influencers before they cause problems. ✅ Strategies for effective stakeholder engagement. ✅ How ezRACI helps ensure no one gets overlooked.
The Forgotten Stakeholder Who Delayed a $10M Project
In 2011, I was leading an enterprise-wide cloud migration for a retail company. The project had full executive buy-in, and everything was on track—until three weeks before launch.
That’s when the head of customer service entered the chat.
“This new system doesn’t support our call center workflows.”
“We were never consulted on these changes.”
“We can’t train 200 agents on this in three weeks!”
And just like that, our project was delayed by six months.
We had never engaged the customer service team during planning. The new system required major process changes for them, but no one had accounted for it.
That’s when I learned: If someone is affected by your project, they are a stakeholder—whether you think so or not.
The 5 Biggest Stakeholder Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
🚨 1. Assuming the Org Chart Tells the Whole Story
❌ What happens: You consult senior leadership but forget about the people actually doing the work.
✅ Fix it:
Identify both formal and informal influencers.
Map out who will be impacted at every level of the organization.
Use ezRACI to track stakeholder roles in decision-making.
🚨 2. Engaging Stakeholders Too Late
❌ What happens: Stakeholders aren’t consulted until the project is nearly finished, leading to late-stage resistance.
✅ Fix it:
Engage stakeholders during the planning phase—not just before go-live.
Schedule regular check-ins to gather feedback early.
Track concerns in a centralized system like ezRACI.
🚨 3. Ignoring Internal Politics
❌ What happens: You assume rational decision-making, but hidden agendas exist.
✅ Fix it:
Identify who has territorial concerns over certain processes.
Secure buy-in from key influencers, not just executives.
Use relationship mapping to understand power dynamics.
🚨 4. Poor Communication Leads to Surprises
❌ What happens: Teams assume stakeholders are informed, but they’re actually in the dark.
✅ Fix it:
Use stakeholder newsletters or dashboards to keep everyone updated.
Hold quarterly reviews to prevent last-minute roadblocks.
Assign a stakeholder engagement owner in ezRACI to ensure consistency.
🚨 5. Not Defining Stakeholder Roles Clearly
❌ What happens: No one knows who approves, influences, or simply needs to be informed.
✅ Fix it:
Use a RACI matrix to define stakeholder involvement.
Make sure key stakeholders are identified as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed.
Keep all stakeholder roles visible in ezRACI.
How ezRACI Prevents Stakeholder Blind Spots
Stakeholder management fails when people get left out of the conversation. That’s why I use ezRACI to:
✅ Map out all affected teams so no one is forgotten. ✅ Assign engagement roles so it’s clear who needs to be consulted. ✅ Track feedback loops so stakeholder concerns are addressed before they become project blockers.
If your project has ever been derailed by a stakeholder you forgot about, ezRACI can help you stay ahead of the problem.
Final Thoughts: Stakeholder Management is Risk Management
The biggest lesson I’ve learned? Stakeholder issues aren’t just communication failures—they’re project risks.
✔️ Identify all affected parties early. ✔️ Engage them before decisions are finalized. ✔️ Track stakeholder input to avoid last-minute surprises.
Next time, in Lesson 9: When ‘Go-Live’ is a Disaster, I’ll share how a poorly planned system launch nearly crippled a business—and the strategies I now use to ensure smooth go-lives.
Disclaimer: This blog is written from the perspective of Tom Jones, a fictional IT Project Manager, and is intended for informational and educational purposes. While based on real-world project management principles, all anecdotes and characters in these posts are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. The blog also references ezRACI, a project management tool designed to help teams succeed in project execution. However, these opinions are solely those of the fictional character and do not constitute an official endorsement.
About Tom Jones
Tom Jones: A Veteran IT Project Manager Navigating the Complexities of Enterprise Technology
Tom Jones is a seasoned IT Project Manager with over two decades of experience leading complex enterprise technology initiatives. Based in South Florida, Tom has built a reputation as a pragmatic, results-driven leader who thrives on solving intricate business and IT challenges. His expertise spans project management, IT security, large-scale system migrations, and process optimization, making him a trusted figure in the industry.
Early Life and Education
Tom was born and raised in Pennsylvania, eventually attending Penn State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems (MIS) in 2003. His passion for technology and business integration was evident early on, as he quickly grasped the nuances of systems architecture and project execution. His ability to bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders became a defining characteristic of his career.
Professional Journey
Tom's career began at Unilever HPC as a Systems Analyst, where he got his first taste of large-scale enterprise operations. However, he quickly sought new challenges and moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a Consultant for the Department of Defense. This experience exposed him to high-stakes, mission-critical projects where precision and security were paramount.
Over the years, Tom took on increasingly demanding roles, managing SAP migrations, IT security projects, and various large-scale initiatives across industries. His ability to navigate high-pressure environments and deliver results led him to leadership roles in project management, where he excelled in driving teams toward successful project completion.
Leadership Philosophy
Tom's leadership style is rooted in accountability, transparency, and strategic execution. He believes that successful project management isn't just about timelines and budgets—it’s about aligning business objectives with technology solutions while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. His direct, no-nonsense approach has earned him the respect of peers, executives, and technical teams alike.
Entrepreneurial Ventures and ezRACI
In recent years, Tom has expanded his expertise into entrepreneurship, co-founding ezRACI, a SaaS platform designed to streamline compliance, audit trails, and project management workflows. Recognizing the inefficiencies in traditional project management tools, he sought to develop a solution that integrates collaboration features like Slack and MS Teams, industry-specific templates, and intuitive dashboards for workload optimization. His goal with ezRACI is to help teams achieve clarity, accountability, and efficiency in their IT projects.
Personal Life
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Tom is a devoted husband and father of two elementary school-aged children. He enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his kids' sports teams, and keeping up with the latest industry trends. His wife, who works at the local library, shares his appreciation for continuous learning and knowledge-sharing. Together, they have built a life centered around personal growth, resilience, and community.
Legacy and Vision
With over 21 years in the industry, Tom Jones remains a passionate advocate for effective project management and IT governance. Through his blog, he shares lessons learned, war stories from past projects, and insights on optimizing workflows in modern enterprises. Whether leading large IT transformations or mentoring the next generation of project managers, Tom's mission remains the same: to drive efficiency, innovation, and lasting impact in the world of enterprise technology.
As he continues to build ezRACI into a premier project management tool, Tom is committed to reshaping how teams collaborate, execute projects, and maintain compliance in an ever-evolving digital landscape.