TOPIC: Procurement documents as a input to Identify Stakeholders?

Hi Everyone,

I need some clarification on the Identify Stakeholder process as it relates to the input of the Procurement Documents.

Since Identify Stakeholders is an Initiating process and the Procurement documents are an input, does this mean that there is already existing procurements in place? For example, another project entered into this procurement, which then in itself, spawned off the need for the it's own project requiring the need to capture those stakeholders. Would that be a correct understanding?

If this is a completely brand new project, then would we expect that during the Identify Stakeholders process, there would not be any procurement documents, therefore, the Stakeholder register should not have any Procurement stakeholders listed as this point? Would that be a correct understanding?

Once we arrive into the Plan Procurement Process with the Stakeholder Register as an input, this would be a list of stakeholders interested from an internal point (the Stakeholder Register doesn't appear to get updated here) in the Project Documents as listed on PMBOK 370) . As we progress to Conduct Procurements, when sellers, contractors/vendors have been selected & identified, I see then that the Stakeholder Register is then updated as part of Project Documents Updates.

The reason I am questioning this is in Aileen's PMP Exam Simplified book (Page 62) for Identify Stakeholders, it says:
Procurement Documents - These documents are an output of Plan Procurement Management and so may list key project stakeholders such as vendors/contractors, etc. If our customer is external, the contract may also list key stakeholders from within our customer's organization.

I am confused by that statement. I am questioning:

• Why would we return back to an Initiating process to Identify Stakeholders as it is implied we are continuously identifying stakeholders throughout the project? Also, I don't see in the output that the Stakeholder Register is updated in this process as part of Project Document Updates.
• It seems that vendors/contractors are not identified until Conduct Procurements. Procurement Documents is an output of Plan Procurement Management which may be (an RFI, RFP, RFQ,etc), but I don't see specifically where any seller/supplier would be specifically identified and attached to such documents as this point.

I am sure I am missing something here. Can someone set me straight on this?

Thanks...
Steven

Steven,

Lots of good questions you posed. I think it is important to remember that there is significant overlap with the activities of the different process groups. The chart on page 51 of the PMBOK guide is a good reference. So, while you may not be identifying stakeholders continuously throughout the project, there will be a period of time at the early stage where you will be identifying stakeholders while doing activities in other process groups. I am in that very situation right now on a project I am working on. Lots of stakeholders and trying to get a handle on that while also doing planning, executing and monitoring & controlling.

I could see how a document like the statement of work (SOW) could be an input to identify stakeholders. In my previous role we already had a preferred vendors list even before the project was underway. That would be an input into identify stakeholders even before you have created an RFP. You are using that information as input as you determine which vendors might be best suited for the project under consideration.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Hi Mark,

Thank you the response. As I have been doing a deep dive into the Procurement Management KA, I was able to read up about the Qualified Seller List (Prequalified Seller List) which can be noted as an OPA. What you have shared makes sense. Thanks for simplifying this for me.

Hello,
I concord with Mark's response. The explanation is clear and complete.
Good luck and best regards.

Thank you for your response Lazard.

A project can be the result of a procurement activity, so that the parties to the procurement contract become stakeholders in this project. (PMBOK 394).

I don't think qualified sellers can be considered stakeholders since they have not been appointed yet. The qualified seller list cannot be used to identify stakeholders, it can be used only for procurement activities even as an OPA. After a contract is signed with a qualified seller, that seller can certainly be identified as a stakeholder.