I’m amazed at what you can get away with if you manage expectations of your stakeholders. You can deliver late. You can over-spend. But only if you manage expectations along the way. Not manage those expectations and I’m equally amazed at how even one stakeholder can inflict serious pain on your project!

If we don’t involve them, we deliver what they asked for not what they wanted.

How do you manage expectations? Involvement. Stephen Covey has said, “No involvement, no commitment.” Wise words for project managers.