How do you keep stakeholders informed during a project?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Identify stakeholders and their information needs
- Create a communication plan: who, what, when, how
- Regular status reports and meetings
- Be honest and early with bad news
Model answer
I first list the stakeholders and understand what each one needs to know. A sponsor wants a short summary of progress, risks and decisions, while the team needs detailed task information. From this I make a simple communication plan: who gets what information, how often and through which channel. For example, a weekly one-page status report for the sponsor, a fortnightly steering meeting, daily stand-ups for the team and a shared project dashboard. I keep reports short and clear, using red, amber and green status honestly. If there is bad news, like a delay, I share it early together with a recovery plan, rather than waiting for the next meeting. I also check with stakeholders from time to time that the communication is still useful.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed easy round and get scored on every answer.
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