Kompas

In project activities within the non-profit sector, the Project Manager, as the person responsible for achieving project results, interacts with a wide range of interested parties (stakeholders), including the project team, donors, suppliers, partners, beneficiaries, government authorities, communities, and others. In some cases, the number of such stakeholders is significant and their interests are diverse, which requires a systematic approach to addressing them to ensure successful project implementation and the achievement of the planned impact.

For this reason, it is important for a Project Manager to have practical tools in their professional toolkit that enable the analysis, planning, establishment, and monitoring of effective interaction with all stakeholders—both those directly involved in project implementation and those who benefit from it.

Based on the Project Management Standard and A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI)—an international professional organization that develops and maintains global project management standards—we will consider basic recommended tools that can help a project manager monitor interactions with the team and other stakeholders.

1) Team Charter

According to the approaches outlined in the PMBOK® Guide, a Team Charter is considered a document that establishes the core values, shared agreements, and principles of interaction among team members. Its content should appropriately include issues such as team values, communication rules and channels, decision-making approaches, conflict management mechanisms, procedures for conducting meetings, as well as other rules that govern collaborative work and internal team interaction.

When developing a Team Charter, it is important to ensure the active participation of all team members in its development, as each participant commits to adhering to the agreed arrangements and shares collective responsibility for complying with the rules established by the team. In addition, it is important to create conditions that enable the team to make decisions independently and take responsibility for them.

It should also be noted that even during the project, the Team Charter can be reviewed and amended if certain agreements are no longer effective or require improvement. Furthermore, the Team Charter helps new team members better orient themselves with the rules and practices that have already been established.

2) Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

According to the PMBOK® Guide, the Responsibility Assignment Matrix is a tool that systematizes information about the involvement of the project team as well as other stakeholders in performing specific work packages and visually illustrates the relationship between project tasks and the areas of responsibility of participants across project processes and phases. It helps avoid confusion regarding the distribution of roles and tasks within the team and among other stakeholders, especially when their number in a project is large.

One of the most common examples of such a matrix is the RACI model, where Responsible – the person who performs the work, Accountable – the person ultimately answerable for the results, Consulted – those whose opinions are sought, and Informed – those who are kept informed of outcomes. There is also an extended version, RASCI, which additionally includes Support – those who provide support or assistance.

Such a matrix may cover the entire project or only a specific phase. It can also be applied not only in project activities but in an organization’s operational work as well, for example, to distribute responsibilities in human resource or financial management processes.

The tool can also be adapted to specific needs. For instance, there is another model that shifts the focus toward decision-making—the DACI model, where Driver is the initiator, Approver is the decision-maker, Contributor provides input, and Informed is kept informed.

Developing a Responsibility Assignment Matrix may indeed take some time, but once created, it significantly simplifies participants’ understanding of their areas of responsibility and helps establish effective communication. It is important to familiarize all participants with the matrix and ensure that everyone clearly understands their role. At the same time, it is not recommended to include every single task, as this would make the table overly large and difficult to use. Instead, it is better to focus on high-level ones.

3) Stakeholder Register

According to the PMBOK® Guide, the Stakeholder Register is a project document that systematizes information about all project stakeholders, contains the results of their analysis, and establishes their classification. It typically records stakeholders’ roles in the project, analytical information regarding their requirements, expectations, and potential impact on project outcomes, as well as identifies the stage of the life cycle at which their influence is most significant. Particular attention in the register is given to stakeholder classification—such as internal and external stakeholders, by level of influence, power, or interest, and by vertical or horizontal relationships, or other models necessary for effective project management.

The development of the Stakeholder Register is usually the responsibility of the Project Manager. It is a practical tool that enables the systematic identification of all project stakeholders and helps to understand their interests, expectations, and level of influence. Through its use, the project manager can effectively plan communications, minimize risks, and ensure alignment of actions throughout the entire project life cycle, especially when a project involves a large number of stakeholders with diverse interests.

For a Project Manager in the non-profit sector, it is particularly important not to overlook the inclusion of beneficiaries in the Stakeholder Register, as project activities are usually implemented to meet their needs or address their problems. For this purpose, during project planning and grant proposal preparation, organizations are encouraged to conduct target audience research and to collect and use data from lessons learned in previous project activities.

Sources:

1. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Eighth Edition and The Standard for Project Management. ©2025 Project Management Institute, Inc.
2. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Seventh Edition and The Standard for Project Management (translated into Ukrainian). ©2021 Project Management Institute, Inc.