5 Stakeholder Management Courses to Align Project Goals for BAs

Business analysts (BAs) serve as the bridge between stakeholders and project teams. This makes it crucial for them to master stakeholder management because it's not just a skill but a crucial competency for BAs. Explore 5 handpicked stakeholder management courses to help you plan your projects more efficiently and achieve your project goals as a business analyst.

Why is Stakeholder Management Important?

Stakeholder management helps BAs align project objectives and stakeholder expectations. By proactively engaging with stakeholders, they can understand the project requirements and insights well, plan the project as per the requirements, mitigate risks, and promote collaborative partnerships, leading to its success. BAs can consider exploring online stakeholder management courses to deepen their understanding of efficient stakeholder management.

Top Stakeholder Management Courses

1. Stakeholder Management by Starweaver
2. Project Management Communication, Stakeholders & Leadership
3. Project Planning and Communication: Mastering Gantt Charts and Stakeholder Management
4. Managing Projects: Why Stakeholder Matter
5. Stakeholder Management and Communications

 

1. Stakeholder Management by Starweaver

 

This course thoroughly overviews stakeholder management methods and techniques, blending theoretical models with practical advice. Participants will learn best practices, tools, and techniques for managing stakeholder relationships, including identifying and analysing stakeholders, understanding their needs and expectations, planning for collaboration, and assisting stakeholders during organizational changes. The course is divided into four lessons:

1. Identify Stakeholders: Focuses on strategies for recognizing different stakeholder groups and individuals.
2. Stakeholder Analysis: Covers various methods to analyze key stakeholders' characteristics, attitudes, and expectations.
3. Stakeholder Collaborations: Teaches how to build effective working relationships with stakeholders.
4. Change Support: Provides an overview of organizational change management to help manage stakeholders effectively.

Course Name	Stakeholder Management
Duration	5 hours
Provider	Coursera
Course Fee	Subscription based - Rs. 4,117/month (Audit for free)
Trainer	Igor Arkhipov, Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) & Coach, Starweaver
Skills Gained	Needs Assessment, Change Management, Stakeholder Management, Collaboration Skills
Students Enrolled	4000+
Total Reviews	4.5/5

2. Project Management Communication, Stakeholders & Leadership

The Project Management Communication, Stakeholders & Leadership course covers the fundamentals of project management. It further focuses on skills like communication, stakeholder management, and leadership. Both beginer and experienced BAs can consider taking up this course. The course takers will learn how to lead teams effectively, communicate with stakeholders, and create a positive project environment. 

The course includes practical exercises and real-world examples to enhance stakeholder management and leadership skills throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, it prepares learners for PMI certifications, such as the Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM) and Project Management Professional (PMP).  

Course Name	Project Management Communication, Stakeholders & Leadership
Duration	6 hours
Provider	Coursera
Course Fee	Rs. 2,436 (Audit for free)
Trainer	Daniel C. Yeomans, Kasie Kyle - SkillUp EdTech
Skills Gained	Project Management, Communication, Leadership, Stakeholder Management
Students Enrolled	10.900+
Total Reviews	4.6/5

Explore: Business Analyst Courses

3. Project Planning and Communication: Mastering Gantt Charts and Stakeholder Management

The course will help you learn how to evaluate different stakeholder groups and their impact on project performance, as well as design a stakeholder engagement plan that addresses communication, ethics, and leadership. Later in the course, you will also explore how various project components interact and how one change affects the overall project. You will also explore strategies for managing stakeholders based on their strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics. The course will cover how to develop working plans for projects, including estimating activity durations, creating network diagrams, and making Gantt charts.

Course Name	Project Planning and Communication: Mastering Gantt Charts and Stakeholder Management
Duration	2 weeks
Provider	FutureLearn
Course Fee	Rs. 900/month
Trainer	Coventry University
Skills Gained	Requirements Planning, Project Scope, Stakeholder Management, Project Scheduling, Resource Allocation
Students Enrolled	10.900+
Total Reviews	4.7/5

4. Managing Projects: Why Stakeholder Matter

In this course, you will learn how to identify both clear and hidden needs of stakeholders and how to maintain their engagement throughout the project. Explore the benefits of effective stakeholder management and identify your stakeholders, analyze their needs using emotional intelligence and data tools, and take a service-oriented approach as a leader. By the end of the course, you will be able to explain why stakeholders matter, recognize their roles, identify what drives their engagement, master the stakeholder engagement process, and understand different tools for managing stakeholder relationships.

Course Name	Managing Projects: Why Stakeholder Matter
Duration	23 Minutes
Provider	Linkedin Learning
Course Fee	Free
Trainer	Natasha Kasimtseva, Project Management Practitioner
Skills Gained	Stakeholder Management
Students Enrolled	281,000+
Total Reviews	4.7/5

5. Stakeholder Management and Communications 

BAs can take up this course to enhance their competency to build and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders. The course will tecah you how to appropriately influence and engage stakeholders, including managing their interests and expectations, and how best to communicate with different groups of people. The course offers practical guidance on how to understand stakeholders, power dynamics at play, delivering difficult news, and identifying allies, opponents, and neutral parties to align them with the project. 

Course Name	Stakeholder Management and Communications
Duration	7 Hours
Provider	Institute Project Management
Course Fee	Rs. 29,531
Skills Gained	Stakeholder Engagement, Communications, Stakeholder Relationships
Total Reviews	4.8/5

Key Learning Outcomes of Taking Stakeholder Management Courses

Taking up these stakeholder management courses can help BAs to -

• Systematically identify stakeholders and categorize them to create suitable relationships.
• Develop strategies to engage with various stakeholders, addressing their questions and concerns about participating in the project.
• Use practical tools to clarify roles and responsibilities among stakeholders and maintain transparency.
• Learn how to communicate with senior leaders and governance and persuade them to support project goals and recommendations.
• Learn techniques to minimize conflicts with stakeholders.