Identify stakeholders

The process to identify stakeholders is categorized by PMI as part of the stakeholder management knowledge area an the initiating process group.

According to the PMBOK, this activity has the following characteristics:

Inputs	Tools and Templates	Outputs
project charter, procurement documents, enterprise environmental factors, organizational process assets	stakeholder analysis, expert judgment, meetings	stakeholder register

It is important to identify the stakeholders to incorporate them into appropriate project activities, such as the communications management. In the stakeholder analysis, the parts which each stakeholder may play in the various project activities are identified. If done well, the stakeholders are included in the right meetings, communications, and decisions. Without stakeholder support, a project is likely to fail.

[T]he most crucial success factor in project management is effective communications to all stakeholders.

When identifying the stakeholders, it's important to consider multiple different groups of people who will participate in, affect or be affected by the project. There's the project team, sometimes their management and peers. Another set of stakeholders come from the organization(s) running the project -- funding it, working on it, providing knowledge. Then there are external participants or recipients: vendors, suppliers, neighbors, regulators, or the larger community. For government projects, there are citizens and residents. Every stakeholder does not need to be included in every part of the project, but by considering them and keeping them in mind with the stakeholder register and other stakeholder processes, you can reduce the chances of misunderstandings and later problems that could harm the project.

Related: stakeholder