Projects that make effective use of project stakeholder management (PSM) tend to run smoothly and be successful because stakeholders understand and agree with the project approaches and outcomes. Projects with ineffective stakeholder management, on the other hand, frequently experience delays and cost overruns or may even be terminated. To date, project teams have limited methodological support for PSM: Existing methods are dominantly static and internally focused, making it difficult to manage so-called external stakeholders, who are not under the authority of the project manager. This work aims to improve PSM practice by closing the methodological gap. We developed a novel decision-support methodology, based on Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) modeling that leverages stakeholders’ public comments to anticipate the project’s impacts on them and to make conflicts between stakeholder interests and project objectives transparent. A demonstration of the method is provided using a single case—namely, a longitudinal case study at Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal agency that provides power to the Pacific Northwest.

A growing body of research suggests that the fuzzy front-end of product development should not be managed with a one-size-fits-all standard process. Instead, projects with different market and technical uncertainties should be managed with one of five different processes (linear, recursive, evolving, selectionism, trial-and-error). Based on a review of the literature, the paper develops a theoretical framework for frontend management which provides the foundation for ongoing empirical research.

Many new products that were originally welcomed for addressing customer requirements and greater societal needs turn out to have severe negative consequences because product developers uncertain about or unaware of the of the far-reaching and indirect effects of their product designs on diverse stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) aims to solve this problem by improving decision-makers knowledge about and empathy for stakeholder concerns. However, it does not provide systematic approaches for integrating and applying stakeholder knowledge into the product development process. To address this gap, this paper proposes a novel approach for bridging stakeholder engagement and product planning that is based on Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) modeling. The method helps product planners to systematically capture, understand, and assess stakeholder needs and their interdependencies. For illustration purposes, the method is used for planning alternative product concepts for renewable energy systems in an urban EcoDistrict.

The objective of the technology assessment (TA) process is to understand problematic and undesirable consequences from the development and application of technology. TA advocates for the engagement of technology experts and stakeholders to understand the effects of technology. However, TA is often criticized that the decision-making This novel approach supports both stages of the process: capturing expert and stakeholder perspectives in cognitive maps, and then using FCM for assessment and decision-making. The methodology shows how experts and stakeholders perceive the value or harm of a technology alternative, which stakeholders share the same perspectives, and how these perspectives change over time. The methodology also shows the degree to which expert and stakeholder perspectives are in support or in conflict with the organizational objectives to help avoid the direct and indirect ii consequences associated with the decision. Finally, the methodology shows how new or changing perspectives by experts and stakeholders affect the outcome of the decision to improve system knowledge.

Many mergers and acquisitions in high technology do not yield the expected results and acquired technologies fail to create value as planned. One explanation is the difficulty to transfer and integrate the tacit components of technological knowledge, when work groups and teams are disrupted. Mergers force work group and team members to redefine their roles, change their working approaches, and develop a shared vision and culture. The paper therefore researches high-tech mergers from a team perspective through an exploratory case study of two formerly separate Quality Assurance groups that were integrated into one. The case study identifies three factors that impact team performance after a merger: strong vision, clear communication, and operational synergy built on an open team culture and a common working approach