In a valley between two hill villages there's a place where the river widens and becomes still. A banyan tree provides shade and a focus for the women who come and go - girls collecting water, women doing laundry. Sujata, a community health worker, will often drop by when visiting a nearby project to sit and listen to the news and stories.

Beneath the tree it’s always busy. The women share stories, give each other advice. A small informal market has popped up, and women buy or trade produce with each other. Marriages have even been arranged here.

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time” - according to the American Poet John Lydgate.

He Obviously Never Did Stakeholder Management.

Let's talk about stakeholders.
 
After all, they are the most important part of any project. As development workers we are service providers, and our most important stakeholders are the end users of our services - the target communities we serve, whoever they may be - mothers, IDPs, girl children ...

Knowing what to expect at different points in the project leads to better data collection - and better management decisions.

But, too often, we try to collect data that isn't there (yet) - or overlook valuable insights from stakeholders that can guide the project towards successful achievement of results.

There Are Four Different Levels Of Information We Collect From End Users Throughout A Project's Life-Cycle.