Stakeholders are any individuals (sometimes companies or groups, but we ll keep it simple here) who have an interest or stake in the outcome of the project. Typical stakeholders are users, corporate executives, project team members, and the project sponsor. Different stakeholders have different needs, requirements, and expectations, so it s important to identify your various stakeholders early in the projects life. As you move through the definition and organization phases of this IT project management process, you may identify additional stakeholders. Keep in mind that stakeholders usually define (or refine) the projects requirements. Users are those who use or rely upon the project s deliverables, so clearly they have a stake in the project. The company is footing the bill for the project, so clearly corporate executives have a stake in the project s outcome. The project sponsor will be judged upon the success of the project, so clearly the project sponsor is a stakeholder. There are others who can be stakeholders in different circumstances and each company and project is different.