Advanced Programme and Stakeholder Management Training Course – Geneva, 28 Dec 2026 – 8 Jan 2027

Programme and Stakeholder Management is a 2-week advanced training course for programme managers, corporate affairs leads and engagement specialists who need one coordinated approach to the many groups affected by a set of related projects, and it ends with a Programme Stakeholder Engagement Plan. Large programmes now touch communities, investors, regulators of conduct and staff at once, so a single misjudged relationship can stall several projects together. Jupiter Prime Training offers this course in its public relations and reputation series.

Why Programme and Stakeholder Management Matters Now

Three forces shape how programmes handle their stakeholders today. Public scrutiny travels quickly through social channels, so a grievance raised on one project soon colours opinion of the whole portfolio. Sponsors and boards expect evidence that benefits are reaching the people promised them, not only that milestones were met. Partners and suppliers now carry part of the reputation exposure. A programme that engages well gains consent, speed and goodwill; one that engages poorly meets opposition, rework and loss of trust. The course draws on the AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (AA1000SES) for engagement quality and on the AMEC Barcelona Principles 3.0 for measuring outcomes.

Who Gains Most from Programme and Stakeholder Management

• Leaders responsible for coordinating several related projects toward a shared set of benefits
• Corporate affairs and public relations leads who protect organisational reputation during major change
• Engagement managers who hold relationships with communities, partners and interest groups
• Sponsor advisers and portfolio office heads who prepare governance boards for decisions
• Change and transformation leads who must win support from staff and external partners

A programme office that sends its programme lead, its communications lead and its engagement manager together gains most, because they leave with one shared map and one agreed plan.

Programme and Stakeholder Management Capabilities

Participants move from listing names on a register to steering relationships that decide whether a programme keeps its licence to operate.

• Assess stakeholder salience using power, legitimacy and urgency — for prioritising scarce engagement time
• Design an engagement plan that coordinates contact across projects — for programme leads and project managers
• Weigh conflicting interests and build negotiated agreements — for sponsors facing trade-offs
• Communicate programme benefits through a single message house — for communities, staff and investors
• Specify board papers that frame stakeholder risks clearly — for governance boards and sponsors
• Build a sentiment scorecard with corrective triggers — for reputation oversight by senior leaders

Key Programme and Stakeholder Management Terms

• Stakeholder salience — the degree to which a group's power, legitimacy and urgency demand attention from programme leaders.
• Benefits realisation — the process of confirming that the changes a programme promised actually reach the people and organisations intended.
• Engagement spectrum — a scale running from informing a group to partnering with it, used to choose the right depth of involvement.
• Programme board — the senior body that holds decision rights over scope, funding and risk across the related projects.
• Reputation risk — the chance that stakeholder perceptions of the programme turn negative and damage trust in the organisation.
• Sentiment tracking — regular measurement of how supportive or opposed each stakeholder group feels toward the programme.

Programme and Stakeholder Management Day by Day

Day 1: Programme Context and Stakeholder Forces

• Programme Charter and Benefits Map — Scope of Stakeholder Interests
• Strategic Context Scan — Pressures on Corporate Reputation
• Stakeholder Universe Inventory — Which Groups Fall Inside Scope
• AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (AA1000SES) — Principles for Engagement Quality
• Programme Reputation Baseline — Starting Position Before Engagement

Day 2: Stakeholder Mapping and Salience

• Power-Interest Grid — Priority Order for Engagement Effort
• Salience Model of Power, Legitimacy and Urgency — Who Demands Attention First
• Influence Network Diagram — Hidden Paths of Persuasion
• Stakeholder Register Design — Fields That Support Tracking
• Mapping Session Facilitation Plan — Gathering Views From Project Leads

Day 3: Interests, Expectations and Conflict

• Interest and Position Analysis — Room for Agreement
• Conflicting Interest Matrix — Trade-Offs Between Project Demands
• Expectation Gap Assessment — Where Promises Exceed Programme Capacity
• Coalition and Opposition Mapping — Alliances That Shift Outcomes
• Escalation Path Design — When Disputes Reach the Sponsor

Day 4: Engagement Strategy Across Projects

• Engagement Level Spectrum — Inform, Consult, Involve or Partner
• Cross-Project Engagement Calendar — Avoiding Contact Fatigue
• Single Point of Contact Model — Ownership of Each Relationship
• Engagement Plan Template — Commitments Per Stakeholder Group
• Feedback Loop Design — Showing Groups How Input Was Used

Day 5: Benefits Communication

• Benefits Realisation Narrative — Linking Outputs to Promised Change
• Message House for Programmes — Core Story Across Workstreams
• Benefit Profile Cards — Evidence Each Audience Expects
• Channel Selection Matrix — Briefings, Bulletins or Town Halls
• Communication Sequencing — Timing Messages to Programme Milestones

Day 6: Governance Boards and Sponsors

• Programme Board Terms of Reference — Decision Rights and Membership
• Sponsor Engagement Rhythm — Keeping Executive Backing Visible
• Board Paper Structure — Framing Stakeholder Risks for Decisions
• Senior Stakeholder Briefing Pack — Preparing Leaders for Hard Questions
• Decision Log and Assurance Trail — Accountability for Board Choices

Day 7: Reputation Risk in Programmes

• Reputation Risk Register — Threats From Delays and Disputes
• Issue Lifecycle Model — Catching Concerns Before They Become Crises
• Scenario Rehearsal for Programme Setbacks — Prepared Holding Statements
• Community and Media Interface Plan — Who Speaks for the Programme
• Supplier and Partner Conduct Watch — Reputation Exposure Through Third Parties

Day 8: Negotiation and Influence

• Principled Negotiation Method — Separating People From Problems
• BATNA Assessment — Strength of Each Party Before Talks
• Influence Tactics Repertoire — Choosing Persuasion Over Pressure
• Difficult Conversation Framework — Delivering Unwelcome Programme News
• Agreement Record and Follow-Up — Locking In Negotiated Commitments

Day 9: Sentiment Tracking and Measurement

• Stakeholder Sentiment Pulse Survey — Trend in Trust and Support
• Engagement Health Scorecard — Indicators Reported to the Board
• Barcelona Principles 3.0 — Outcome Measures Over Activity Counts
• Social and Media Listening Feed — Early Signals of Opposition
• Corrective Action Triggers — When Scores Demand a New Approach

Day 10: Practising the Programme Stakeholder Engagement Plan

• Mapping and Salience Review — Testing the Priority Groups Chosen
• Conflict and Negotiation Simulation — Applying Agreed Escalation Paths
• Board Briefing Rehearsal — Presenting Stakeholder Risks to Sponsors
• Sentiment Dashboard Build — Linking Scorecard to Engagement Calendar
• Programme Stakeholder Engagement Plan — Final Version for Leadership Sign-Off

Applying Programme and Stakeholder Management After the Course

• Run a salience mapping session with project leads and refresh the stakeholder register so every relationship has one named owner.
• Launch a monthly sentiment pulse for the three highest-priority groups and report its trend to the programme board alongside agreed corrective triggers.

Programme and Stakeholder Management Questions (FAQ)

What is Programme and Stakeholder Management and why does it matter now?

Programme and Stakeholder Management is the coordinated handling of every group affected by a set of related projects. It matters now because scrutiny spreads fast, boards expect proof of benefits, and one damaged relationship can delay several projects at once.

Which roles gain most from Programme and Stakeholder Management training?

Programme leads, corporate affairs and public relations leads, and engagement managers gain most. Portfolio office heads and change leads who brief sponsors also benefit, especially when several colleagues from the same programme attend together and build one shared map.

How does Programme and Stakeholder Management differ from single-project stakeholder training?

It works at the level of several connected projects rather than one. You coordinate contact across workstreams, manage conflicts between project demands, brief governance boards and track reputation risk for the whole programme, which a single-project course rarely covers.

What do you bring back from Programme and Stakeholder Management training?

You bring back a Programme Stakeholder Engagement Plan built on your own programme. It holds a salience map, engagement calendar, benefits message house, board briefing approach and sentiment scorecard that your team can put to use straight away.

Programme and Stakeholder Management: The Way Forward

The Programme Stakeholder Engagement Plan first informs which groups the programme board treats as priorities and how often each is contacted. Programme leads, communications staff and engagement managers use it as their shared reference. After its first cycle, revisit the salience map and sentiment trend, because priorities shift as projects move from design into delivery and benefits become visible.