Stakeholder Politics: The Hidden Election Inside Every Project (Vol. 1, Issue 7)
- D.B Trench
- Dec 29, 2025
- 3 min read
Excerpt:
A short field dispatch about the political undercurrents inside every project — the alliances, mood swings, secret campaigns, and surprising plot twists no Gantt chart can predict.
Full Issue:
Every project in Deliveria eventually turns into a political campaign.
Not officially, of course. No one stands at a podium. No one declares candidacy. No one says, “I approve this message.”
But the signs are always there:
sudden friendliness
strategic silence
meetings held without you
decisions phrased as “team consensus” despite nobody remembering the discussion
and the mysterious appearance of new “sponsors” halfway through the timeline
If you’ve ever wondered why your project feels tense for reasons that have nothing to do with work…you’re probably living inside the Hidden Stakeholder Election.
Welcome back to The PMTales Dispatch, where we study the forces shaping projects that no one admits exist.
A Tale from the Trench
The first time I encountered Stakeholder Politics, I didn’t recognize it.
I thought the sponsor and product owner were simply “aligned.”
I thought the architect was “offering guidance.”
I thought the director’s sudden weekly check-ins meant she was “engaged.”
No. They were campaigning. And the project was the battleground.
Two factions silently formed:
Faction A: “Deliver Fast”
Their slogan: “We need momentum.”
Faction B: “Deliver Right”
Their slogan: “We need stability.”
Neither group ever said these words out loud. They simply acted on them — subtly, repeatedly, relentlessly.
Decisions shifted. Priorities warped. Escalations began to… drift sideways.
Architecture declared victory in one meeting. Product declared victory in the next.
By mid-month, I realized what was happening:
There were competing visions for the project, and I — the PM — was the involuntary election officer.
The Signs of a Stakeholder Election
If any of these are happening on your project, the election is already underway:
“Shadow alignment”
Private side conversations that mysteriously change the direction of work.
“Supportive sabotage”
People nod in meetings, then quietly ignore decisions afterward.
Sudden interest from someone five levels above you
They appear with great energy, then vanish before consequences arrive.
“Data” that contradicts other “data”
A classic tool of political strategy: select only the metrics that support your narrative.
Decisions that aren’t really decisions
They sound final…until someone else “has concerns.”
This is not lack of clarity.This is vote consolidation.
Survival Lesson #7: Projects Are Political Organisms
The biggest lie in project delivery is:
“We’re all on the same team.”
In reality:
People have reputations to protect
Departments have histories
Leaders have goals
Teams have preferences
And stakeholders have agendas (small-s “agendas,” but still agendas)
You are not managing a project. You are managing a coalition.
And coalitions shift.
Your Best Tool: The Alignment Map
Whenever politics surface, draw a simple mental map:
Who wants speed? - Who wants the win now?
Who wants quality? - Who fears public mistakes?
Who wants visibility? - Who needs credit?
Who wants safety? - Who avoids risk at all costs?
Who wants control? - Who feels threatened by change?
Once you know these positions, every odd behaviour suddenly makes sense.
People don’t act irrationally. They act according to their incentives.
A PMTales Insight
As a PM, you are often the neutral territory where political energy gets redirected.
That’s why you sometimes feel:
caught
blindsided
frustrated
confused
pressured
inexplicably exhausted
You are absorbing the tension between other people’s goals.
It’s not personal. It’s structural.
How to Calm a Political Storm
Use this one line:
“Before we proceed, I want to check: Are we solving the same problem?”
If the room pauses…if people look at each other…if someone shifts uncomfortably…
Congratulations. You’ve exposed the factions.
From there, alignment becomes possible. Hard, but possible.
From the PMTales Armory
When politics begin to swirl, grab:
The Goalpost Mover Creature Card - Perfect for naming shifting priorities without escalating conflict.
The Stakeholder Register & Analysis Grid - Stakeholder Power and Influence grids to survive election season.
Field Note of the Week
A project is not a puzzle. It’s a negotiation.
Once you understand the election happening beneath the surface,you stop taking behaviours personallyand start guiding the coalition toward a shared direction.
That’s real PM work.Invisible, political, deeply human.
Until Next Week
May your stakeholders align, your factions stay stable, and your coalitions hold long enough to deliver something meaningful.
See you in the trench,
D.B. Trench
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