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What Is a Stakeholder in PMP? (Simple Definition)
- Authors
- Name
- passpmpnow
Definition (PMP standard)
A stakeholder is any person or organization that can impact, be impacted by, or perceive that they can be impacted by a project decision, activity, or outcome.
This is the official PMI / PMBOK definition.
Memorize the three verbs:
- impact
- be impacted
- perceive they can be impacted ← this is often the trick in exam
Example
You are building an internal reporting dashboard.
- The CFO → uses the dashboard to approve budgets (directly impacted)
- The Data Team → provides data to the dashboard (impacts the project)
- The Procurement Manager → thinks this dashboard will reduce her manual work (perceives impact)
All three → are stakeholders.
Key point for exam
Stakeholder is NOT only “customer”.
In PMP, stakeholder coverage is broad.
The correct view is:
“Anyone who thinks they are affected — counts.”
Quick recall card
| Concept | One-line recall |
|---|---|
| Stakeholder | anyone who impacts, is impacted, or believes so |
| Main trap | perception is included |
| Exam advice | if in doubt → count them in |