Sarah Andriani

Presentation: Stakeholder Management: Navigating the Stakeholder Web – A Practitioner’s Experience

Abstract: Just like a spider sits in the middle of its web to monitor and react to motions in its complex frame of radius threads, the DSMD project manager plays a central role in monitoring and reacting to the various and complex needs of their many stakeholders. With so many stakeholders involved in demographic surveys, how do project managers handle the scope and challenges of stakeholder management?

This paper will discuss the project management methods and processes developed and used by the Management Operations Office of the Demographic Statistical Methods Division to most effectively manage the often competing needs of its internal and external stakeholders. I will detail the list of stakeholders and their relationships to the DSMD PM, outline the tools and processes developed to handle their individual needs with regard to scope, schedule and budget, provide practical examples of tailoring project management techniques for various clients, and highlight new stakeholder management processes currently in development.

PMI Talent Triangle: Technical Project Management

Biography: Sarah Andriani holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geography and International Relations from the University of Delaware. After graduate school, Sarah worked as a Project Manager for 9 years in the private sector in the travel and tourism research industry, providing research and account management services for city and state level tourism offices before beginning her career at the US Census Bureau in 2006.

Sarah joined the Demographic Statistical Methods Division of the Census Bureau in June 2006 where she worked as an analyst for the Private School Survey and the National Teacher and Principal Survey. In 2009, her role changed to DSMD Project Manager for the full suite of Education Surveys that the Census Bureau conducts on behalf of the Department of Education.
In her role as project manager, Sarah has developed and managed a multitude of complex schedules for overlapping, multi fiscal year survey cycles, developed and monitored budget and scope during fluctuating fiscal times, helped to improve project management processes and deliverables, and worked with stakeholders at all levels of government and the private sector to improve the timeliness and cost of DSMD work on the education surveys.

Sarah received a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the George Washington University in 2008 and an Associate Citation in Business Analysis in 2012.