What does stakeholder management help to identify?

Stakeholder management is crucial for identifying potential barriers to success within a project. This process involves recognizing and engaging with all parties who have an interest in the project, including those who may be affected by it or hold influence over it. By understanding their concerns, expectations, and insights, a project manager can uncover obstacles that might impede progress, such as conflicting interests, lack of resources, or insufficient stakeholder support.

By actively managing stakeholders, the project manager can address misunderstandings early on, gather diverse perspectives that may highlight issues not initially considered, and develop strategies to mitigate these barriers. This proactive approach improves the likelihood of project success, ensuring that stakeholders are aligned and supportive of the project's objectives.

In contrast, the other options focus on aspects that are important to project management but do not directly relate to the identification of obstacles. Project timelines, external funding sources, and resource allocation are critical components of project planning and execution but stem from different areas of project management rather than the specific engagement and analysis of stakeholders.