Strategic Business Leader · Leading and managing projects

Project Teams, Leadership and Stakeholders for ACCA SBL

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Project leadership means building and directing a team, managing stakeholders' expectations, and keeping governance and communication in place so the project delivers its objectives. In SBL, you identify who matters, choose a fitting leadership approach, set clear reporting and oversight, and tie every point to the case scenario.

Understand Project Teams, Leadership and Stakeholders

A project is a temporary effort to deliver a defined outcome. People make it succeed or fail. The project manager plans and controls the work. The project team does it. Stakeholders are anyone affected by the project or able to affect it. Your job in SBL is to show how these three groups are led and aligned.

Leading the team. Project teams are often temporary and drawn from different departments. Members may report to a functional boss and to the project manager at the same time. This creates conflicting loyalties. A good leader sets a clear goal, defines roles, builds trust and handles conflict early. The right style depends on the situation. A new, inexperienced team needs more direction. A skilled, motivated team needs delegation. Tuckman's stages (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning) help you explain how a team develops and what the leader should do at each stage. Belbin's team roles help you explain why a balanced mix of people matters.

Managing stakeholders. Stakeholders want different things and some will oppose the project. Start by identifying them, then assess their power and interest, for example with Mendelow's matrix. High-power, high-interest stakeholders need close management. High-power, low-interest ones need to be kept satisfied. Low-power, high-interest ones need to be kept informed. Expectations must be agreed early and revisited, because scope creep and silent disappointment damage projects.

Communication and governance. Governance is how the project is directed and held to account. Typical elements are a project sponsor who owns the business case, a steering committee that approves stage gates and key changes, defined escalation routes, change control, and regular reports on progress, cost, risk and quality. Communication should state who gets what information, how often, in what form and from whom. Poor governance leads to unclear accountability, unchecked overspend and projects that continue after the business case has failed.

In the exam, link all of this to the case. Name the actual people, their interests and the actual weaknesses in how the project is run. Then recommend what to do.

Key rules to remember

Tuckman's team development stages: Forming → Storming → Norming → Performing → Adjourning; Use to explain how a team matures and how leadership should shift, from directing early on to delegating when performing.
Mendelow's matrix responses: High power + high interest = manage closely; high power + low interest = keep satisfied; low power + high interest = keep informed; low power + low interest = monitor; Classify each stakeholder from the case before recommending an engagement approach.
Project constraints: Scope, time, cost and quality (with risk) are interdependent; A change to one usually affects the others. Use this when assessing change requests.
Governance roles: Sponsor (business case) + Steering committee (oversight, stage gates) + Project manager (delivery); Use to identify gaps in accountability in a case scenario.

How to solve Project Teams, Leadership and Stakeholders questions

Use this method for any SBL requirement on project teams, leadership, stakeholders or governance.

1Read the requirement and note the verb (assess, evaluate, recommend, advise) and who you are writing for.
2Identify the project, its objectives and the problem signals in the case, such as delays, conflict, unclear roles or weak reporting.
3List the people involved: team members, sponsor, managers, customers, regulators, suppliers, and rank them by power and interest.
4Apply one or two suitable models only, for example Tuckman, Belbin or Mendelow, and tie each point to named facts in the case.
5Evaluate: say what is working, what is not, and the consequences for time, cost, quality and relationships.
6Recommend specific actions: leadership style, communication plan, governance structure, escalation and change control.
7Write in the required format and tone, and show professional skills such as judgement, scepticism and clear communication.

Quickest way: People, Power, Process

When to use it: Use this when time is short and you need a structured answer to a project people or governance requirement.

People: who is on the team and what leadership issue exists?
Power: who are the key stakeholders and what do they expect?
Process: what governance, reporting and change control is missing or weak?
For each, write point, case evidence, consequence, recommendation.
Finish with a short prioritised conclusion.

Common mistakes in Project Teams, Leadership and Stakeholders

Listing theories such as Tuckman or Belbin without applying them to the case.
Students memorise models and reproduce them as knowledge.
Fix: Use each model to explain a specific fact in the scenario and state what the manager should do as a result.
Treating all stakeholders the same way.
Students list stakeholders but skip the analysis of power and interest.
Fix: Classify each stakeholder and give a different engagement approach to each group.
Confusing the roles of sponsor, steering committee and project manager.
The terms sound similar and are used loosely in practice.
Fix: Remember that the sponsor owns the business case, the steering committee oversees and approves, and the project manager delivers.
Giving generic advice such as 'improve communication'.
It is a safe phrase that needs no case knowledge.
Fix: Say who should report what, to whom, how often and why, using the case facts.
Ignoring the conflict between functional managers and the project manager in matrix settings.
Students focus on the team and miss the reporting lines.
Fix: Point out dual reporting, its effect on priorities, and recommend clear authority and resource agreements.

Worked examples

Example 1

A retailer's new IT system project has a team drawn from finance, operations and IT. Team members argue over priorities, the project manager lacks authority over them and the CEO, who is the sponsor, has not attended a meeting for three months. Advise the board on the leadership and governance problems and what to do.

Show the solution

Identify the team issue: members come from different functions with different priorities and dual reporting, and this suggests the team is in the storming stage.
Identify the authority issue: the project manager has responsibility but not authority over team members, so conflicts cannot be resolved quickly.
Identify the governance issue: the sponsor is absent, so nobody is actively owning the business case, deciding on conflicting priorities or approving changes.
Consequences: delay, rising cost, poor quality decisions and falling morale as conflicts remain unresolved.
Recommend leadership action: set shared objectives, define roles, and use a more directing and coaching style while the team is in storming, moving to delegation as it matures.
Recommend authority: agree with functional heads how much time each member gives and who has the final say on project priorities.
Recommend governance: set up a steering committee meeting monthly, require the sponsor to attend, and set escalation routes and a change control process.

Answer: The team is in conflict because of dual reporting and unclear authority, and governance is weak because the sponsor is absent. Clarify roles and authority, lead with a directing then coaching style, and establish a steering committee with an engaged sponsor, escalation routes and change control.

Example 2

A hospital group is building a new patient records system. Stakeholders include clinicians (high power, strongly opposed to extra data entry), the regulator (high power, low day-to-day interest), patients (low power, high interest) and a supplier (low power, moderate interest). Recommend how to manage these stakeholders.

Show the solution

Classify each using power and interest: clinicians are high power and high interest, the regulator is high power and low interest, patients are low power and high interest, and the supplier is low power and moderate interest.
Clinicians: manage closely. Involve them in design, run pilots, listen to the data-entry concerns and adjust the workflow. Their opposition could stop adoption.
Regulator: keep satisfied. Give brief, regular updates on compliance and data protection and consult before major decisions.
Patients: keep informed. Provide clear information on privacy and benefits through letters, the website and patient groups.
Supplier: monitor and manage contractually, with clear deliverables, milestones and review points.
Add a communication plan: owner, frequency and channel for each group, and review the analysis as positions change.

Answer: Manage clinicians closely through involvement and pilots, keep the regulator satisfied with regular compliance updates, keep patients informed about privacy and benefits, and manage the supplier through contract milestones, supported by a clear communication plan.

Exam tips

Always use names and facts from the case. Generic theory earns few marks.
Pick one or two models and apply them well rather than listing many.
Cover both the team and the stakeholders when the requirement says 'leadership and governance'.
Make specific recommendations, such as who attends the steering committee and how often it meets.
Write in the format asked for, such as a briefing note or email, to earn professional skills marks.

Practice questions from Leading and managing projects

Project Teams, Leadership and Stakeholders: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a project sponsor and a project manager?

The sponsor owns the business case and is accountable for the benefits, usually at senior level. The project manager runs the project day to day and delivers within agreed scope, time, cost and quality.

What does a project steering committee do?

It provides oversight of the project. It approves stage gates, key changes and budgets, resolves issues that the project manager cannot, and checks that the business case still holds.

Which models should I use for stakeholder management in SBL?

Mendelow's power-interest matrix is the most useful for deciding how to engage each group. Add stakeholder identification and a communication plan, and apply them to the case.

How do I show professional skills in a project question?

Answer the exact requirement in the correct format and apply your points to the case. Show judgement by weighing options, scepticism by questioning assumptions, and communicate clearly with a reasoned recommendation.