According to the PMBOK® Guide, a project manager ' s Sphere of Influence is described as a set of relationships that the project manager develops and maintains to help satisfy the project ' s requirements.
While the project manager interacts with many stakeholders (including customers and sponsors), the specific category of stakeholders within the internal organization that a project manager must influence to obtain and manage personnel and physical resources is the Resource managers.
The Project Manager ' s Sphere of Influence: This model categorizes stakeholders into distinct circles.
The innermost circle is the Project Team.
The next circle includes Project Managers, Resource Managers, and Functional Managers. These are individuals the project manager must influence directly to ensure the team has the necessary skills and tools.
The outer circles include the Sponsor, Governing Bodies, Customers, and Users.
Analysis of other options:
Customers (Option A): These are typically external stakeholders (or internal to the business but external to the project team) who provide requirements and accept deliverables. While the PM interacts with them, they are generally in the outer rim of the influence model.
Sponsors (Option B): The sponsor is at a higher level of authority. The project manager works with the sponsor, but the sponsor typically influences the project manager and the organization ' s executives more than the PM influences them directly in a daily operational sense.
Directors (Option C): Directors are part of senior management or governing bodies. Similar to the sponsor, they provide oversight and strategic direction rather than being part of the PM ' s immediate, day-to-day functional influence network.
Per PMI standards, mastering the ability to influence Resource managers is essential for a project manager, especially in matrix organizations where the PM does not have direct authority over the staff.
