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Project Management vocabulary · Stakeholders & Communication

Manage expectations

Meaning in project management, with examples

/ˌmænɪdʒ ˌekspekˈteɪʃənz/phraseCommon term

In project management, manage expectations means: To make sure that clients, sponsors or users have a realistic idea of what will be delivered, when and at what quality, so they are not disappointed later.

In Turkish: beklentileri yönetmek, beklentileri gerçekçi tutmak

How it is used

A key soft skill for project managers, often mentioned in interviews and feedback. People manage the client's or stakeholders' expectations, usually by communicating early and honestly about limits and risks.

Example sentences

  1. We need to manage expectations: the first release will only have the basic features.

  2. She's very good at managing expectations, so clients are rarely surprised by bad news.

Common collocations

  • manage client expectations
  • manage stakeholder expectations
  • set expectations
  • unrealistic expectations
  • stakeholderAny person or group that is affected by a project or can influence it, such as the client, users, managers, suppliers or the project team itself.
  • stakeholder engagementThe ongoing work of involving stakeholders in a project: understanding their needs and concerns, communicating with them and keeping their support.
  • communication planA document that sets out who needs what information about the project, when and how often they get it, through which channel and who is responsible for sending it.
  • buy-inReal agreement with and support for a plan or decision from the people it affects, so that they are willing to help make it work.

More terms: Stakeholders & Communication

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