Stakeholder identification and engagement should begin during what phrase of the project?

Waiting until after the project management plan is completed delays stakeholder engagement well into the planning phase, missing the opportunity to incorporate key stakeholder input into planning.

The stakeholder engagement plan cannot be completed before stakeholders are identified, making this option circular and therefore impossible as a starting condition.

The project charter formally authorizes the project and names the project manager, making it the earliest point at which stakeholder identification can and should begin. PMI guidance states that the Identify Stakeholders process should be performed as early as possible and revisited throughout the project, starting from project initiation when the charter is approved.

Waiting until the communications management plan is completed delays engagement unnecessarily and prevents stakeholders from influencing earlier planning decisions.