2.31 Stakeholder Analysis

Preface

All projects affect individuals, groups, and organizations.  A solid understanding of who is affected and how is crucial to a successful project.

Inputs

Project Charter

Workplan

Analytical assistance from project team members and the project sponsor

Outputs

A matrix to help plan and manage project communications

Rationale

Successful project managers understand their project stakeholders’ needs and expectations, shape project deliverables to respond to those needs and expectations, and provide timely, relevant information to project stakeholders.  Projects that neglect to do this usually experience a greater or lesser degree of failure.

Procedures

Use the following matrix to organize the following information:

1.    Ask project sponsor to identify project stakeholders (stakeholders are individuals or groups whose interests [things that are important to them] may be positively or negatively affected by the conduct or results of the project).  Canvas team members for help identifying project stakeholders; confirm preliminary list with sponsor and team members.  Do not forget to identify project team members, the project sponsor, and managers of other operational areas as stakeholders.

2.    Interview stakeholders identified on preliminary list.  Provide a broad outline of why the project is being undertaken and what it hopes to produce.  Ask them to identify the three most important things they would like to see result from such a project and their three most pressing concerns about the project as it is currently understood.  Also ask them to identify other groups or individuals who they think will be affected by either the running of the project or its results.

3.    Analyze each stakeholder for the extent to which those things that are important to them (interests) are affected by the project (from direct to indirect) and the extent of their influence over the project, including the resources it will require (high to low).  Enter the results of this analysis along with each stakeholder’s key interests in the matrix.

4.    Identify the contribution the project needs from the stakeholder in order to succeed.

5.    Identify the key messages that each stakeholder should receive that speak directly to their interests and contribution.

6.    Identify who will be primarily responsible for communicating with this stakeholder.

7.    Identify the media that will be used to communicate the identified key messages to this stakeholder.  Note more than one medium may be appropriate for communicating different kinds of messages to the same stakeholder.

8.    Identify any barriers to effective communication with this stakeholder.  They may, for example, not use a Blackberry or dislike SharePoint sites or rarely read their email.

9.    Identify how you will overcome the identified barriers (motivators).

10.  Finally, identify the frequency with which communication in the various identified media will be used to communicate with this stakeholder.

11.  Pay attention to the feedback you receive to project communications; review and update the matrix if new stakeholders emerge, if it becomes apparent that certain communications are not being received or understood, and otherwise as required.