Ian Sharpe discusses the advantages of an iterative cycle for stakeholder identification.
It's very common to have a chicken-and-egg issue with stakeholders on some projects.
For example, how can you:
- Identify all of the relevant stakeholders until you know what the project is about?; and
- Define what the project is all about until you've consulted the relevant stakeholders?
In such cases there is clearly a need for an iterative cycle of identification - refining both the project objectives and scope, as well as who are really the relevant stakeholders.
Who else is involved? Effectively identifying & managing stakeholders from the outset
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Some tips for making this easier:
1. Kick off a list of stakeholders who are likely to be involved in the project-as-currently-known.
2. Document any 'stake' assumptions about stakeholders who have and have not been included (but who might have potentially been included on first thinking).
3. Sanity check the list and assumptions with the initial stakeholders by asking ' who else may be a stakeholder, given what we are going to do and/or the way we are thinking of doing it?'
4. Listen carefully to what they say. Others see things we do not - and their views on stakeholders can inform you and the Sponsor that there are factors that have not been considered in the scope.
5. Adjust the list and assumptions of ' stake' accordingly, based on the feedback.
6. At any point of change for the project (be it scope, time , or another change area) be prepared to revise your stakeholder set, and reengage.
An effective investment here helps prevent a great deal of scope unravelling later.
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