Mapping Stakeholders Requirements
As all experienced project managers know, delivering a project successfully is far more than simply delivering the task itself - it is also about trying to make sure that the various stakeholders have their needs and requirements satisfied as far as is possible. The stakeholders being those with a vested interest in the project and its’ outcomes.
Thus, what seems at first sight to be a simple building project turns into a far more complex exercise of satisfying and convincing various groups such as local authorities, health and safety, environmental groups, neighbours, and so on. For some projects, managing the stakeholder requirements is simply the key task the project manager faces.
This analysis will be covered again within "Project Planning" but for some projects a quick Stakeholder Analysis at this stage clarifies the issues and some of the support that may be needed from the Project Sponsor. Below is an example stakeholders for a training project with a major government department.
Clarifying these requirements helped the trainers to develop clear objectives for both the project and the individual training modules, in particular the need for a "house style", easier to start-up and establishment of projects, project management skills, and confidence.
The Procedure is as follows:
Review of the various stakeholders of the project and their requirements.
- Quickly map out a diagram similar to the example above.
- Brainstorm to establish the
stakeholders of the project - those with a vested interest
in the project and its’ outcomes.
- For each stakeholder, establish the key criteria (four or five)
by which they will assess the success of the project - what will
make them say that the project is a success.
- Look at the diagram for any major conflicts between
stakeholders, and for any stakeholders with difficult requirements.
- List the key requirements and convert them into aims and objectives for the project.