It takes many diverse perspectives, insights, and support to create meaningful change in an organization. For all of this, we, as business analysis professionals, rely on stakeholders. We look to them to help us uncover opportunities for solutions, provide input on solution needs, support our initiatives either by funding them or actively participating in their construction, and they can even influence the scope of a project.
However, not all stakeholders carry the same level of influence in each change initiative. Some require more engagement or involvement than others. Depending on their role in the organization, they may be more actively involved or less so.
In this article, I’ll provide you with some tools and techniques to help determine the appropriate level of involvement for each stakeholder and how to effectively keep them engaged.
Stakeholder Power Interest Analysis
To determine a stakeholder’s level of interest and necessary involvement in an initiative, you can conduct a Stakeholder Power Interest Analysis. To do this, you need to understand three key qualities about each stakeholder. You need to determine:
- Their interest level in the project – do they care much about the project, or is it not even on their radar?
- The power or authority they hold over the project – Are they an executive who carries influence over whether the initiative gets funded, or a supervisor on the team who is participating?
- Their own level of project engagement – are they aware of what’s going on, and are they supportive, or are they a detractor for this initiative?
For the interest level and power level, you’ll rank each stakeholder as Very High, High, Low, or Very Low. Once that is completed, you’ll rank each stakeholder’s level of engagement as Unaware, Resistant, Neutral, Supportive, or Leading. Once these three areas are identified for each of the major stakeholders, you’ll plot them into a Stakeholder Power Interest Matrix to visually see where each stakeholder resides. From here, you’ll be able to determine how to manage, communicate with, and engage each stakeholder type.
Conduct a Stakeholder RACI Matrix
Another stakeholder analysis exercise you can complete is a RACI matrix. This helps us align the responsibilities of stakeholders to project tasks. RACI stands for:
Responsible – Who is responsible for completing this task?
Accountable – Who signs off on this task? Who has authority over this task?
Consulted – Who is the subject matter expert? Who should be consulted for information for this task?
Informed – Who needs to be notified of the task status and provided updates on task results?
A RACI matrix helps identify who is responsible and accountable for each task, and it also helps eliminate confusion, alleviate potential power struggles, and assign ownership so that stakeholders are all aligned in their understanding of who is responsible for what in the initiative.
To identify all of these for each stakeholder, you can plot them on a RACI Matrix. You’ll label the top of the matrix with roles and label the side with tasks for the project, using the middle as a responsibility grid to identify which RACI category is appropriate for each stakeholder and task.
If completing a RACI matrix seems a little overwhelming, don’t worry. I provide detailed direction on how to complete this exercise (and all of the other techniques I mention in this article) in my Plan the Project course. And because here, at The BA Guide, we’re all about making your job as easy as possible, I also provide templates for you for each of these exercises.
Complete a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)
Similar to the RACI matrix, the responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) aligns the responsibilities of stakeholders to project tasks and activities. One thing to keep in mind is that RAMs are primarily used in Predictive initiatives because they mirror the work breakdown structure used in that methodology.
While the structure of the matrix is the same as the RACI matrix, the responsibility assignment matrix uses different letters to assign specific roles to individual project tasks. The letters we use are PSA:
Primary Responsibility (The role or individual chosen is the one who is responsible for this task)
Secondary Responsibility (The individual is not fully responsible but they’ll be helping with it)
Approval (Who is going to give approval that this activity or task has been completed correctly?)
Completing the RAM exercise is very similar to the RACI matrix, but with one key difference. With the RAM, you’ll be transferring your key activities from a Work Breakdown Structure exercise that you would have completed earlier, if you’re following a Predictive approach.
Define a Collaboration and Communication Plan
To provide yourself with structure and guidance when communicating with stakeholders, create a collaboration and communication plan. Having a plan provides you and your team with transparency and knowledge about the project at hand, helps you gain acceptance, and encourages engagement among stakeholders. It also provides stakeholders and the project team with the opportunity to provide feedback.
Your plan should notably include a kickoff meeting, project status reports, and meeting notes. Let’s take a look at why each of these is a crucial component for an effective communications plan.
Kickoff Meeting
Every project should have a kickoff meeting. This meeting is like a rally at the beginning of the project. In it, you’ll set the stage with some background about the project and why it’s happening, you’ll provide a very high-level overview of the scope of the project and will review the objectives, you’ll help define and assign who will be engaged and involved in this project, and should provide a chance for a question and answer period and open discussion.
Essentially, the kickoff meeting is all about creating a shared understanding of the project’s purpose, scope, and approach, while building enthusiasm and setting the foundation for effective collaboration. It’s the first step in forging a strong working relationship among all stakeholders.
Project Status Report
Every initiative should also have project status reports. These communications provide a snapshot of the project’s progress, highlight potential issues, and ensure transparency to everyone involved and interested in the project.
A typical project status report should include the project title and reporting period, a concise and high-level project status summary, details of the work completed during the reporting period, key accomplishments and milestones achieved, planned activities for the next reporting period, and any issues or challenges the team faced.
Meeting Notes
For each of these communication plan components, we need to be clear about who will be involved and who will receive these communications. Who needs to attend the kickoff meeting? Who should be receiving the project status reports and meeting notes? These are necessary questions to answer, ensuring you provide information to stakeholders who should be kept engaged and informed.
For your communications plan, you should also document the following to ensure your plan stays on track:
Communication type: this is the description of the communication you’re talking about (ie. the kickoff meeting, the status reports, the meeting notes)
Delivery method: this indicates how this communication will be carried out. Will you have a meeting? Send an email? Print out the communication and send it to stakeholders?
Frequency: How often will you send out these communications? Bi-weekly? Monthly?
Audience: Who will be receiving these communications? Who will be invited to the meetings?
Responsible: Who is responsible for setting these meetings up or sending these communications out?
Plan Your Project with The BA Guide
At The BA Guide, we’re here to help you grow in your career with confidence. In our Plan the Project course, I personally guide you through completing all the techniques and exercises mentioned in this article, and we provide you with templates for each one.
Also in the course, we cover project plan initiation, how to build a comprehensive requirements management plan, and define project details by breaking down the project, setting the project schedule, and getting into the nitty-gritty with those final details. Finally, we also explore how to set performance measures that you can rely on to ensure your project’s success. Head over to the Plan the Project course page to learn more and enroll today!
Achieve Success with Your Stakeholders
Hopefully, by now, you understand how stakeholders contribute to the success of our change initiatives. Some, such as high-level executives, can influence the funding or priority of our projects, while others, like users, can inform us about what they need for a solution to be of value.
Understanding the appropriate level of communication and knowing how to keep stakeholders engaged is necessary for driving the success of our projects. By applying the techniques shared in this article, you can cultivate stronger relationships with your stakeholders, communicate effectively with them, and derive meaningful insights and engagement.
As you embark on your next change initiative, remember that thoughtful stakeholder engagement is an investment that consistently yields significant returns.
-Jeremy Aschenbrenner
The BA Guide
