Why is stakeholder identification so important in a projects success? Ask yourself, how do you plan to communicate when you don’t know first who you are communicating with?
The stakeholder identification process is one of the most important processes in project management. The success of any project relies on satisfying and fulfilling the requirements of your stakeholders.
But first you will have to find them, involve them, and keep them engaged with your project.
So, how do we ensure we don’t miss them? It’s all about brainstorming. To do this, we use the four I’s.
Stakeholder identification is a continuous process that takes place for the duration of a project. You have to keep looking for project stakeholders and think about how different project activities will impact different people.
Look at the past engagement on the project and think about where you can improve. Learn from past failures and think about where you can you reach beyond this existing comfort zone to engage with lesser-known stakeholders.
Understand the organisations existing engagement style and requirements. What stakeholders communicate regularly with the organisation? What groups do they cover well? Who must they engage with?
Include a diverse range of stakeholders. This is an opportunity to reach out and mix the old with the new. Remember the key stakeholder groups - influencers, collaborators, advocators, and implementation partners. Also remember not all stakeholders are obvious to us and we have to think outside the box.
Google the area and look at what is not on the ground. Social media provides an opportunity to identify and reach lesser-known stakeholder groups.
Talk to the community, ask them questions. They have a wide range of expertise and can be fantastic advocates for the project and can often point our key stakeholders.