From the course: Business Analysis Foundations

Engaging stakeholders

From the course: Business Analysis Foundations

Engaging stakeholders

“

- The more involvement that stakeholders have with the work to deliver the outcome, the better chance we have that they'll be supportive of the result. I can't stress this enough. And I know that it can be tiring. After all, managing stakeholders can be an entire job in itself. It might even seem like you don't have much time for business analysis with all the needs of your different stakeholders. But you have to know that your work will go to waste if you don't have the support of the stakeholder. By engaging them in the development of the solution, they often have a better understanding of the why this change is necessary and can help with the transition to the future state. If they do not understand the necessity for the change, they may be more apt to resist the final result. So how do we engage with stakeholders, especially if we have so many? Well, first, working with stakeholders is referred to as engagement. We need to figure out and constantly monitor the most effective way to engage with all of them. And each stakeholder or each group of stakeholders will require a customized engagement plan. It doesn't have to be complicated but it does have to be thoughtful. We're not the only person who has to collaborate and communicate with these individuals and groups. Project managers as well as solution team members also need to engage and collaborate. So what exactly do we talk to stakeholders about? Some of the key engagements involve the setting of goals, objectives, and scope boundaries. Later in a project stakeholders are involved in testing activities and reviews. Let's talk about determining the most effective way to communicate with stakeholders. This includes the format, content, and timing. Each stakeholder or group of stakeholders will have specific needs and preferences. Format can be email, meetings, phone calls. It refers to the medium used to send the message. The content is another variable to consider. What type of information will be shared? How much detail? Which details? Have a conversation with your stakeholders to make sure you're on the same page with their expectations. You'll also want to determine the timeframe and frequency of communication. But this doesn't mean that the stakeholder can order information from you like a menu. We have to understand the reason that specific information is required at that time and what the expected result or impact will be upon receipt. As the project progresses, we need to continue monitoring how we will keep the stakeholders engaged. We'll always have new stakeholders join in the project while other stakeholders remove themselves. Continual monitoring of the involvement of stakeholders is important. This allows us to determine why involvement may have changed and whether additional engagements are needed. Here's a final tip that's always helped me: figure out how much time you need for individual stakeholders, especially those that are executives. Then preschedule them for the times when you need them. Reserve dates and times for meetings with these stakeholders. They're going to be surprised by how much of their time you really need. You need to continually remind them, though, of their importance to the result of the project. By the end of the project, you want to make sure they feel their engagement was well worth the time spent.

Contents