Blog 3 Stakeholders -- Stakeholder register

After the salience model (blog 2 Stakeholders) has been completed for the stakeholders in a content creation project it is useful to create a stakeholder register.  This spreadsheet is important as it can be referred too when a question arises about how to handle stakeholders within a project. In addition to containing information regarding the classification, it includes the specifics of how to communicate with the stakeholder.  

By communicating we mean for example: does one need to include them in all communications, only urgent ones, or only to provide general information?  It determines the level of information a particular person has access to from the project team’s perspective. 

If a stakeholder's classification is need to know only, and she is a consumer, it makes no sense to tell them about the server issues that are affecting the website.  However, if the servers are down and the stakeholder is intimately involved in the technology aspects of the project it may be prudent to keep her abreast of the situation as it evolves.  

Below is an image of a simple register, that I have modified to add the salience model.   

To download the excel template provided for free from Brighthubpm click here. By taking the time to fill out this spreadsheet you will save yourself a lot of headaches down the line when a situation arises regarding who needs to be communicated with during the course of the project.

 Reference

http:/www.brighthubpm.com/templates-forms/124740-collection-of-free-project-management-templates-and-forms

Blog 2 Stakeholder analysis tools - Salience Model for content strategists

Have you ever been in a situation where you were faced with multiple people on a project all requiring your attention at the same time.  What to do?!? 

Well as the savvy content creators that we are; we refer to our salience model that we developed in the initial phases of our project to guide our next move. In many content projects there are multiple stakeholders who are very concerned about their requirements; which they assume to be the most important. In the initial phase of the project analysis, meetings are conducted and stakeholders are assigned numbers according to their type. This aids managing the project later down the road.

1.    Dormant 2.    Discretionary 3.    Demanding 4.    Dominant 5.    Dangerous 6.    Dependent 7.    Definitive 8.    Non-stakeholder

Power refers to the stakeholder’s power relative to the project for instance the sponsor of the project controls the money so she has real power.  Urgency refers to immediacy of a need and the level of interest of the stakeholder.  Finally legitimacy is “the extent to which the stakeholder’s actions are correct or desirable based on his position within the organization”¹
 

Suppose for instance Jane who is a 3 and quite loud demands that her needs be met immediately; she is vying for our attention at the same time that Suzett (6) & Jo (5) need some work done. By referring to the chart we spent time creating we can easily navigate these choppy waters. 

The key person/s to keep happy are “definitive” stakeholders and they appear in the #7 position.  This person has legitimacy power and urgency and really should never be ignored if you want to succeed with your project and keep your job.   

One other tip is that if a # 8 position person appears in the project and he/she has legitimate concerns, power, or urgency you may want to review your classifications.  If they do not have legitimate concerns, power or urgency still be attentive, but don’t spend too much time there. 

In my final blog about stakeholder analysis I will discuss the stakeholder register.  Look for it next week.  Go forth and create! ~m

References

1.       http://www.models2use.com/management-model-stakeholder-salience-model.html

Mitchell, R. K.; Agle, B. R.; Wood, D. J. (1997). "Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of Who and What Really Counts". Academy of Management Review (Academy of Management)