Internal stakeholder management should be a major focus for technology leaders. Whether you’re seeking to leverage consultancy support for major digital transformation, cloud migration or implementation projects, having internal stakeholders aligned to the same vision and project outcome can mean the difference between success and failure.
And if you’re using a technology consultancy to support your transformation project, you’ll already know that they are very adept at managing competing stakeholders. But it can’t be stressed enough how much internal coordination and forward planning can help to ensure the smooth running of the project and yield optimal results.
You can’t manage a stakeholder you don’t know about
When projects begin without having identified all of the key internal stakeholders, there will inevitably be unidentified requirements and conflicting goals which appear at the eleventh hour to derail even the best laid plans.
Conducting an internal stakeholder analysis is a critical early step in the discovery phase of a project. It can be an effective way to identify potential conflicting priorities and secure stakeholder buy-in, ensuring that all the teams involved with the project are aligned.
When commencing your stakeholder analysis ask yourself:
- Who is affected by the project?
- Who has influence or power over the project and its outcomes?
- Who has an interest in the project’s conclusion, successful or otherwise?
Utilise the influencer matrix
Once you have identified your key internal stakeholders you can prioritise how to manage them successfully. Plot your stakeholders on an axis of low to high interest, and low to high influence.
Those with high interest and high influence should be managed closely. They need to be included in all key decisions, engaged with and collaborated with regularly.
Example: the Head of Cyber Security who has championed your new server-upgrade project.
Those stakeholders with high interest but low influence should be informed on the project’s progress regularly and any feedback from them should be taken on board. They can be useful in identifying issues early and ironing out niggling details.
Example: the IT team members on the ground who will be maintaining the new servers once the project moves to BAU.
Those with low interest but high influence, such as senior executives, need to be kept informed with progress, but you need to be careful not to overwhelm them with granular detail. They should be enthusiastic and satisfied but not overburdened.
Example: the Chief Technology Officer who has 7 other high-priority projects in their department this quarter.
Finally, those stakeholders with low interest and low influence should be monitored but not bombarded with excessive communication.
Example: colleagues in the wider business.
The final step of your stakeholder analysis should be to understand how your key internal stakeholders feel about the project as it stands. Asking for their opinions will allow you to develop a strategy for how to best engage with, communicate with, and collaborate with them going forward. This internal coordination at the beginning of project planning will ensure your project has the best chance of succeeding without excessive scope creep, delays, or budget inflation.
The link between resource planning and stakeholder management
Resource planning can help you manage your teams’ workflows, deploy resource and skills in the right place, at the right time, without impacting any other stakeholders’ needs or resource requirements.
Here are our four top tips for resource planning:
1. Identify (and prioritise) the resources needed
Before the project begins, sit down with your internal and external stakeholders and any relevant teams. Discuss your project goals and the milestones that need to be met. Then compare them to projected availability and potential workloads. It’s important to get an idea of everyone’s capacity and any possible conflicts before a deadline is due.
Make a list of any potential pain points. Is a key stakeholder on holiday the day a sprint is due to begin or is a delivery team needed for a project that takes precedence over yours? Identifying these conflicts early will help you to adapt your timeline rather than dealing with last-minute changes.
2. Compare your current project to previous projects
It’s likely that similar projects have been undertaken by your organisation in the past. What problems did those projects face? Are there any patterns you can identify? If there are, it becomes easier to predict potential pinch points and clashes.
3. Be flexible
Your resource plan and project timeline should not be set in stone. Scope creep, unforeseen absences, last-minute additions, or tweaks to project goals can all affect your resource budget and allocation. You should always be prepared to re-examine your plan and change where resources are being deployed should any stakeholders flag concerns.
4. Utilise consultancy expertise
We’ve talked about resource planning using your internal resources and available skill sets, but there is always the option to bring on technology consultants. Engaging a technology consultancy, like Fruition Consulting, gives you immediate access to expertise and prior experience when it comes to your resource planning, implementation and stakeholder management. They have in-depth, first-hand knowledge of similar projects and can advise on potential pain points and problems, such as aggressive timelines and project conflicts and help you find a solution that will appease all stakeholders involved.
Fruition Consulting can help ensure transformation success with valuable stakeholder management
Fruition Consulting provides the digital expertise you need to help your business thrive. With an extensive associate network of 200+ specialists, you get access to some of the best technology consultants available to help you unlock the power of technology for growth. We support and guide you on that journey, finding solutions to whatever challenges you face and while making the complex straightforward.
Get in touch to find out more.
