My Top 6 Stakeholder Analysis Tools

Summary

This video introduces six essential stakeholder analysis tools to improve project success. The speaker highlights the importance of understanding stakeholders' needs, attitudes, and impact on projects. Tools discussed include stakeholder triage, sociograms, proximity charts, force field diagrams, persona cards, and stakeholder registers. Each tool helps analyze relationships, influence, and engagement strategies with stakeholders. From prioritizing key individuals to mapping influence and keeping detailed records, these tools enable project managers to effectively engage with stakeholders and navigate their support or opposition for a project's success.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Stakeholder analysis is crucial for project success, as understanding stakeholders' needs and perspectives can determine the project's outcome.
• 📊 The stakeholder triage model helps assess stakeholders based on their attitude (supportive or opposed) and their impact on the project (high or low).
• 🤝 High-impact supportive stakeholders should be engaged and used as advocates for the project.
• 🧠 Stakeholders with high impact but negative or concerned attitudes need to be prioritized and persuaded to become supportive.
• 📢 Supportive but low-impact stakeholders should be informed and coached on how they can help advocate for the project.
• 👀 Stakeholders with low impact and negative attitudes should not be ignored but monitored, as they may gain influence.
• 🔗 A sociogram is used to visualize relationships between stakeholders and indicate influence, direction, and strength of those relationships.
• 🌐 The proximity chart helps determine stakeholders' closeness to the project, organizing them into different tiers based on involvement.
• 🔄 The force field diagram shows stakeholders applying forces either supporting or opposing the project, as well as neutral or undecided stakeholders.
• 📝 Persona cards and a stakeholder register are tools to record and manage stakeholder information, ensuring effective engagement and tracking.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video?

The video focuses on stakeholder analysis tools and how they can be used to understand stakeholders' needs, attitudes, and influence on a project.

How is the stakeholder triage tool different from a standard two-by-two analysis?

The stakeholder triage tool uses attitude towards the project and impact on the project as axes, providing clear strategies for engaging stakeholders based on their placement in the four-box grid. This differs slightly from the standard two-by-two model by offering more focused engagement strategies.

What is the recommended strategy for stakeholders who are supportive and have high impact?

The recommended strategy is to engage these stakeholders and employ their advocacy to help the project succeed.

How should stakeholders with high impact but negative or neutral attitudes be managed?

These stakeholders should be prioritized. The goal is to persuade them of the project's benefits, neutralize their opposition, or ideally convert them into supporters.

What is the purpose of a sociogram in stakeholder analysis?

A sociogram helps visualize the relationships between different stakeholders by representing connections with lines, indicating the strength of relationships and direction of influence.

What does a proximity chart represent in stakeholder analysis?

A proximity chart represents how close or distant stakeholders are to the project. Stakeholders are placed in concentric circles, with those most directly involved in the center and more peripheral stakeholders in outer circles.

What is the force field diagram used for?

A force field diagram shows stakeholders as forces acting on the project, with supporters pushing it forward, opposers pushing it back, and neutrals or undecided stakeholders represented as well.

What are persona cards, and why are they useful?

Persona cards record detailed information about individual stakeholders, such as their role, interests, power, and influence. These help project managers engage with stakeholders more effectively.

What should be included in a stakeholder register?

A stakeholder register is a database that can store information about all stakeholders, including names, roles, contact information, attitudes towards the project, and their level of influence.

How should stakeholders with low impact and negative attitudes be handled?

While it may be tempting to ignore them, these stakeholders should be monitored. Their influence could grow, and it is important to treat all stakeholders with respect.