| Martin had previously experienced the problems that can arise if all parties are not consulted when an important project is undertaken. Involving the internal parties responsible for the different areas of technology that the project would touch could prevent possible backlash later. This way, it would be impossible for any group to stand up and stop the project by saying it was not involved. Martin knew that the number of possible stakeholders could be large, so he delegated the management of certain stakeholders to others in his organization. This way, he could cover all possible bases. Martin knew most of the senior management personally . He knew which ones were technology-friendly and which were not. Martin knew of one particular senior executive who loved new technology. The more leading-edge the technology, the more he liked it. This senior executive was viewed by his peers as the gatekeeper for new technology. If he liked it, they rubber-stamped the corporate decision on the technology. If he panned the new technology, they would not even discuss the technology project. Jason knew time was short. The deadline for the certificate project was quickly approaching, as was any funding that was available for the biometric project. Jason needed for the biometrics pilot to move ahead as quickly as possible. He felt that since he was part of the corporate IT, he really did not need to involve that many people. He could get his sponsor to apply pressure to the managers to get what he needed from the different groups. This way, he could avoid having a large group of stakeholders to manage. |
To ensure success in a project, the selection of stakeholders is important. The stakeholders represent all the interested parties in the project. The stakeholders should be drawn from the following areas: -
Help desk ” This group will need to support what is deployed. Once the project moves from POC to pilot and then to deployment, the help desk will be the first line of support. Help desk people in general are already overworked, and under-appreciated, and the introduction of a new system into the mix can increase their anxiety. It is always easier for them to blame the newest piece of software installed on a system as the cause of a problem rather than troubleshoot the issue. If, on the other hand, the help desk feels included in the project and has its concerns voiced, the pilot and deployment have a greater chance of success. -
Desktop engineering ” This group manages the desktop build and the software that is deployed. Like the help desk, this group is in a constant battle to maintain what is in place. This group is also under pressure to deploy new solutions. Therefore, the group will be skeptical of anything that is going to change the desktop builds. In many organizations, it can take 6 “9 months to get a new piece of software accepted for deployment. If the desktop engineering group has a project forced on it without any input or involvement, the chances for a successful project are zero! -
Server engineering ” This group manages the servers and backend systems used for authentication. Depending on how the biometric system works, the project may need to use some server resources. Whether those resources are used for authentication or data storage, the project is interacting with managed resources. The server engineering group may need to make special modifications to the security structure running on those servers, or apply specific patches that the biometric system requires. In either event, the inclusion of the server engineering team will allow the group to have full knowledge of what is being done. It also allows the project to get valuable feedback from the server engineering group on lead times to get certain tasks completed. -
Risk management ” This group has the responsibility of managing and defining the acceptable risks and mitigation procedures for the company. Since the biometric system will interact with authentication mechanisms, and may require other risk management polices to be set aside so the project can proceed, the group is an invaluable part of the stakeholder group. This group will see the driving business needs of the project. The team can also voice concerns over activities planned, or make the project team aware of risk management directives that need to be followed. Including this group at the beginning of the process makes future conflicts with risk management guidelines easier to solve. This way, the risk management team cannot say it was unaware of what was going on since the group was part of the project from the start. -
IT security ” This group engineers and evaluates the security infrastructure of the network. Since the biometric system may interface into other systems or, in some cases, replace what already exists, the IT security team's early buy-in and acceptance are critical. IT security workers tend to be the best and brightest, and they often have preconceived notions of what will and will not work. In particular, the need to overcome the "not invented here" mentality is crucial. If this group is not brought into the project early on and given a chance to vet the solution numerous times, the project will die a slow and lingering death! IT security members can work with others if a mutual partnership is established based on trust and compromise. There are issues on which the project team will need the IT group to compromise, and on others, the compromise will have to be made by the project team. -
Business unit representation ” The business unit is the customer for the project. It is this group's requirements that must be met. The group is there to provide feedback directly to the project from the end-users. It should have a strong voice in the project. There is no use delivering a biometric system that the end-users will not use. Thus, the satisfaction of the business unit is very important. -
A strong and politically savvy executive ” This person will know the lay of the political landscape and can help direct and divert efforts, both helpful and harmful . This executive will work in conjunction with the project sponsor. The project sponsor will be the day-to-day interface between the executive stakeholders and the project team. The executive as a stakeholder will represent the project in the executive circles and be responsible for the financial and overall project deliverables. |
