Finding the Stakeholders

There is a paradox here: The stakeholders are identified by the blastoff, but the blastoff is often run as a meeting of the main stakeholders. It will be necessary to have a short session to identify the key stakeholders before the blastoff.

During the blastoff, you normally hold a brainstorming session and inspect your context model to identify all possible stakeholders. You do not have to start from scratch. We have constructed a spreadsheet with many categories of stakeholders, along with the kind of knowledge you need from each person. This spreadsheet cross-references the stakeholder map (Figure 3.6) and provides a detailed specification of your project's sociology. Once you have identified the stakeholder, add that person's name to the list. Have a look at appendix D, Project Sociology Analysis Templates, for a compressed version of the template. The complete spreadsheet is available as a free download at www.volere.co.uk.

appendix D, Project Sociology Analysis Templates, includes a compressed version of the template.The complete stakeholder analysis spreadsheet is available as a free download at www.volere.co.uk.

You will be talking to the stakeholders, so at this stage it pays to explain to them why they are stakeholders and why you need to consult them about requirements for the product. Explain specifically why their input will make a difference to the eventual product. It is polite to inform stakeholders of the amount of their time you require and the type of participation that you have in mind. A little warning always helps them to think about their requirements for the product. The greatest problem concerning stakeholders is the requirements that you will miss if you do not find all the stakeholders or if you exclude stakeholders from the requirements-gathering process.

The greatest problem concerning stakeholders is the requirements that you miss if you do not find all the stakeholders, or if you exclude stakeholders from the requirementsgathering process.