Individual Project: Stakeholders and Communication
Stakeholder analysis: 2–3 pages + title and references; Project charter: 2 pages
Additional Information:
The discussion on stakeholders went better than expected. Everyone seems to be on the same page. But now, the team is unsure who should be included as stakeholders in the communication management plan. The team realizes that there are a lot more stakeholders on the project than expected. In addition to the team itself, there are other internal and external stakeholders who must be considered.
Although all of your team members work in the electric engineering department, they all bring unique skills and experiences to this project. Many have worked in other departments prior to their new role or have duel responsibilities in the company.
“This is a make-or-break project for us at this point,” says Jim. “We have to get it right the first time. If we miss any stakeholders in our communication, it could be divesting to the success of the project.”
Jim turns to you. “I need you to lead the team in conducting a stakeholder analysis. We need to make sure to include all of the stakeholders, their background, contribution to the project, and level of priority to the project communication. You will be working with your four teammates in performing the stakeholder analysis and transferring this information to the project charter for review.”
“Okay,” you say. “Can everyone give me a little bit of background about work experience and education?”
“Sure,” says Jerry Lawson. “I have an MS in computer science and several IT certifications as well as 6 years with the company.”
“I have a lot of procurement and acquisition experience, but have an engineering background,” says Sara Jenkins. “I earned an MBA and a BS in electrical engineering. I have been with the company 4 years.”
“I have done business analysis, quality assurance, and risk management, but have an engineering background,” says Melissa Grant. “I have an MSM in project management and a BS in electrical engineering as well as 6 years with the company.”
Mike Green, a technician who previously worked in the public relations and marketing department says, “I have done a lot of hands-on electrical work and testing. I earned my MBA in marketing and two undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and IT management. I have been with the company for 5 years.”
“Great, thanks,” you say.
Jim hands you a document, saying, “Here is a project charter template for you to use as a guideline.” Click here for the project charter template. (SEE ATTACHED)
After Jim leaves, you and the rest of the team get busy discussing how to conduct a stakeholder analysis and how to justify stakeholders’ inclusion in the project communication.
Back at your desk, you write the stakeholder analysis in an essay-style format using MS Word. Notes from your team discussion help you defend your position on the stakeholders’ inclusion. Your essay outlines who they are to the project; their roles, responsibilities, and positions at the company (internal or external); and their level of influence on the project.
After finishing the stakeholder analysis, you complete the first 2 pages of the project charter using the stakeholder information that was shared in the previous meeting and from the stakeholder analysis. You revise and reformat it as needed.
Lessons From Experience: Team Building Communications
Introduction
The story that you are about to read is from actual events that occurred in
the field. Its purpose is to provide you with a real
-world example from a
seasoned professional in the business world.
Team Building Communications
I worked for a cross
-functional
organization that operated businesses
throughout the world. The company had offices in India, South Africa,
Thailand, China, Canada, Brazil, and America, with their corporate
headquarters based in London, England. The company was one of the largest
managem
ent consulting firms in the financial servicing industry. They had
grown rapidly over the past 10 years with great success, but the company
had been struggling with communication issues that negatively impacted their
stakeholder relationship and customer s
atisfaction.
The senior executives from each business unit representing their international
offices, along with a few key representatives from their suppliers and
partnering businesses decided to meet for a three
-day conference to tackle
this problem. The
meeting took place in London at the corporate
headquarters, and it was facilitated by the chief executive officer (CEO),
chairmen of the board, and several vice presidents.
Everyone shared examples of communication breakdowns that they had
experienced in t
heir respective business unit offices. The vendors and
different business partners also provided examples of communication
mistakes or information failure that had caused them to deliver the wrong
products or incorrectly change the delivery dates of orders
. Several of the
senior executives and their associates shared the profit lost when clients and
business partners canceled their contracts because of product defects or poor
services rendered. Everyone was in agreement about the severity of the
communicati
on problem, and they were committed in finding a solution.
What many of the senior executives realized during the three
-day conference
was that there were too many communication channels in the company. Many
of the international offices and business units
followed different
communication processes and used different technology to share information.
There were also different policies in place at the company’s international
offices, which created confusion, delayed the delivery of communication
materials, and
required different officials to approve contract changes and
updates to project scope. The company decided to invest in an internal cloud
system, a customer services relations management (CRM) system, and an
intranet announcement system and tracker to dea
l with the technical
problems. The company also created a company
-wide policy and process for
managing and sharing communication information.
It is important to take away the following from this scenario:
•
Creating a company
-wide, consistent communication policy and
process helps to reduce costly errors.
•
Create an opportunity for interested stakeholders to share experiences
and lessons learned helps to prevent future mistakes.
