Best Practices (Part 2 of 6): Project Stakeholder Classification
This is the second in a series of six articles to discuss Best Practices in Project Stakeholder Management, using the I-C-E cube model:
- Identify
- Classify
- Expectations
- Influence
- Communicate
- Evaluate
2. PROJECT STAKEHOLDER CLASSIFICATION
The list of project stakeholders can be very large, so we need to partition the list in a way that helps us to manage each stakeholder or group. One strategy is to map out all the stakeholders on your project and partition them according to their:
INFLUENCE (“the ability to control or affect the actions, beliefs and attitudes of other people”) and:
INTEREST (“the state of being responsible, affected, involved, concerned, attentive curious”).
After considering all the classifications, you will be able to plot the stakeholders in a grid similar to the example below:
A further dimension can also be added by considering people’s level of support for your project. Assess their motivation, and fit them in to one of these categories:
- Allies
- Supporters
- Neutral
- Reluctant
- Opponents
This exercise can be done using a flipchart and a few coloured pens, or on a spreadsheet.