Stakeholder analysis is used to systematically consider all the people (groups) affected by a project or idea. The aim is to analyze precisely those persons (groups) with a critical attitude towards the project, who could thus negatively influence the implementation. From this analysis, measures can be derived by which the identified persons (groups) could change their attitude toward the project. This makes it easier to develop countermeasures and accelerate the implementation of an idea.
The use of this method makes sense especially in politically sensitive environments.
Everyone knows projects where someone has blocked once. It is also hardly conceivable to successfully implement a major transformation project alone. Allies are always needed for this. After all, even in the digital age, project management is always dependent on various stakeholders.
For a digital transformation project to be successful, it is always groundbreaking to engage with these individuals or colleagues. In project management, the stakeholder matrix is often used for this purpose. The method serves as a technique to visualize the importance of stakeholders. The most important stakeholders with their interest, their power, their attitude towards change and their influence within the company are identified. “Blockers” can be better identified through the use of the method. Targeted countermeasures can be derived to boost the project.
In this context, stakeholder management is therefore about managing the different interests and concerns of the various stakeholders.
A distinction is made between internal and external stakeholders. External stakeholders are contributors who are not in the direct environment of the company. It is essential not to misjudge these groups. One wrong assessment could be enough to derail the project. External stakeholders include:
– State and legislation
– Press and media
– Customers and suppliers
– Authorities
Internal stakeholders are those involved in the immediate environment of the company:
- Management and Board of Directors
- Works Council
- Project management and project staff
- Management and employees from various departments (HR, marketing, finance, controlling, IT, legal, etc.)