4.1. Identifying Stakeholders
After you have decided to implement an MLE in your organisation, you need to consider how you will cater for the needs of all potential stakeholders in the design of that MLE. Here techniques for the systematic identification of users and stakeholders are presented, prior to you determining their requirements.
Stakeholder Identification is part of the well established process of requirements gathering and general systems analysis and is covered in the Project Management infoKit. Although the discussion here will be in the context of MLE stakeholders, and a number of typical individuals and groups will be named, it is the process that is the focus and the stakeholders named are not intended to be seen as an exhaustive group. A number of key resources will be identified as typical of the tools available to the MLE design team. At the end of the section a broader variety of resources and links are provided for readers who wish to develop a deeper understanding of the subject.
The process here concentrates mainly on User-Centred Requirements Analysis which emphasises the importance of obtaining a complete understanding of user needs, and validating the emerging requirements against potential real world scenarios.
This approach provides a broad framework for requirements gathering which goes beyond the identification of MLE functional requirements to include key non-functional requirements such as efficiency, reliability, usability and portability; which you will want to consider when designing an MLE.
Users and Stakeholders
The first stage in the process of identification is typically to carry out a User Context Analysis. This is a process of information gathering which often begins by distinguishing between user groups; those who use the MLE directly, and other stakeholders; those who are affected by the MLE but do not directly use it. User characteristics and the user environment (as in the section 'Understanding your Organisation'). Although you will see differences in the way stakeholders are described and listed both in this infoKit and in the resources, they are all largely equivalent and all emphasise the need for a systematic approach to the process. Follow this link to the Project Management infoKit for a basic introduction to stakeholder information and analysis.
An excellent resource which charts this process and provides on-line resources is the User-Centred Requirements Handbook. This is one of a number of reports and resources emerging from the European-funded Respect programme which are recommended for you to consider, as they also provides tools for needs identification and requirements gathering.
Having listed the stakeholders and identified their agendas and relationship to the MLE project we can go a step further by specifying their main task goals as shown in the example below.
| Form 1: Users and Main Task Goals | |
| System Name: Managed Learning Environment | |
| Users | Main Task Goals |
| Learners |
To receive an effective, efficient and enjoyable learning experience To complete learning activities and assessment exercises |
| Academic Tutors | To develop, deliver and manage an effective and efficient learning delivery programme |
| Admin Support Staff |
To have access to a range of effective admin support tools To provide admin support for staff, students andlt; management |
| Technical Support Staff | To deliver an easily maintainable, reliable and robust ICT support system for staff and students |
| Learning Resources Staff |
To provide learning resources for staff and students To ensure that clearance has been obtained for all materials made available on-line |
| e-Learning Development Team | To provide instructional design, technical design and web programming services for academic staff |
| etc | |
| Form 2: Stakeholders and Main Task Goals | |
| System Name: Managed Learning Environment | |
| Stakeholder | Main Task Goals |
| Finance | To provide budgetary management and information services |
| Student Support | To provide advice, guidance and personal support services for students |
| Registry |
To manage all student data records To provide academic quality assurance systems |
| MIS | To provide a high quality management information service |
| etc | |
Similar templates can be used to document the user/stakeholder characteristics and the user/stakeholder operating environment. In carrying out this analysis you will not only be identifying the users and stakeholders, you will also be starting the process of documenting their capabilities and constraints in preparation for a needs analysis and subsequent staff development plan.
The identification of the user and stakeholder groups and their characterisation can be carried out by your MLE design team using an appropriate range of methods. The section 'Understanding your Organisation' covered such methods in the topic 'finding and using information'.
These are just a sample of the types of information gathering activities available to the design team. A comprehensive description of techniques, which will form the basis of the next section, has been written by Kirakowski and is recommended reading.
There are also excellent examples of how stakeholders have been identified and their requirements documented as part of the MLE design process. A good example is the De Montfort University MLE project and a visit to their web site will provide you with a valuable range of resources.
Follow this link for key resources for this section (these open in a new window)
