Stakeholders
You should by now have identified who are the stakeholders in your project or initiative and undertaken an analysis of their likely perceptions of the project and attitudes to it. Click here to view the JISC infoNet Stakeholder Analysis template.
In any undertaking involving a substantial amount of change there will undoubtedly be people who are adversely affected or who fear they will be disadvantaged by the change. These people can be termed Adverse Stakeholders and they may present a risk to your project. The risk may be in terms of direct opposition to the project at the initiation stage or a 'war of attrition' during the course of the project. Here are some examples of people who are likely to be adverse stakeholders:
- People who fear loss of their jobs
- People who will require re-training
- People who may be moved to a different department/team
- People who may be required to commit resources to the project
- People who fear loss of control over a function or resources
- People who will have to do their job in a different way
- People who will have to carry out new or additional functions
- People who will have to use a new technology
In thinking about adverse stakeholders don't forget your own project team if they are overworked or under resourced. The risk presented by any of these individuals depends on their authority within the organisation and their influence on the project. The stakeholder analysis template will help you identify this and help plan the involvement of, and communication with, key stakeholders.
