A stakeholder is a person who has something to gain or lose through the outcomes of a planning process, opportunity, change or project.
It is beneficial when setting out on a project to identify and analyze the needs and concerns of different stakeholders, particularly when the project aims to influence others.
Identify all the stakeholders or interest parties associated with this objective, project, problem, or issue.
Stakeholders aren’t necessarily individual people - these can also be organizations, groups, departments, structures or networks.
Interest measures to what degree they are likely to be affected by the project or change, and what degree of interest or concern they have about it.
Influence measures the power they have over the project, and to what degree they can help achieve (or block) the desired change.
Key Questions to ask:
A good way of better understanding your stakeholders is to speak to them directly - people are often quite open about their views, and asking people’s opinions is a great first step in building a successful relationship with them.
By communicating with stakeholders early and often, you can ensure that they know what you are doing and fully understand the benefits of your project - this means they can support you actively when necessary.
You can also anticipate what other people’s reaction to your project may be, and build into your plan the actions that will win their support.