Stakeholder Analysis

Last Updated on 13 September 2023

When you start any project, you will need to know the stakeholders in that project, as they will be key to whether you finish the project, and whether it is considered a success. Part of project management involves carefully managing these stakeholders so that they assist, or at least don’t obstruct the project succeeding.

You will generally need to know who they are, what are their expectations and hopes or concerns for the project. It is also important to understand the power and influence that they wield and how they are likely to use them to aid or stand in the way of the project success.

Who are stakeholders?

A stakeholder is anybody with an interest or power over the processes and related project, including those affected by the project. They include management, the process owner, staff and Six Sigma professionals.

Management

Management will usually very interested in the outcome of projects, especially large ones. They will be investing the organization’s precious resources into the project and therefore will want to see a return on this investment. They will usually want the project to end in saving money or increasing sales, and may want to reduce the staffing level in the affected department going forwards.

Process owner

They are responsible for the process being improved in the day to day operations. They will want process to get better, and will therefore have a vested interest in making the process better. They also will have pressure from management to not miss any deadlines and to work effectively, and may not get any credit from the project. This could encourage them to withhold resources such as staff and equipment time from the project, as it may affect their ability to run the department.

There’s also the danger to that a successful project in their department will lead to them losing resources (such as a reduction in staffing level) going forwards, making them reluctant for the project to be completed.

Staff

The department being affected by the project are important stakeholders who will need careful management in the project. They may be able to be persuaded that the improvement project will improve their life and remove the more boring parts of their job. They can be valuable in the projects, assisting in data collection and helping in brainstorming sessions.

If they are Six Sigma Green Belts they may even have a large role on the project. They will frequently have concerns though, such as processes that they know well being changed and will have to learn again. As projects are often linked to cost decreases, they may even be concerned that a successful project may lead to them losing their job.

Black Belts and Green Belts

These will usually be amongst the key stakeholders interested in the success of the project. These will need to complete a certain number of projects in the year, and so want the project to be completed efficiently and successfully.