The new operating model for project teams: Balancing flexibility and standardization
June 25, 2025 | Live Webinar
Kick off stakeholders: a checklist
| Who do you consult when a project gets going? Or when you want to put forward an idea for a new project but need to run it past some key stakeholders? One issue I had on a project recently was that we didn’t involve our IT subject matter expert early enough. While that didn’t slow down the project, it did mean we’d made extra work for them, which isn’t kind, and I’m sure they felt like an afterthought, which is not the relationship I want to have with my stakeholders. So learning from that, here are some of the key stakeholder groups and subject matter expert teams that you should be talking to at the beginning of a new piece of work.
ITLet’s put them first! Talk to your technical colleagues to find out if they can advise on the best solution. OperationsOperations are the group that keep the organisation working, so they run the day to day functions of your business. The teams are going to be different depending on what your business does, but they will know whether your project is going to have an impact on frontline staff and the operators. FinanceTalk to your finance team to find out whether there are any special requirements for this kind of project. For example, what are the funding options, how will financial benefits be tracked, whether contingency or management reserves are available and whether there will be a finance analyst available to support the work. They might be able to give you and idea of what budget is available in the portfolio which will help you scale the work. PMOTalk to the PMO about resourcing, scheduling and estimating and securing project resource. Generally, in my experience if you are the project manager involved at the start of a discovery or concept phase, then you’ll also be the one that carries on leading the work as it moves forward. But not always, so make sure if you need project support that you’ve got a PM and/or analyst assigned to the work and that they understand what is expected. Finally, don’t forget to include the senior leadership in your consultation. As a key stakeholder, they’ve got the power to say they don’t want the work to go ahead after all because something has changed. Equally, having their support for projects that are moving is invaluable because they’ll be able to support and champion from the top. Legal, compliance and data protectionI’ve bundled legal, compliance and data protection into one group but you probably have separate teams responsible for each function. Talk to each of the departments to make sure that your project is viable and meets with all the required regulations and policies. CommunicationsIf you have an internal comms team, talk to them about the project and what support you can expect from them. For example, they might be able to help with drafting project newsletters and briefings, and creating slides to share at leadership meetings. HRIf your project affects people’s jobs in any way, consult with your Human Resources team. There might need to be consideration given to job descriptions, recruitment, the onboarding and induction process, training and more. HR-related changes can take some time so it’s worth getting them involved early. Specialist teamsIf your project involves manufacturing, talk to them. If you need engineers, get input from them. If you have a big marketing expectation, bring the marketeers onboard at this point and get their thoughts. Work out what specialist subject matter expert teams are relevant to your work and include them. What other teams would you include by default? I’m sure there are some I’ve forgotten! |
Posted on: August 13, 2024 09:00 AM
| Permalink |
Comments (7)