Professional Certificate in Strategic Change Management Engaging Stakeholders 06 – 10 March 2017

The importance of early and continued stakeholder engagement

STAKEHOLDER DEFINITION An individual or group who: Are directly involved in the programme/project/change intervention or Are not directly involved but have an influence on the outcome And/or Are customers/end users and have a stake in the outcome or are affected in some way by the outcome Listen to the voice of the customer!

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT – Key Steps The key steps in good stakeholder management and securing support are – Early communications and awareness Maintaining careful and appropriate communications Focus on benefits What’s in it for me? Health Social Financial Safety Skills Working Conditions Development Opportunities Travel Locations Ease of Working Job Satisfaction ….etc

Project Communications TYPES OF STAKEHOLDER Senior Management Programme and Project Staff Third Party Service Providers Strategic Business Partners Business Process Managers Press/Media Project Communications Operational Staff Customers/ End Users Unions Audit Suppliers Donors Eventually – Identify by name

STAKEHOLDER MAP Impact Importance of Stakeholders * Directors Very High * Users * Customer B High * Project Team * Customer C * Change Team Importance of Stakeholders Medium * Contractors * Civil Rights Groups Critical Stakeholders * Police Low * Strategic Partners * Customer A * Senior Management Very Low * Media Very Low Low Medium High Very High Influence of Stakeholders

STAKEHOLDERS AND BENEFITS

STAKEHOLDER MANAGMENT STRATEGY

STAKEHOLDER REGISTER Identify here the actions to be taken with the stakeholders. Comms methods, frequency, by whom, etc.

COMMUNICATION PLAN Construct Comms Plans Communication methods Executive Summary The key messages Mission/vision Business plan objectives People issues The audience All team members Senior management Donors Other departments & sites Customers End Users / Beneficiaries Contractors … Communication methods Face-to-face Cascade briefings Full team briefings Paper notices/minutes/memos Electronic communication Twitter Facebook What’s App … Define responsibilities Define measurement systems Feedback routes Key Learning Objective: The Communication Plan Key Points: Just as you would plan a schedule or resource usage, you should plan the way you are going to communicate, both within and outside of the project. This provides a useful template, but it can be changed to suit your circumstances. The main questions to answer are: WHAT needs to be communicated WHO needs communicating to HOW do they want to receive it WHEN do they want to receive it WHY do they need it – the purpose And WHO is responsible for ensuring that it happens!

COMMUNICATION PLAN Create and maintain the Comms Plan Spreadsheet Key Learning Objective: The Communication Plan Key Points: Just as you would plan a schedule or resource usage, you should plan the way you are going to communicate, both within and outside of the project. This provides a useful template, but it can be changed to suit your circumstances. The main questions to answer are: WHAT needs to be communicated WHO needs communicating to HOW do they want to receive it WHEN do they want to receive it WHY do they need it – the purpose And WHO is responsible for ensuring that it happens! and authority!

COMMUNICATION Know the audience Choose the right medium Involve the right people Planning & Preparation of the messages Key Learning Objective: Summarise Communications Key Points: Reports, presentations and meetings each have their advantages and disadvantages, so consideration should be given as to which is the best medium for the given situation. It is important to involve the right people, taking care not to leave out someone vital from a report circulation, presentation or meeting. Equally, it is important to avoid inviting people to a meeting or presentation is they have nothing to contribute. Planning and preparation are vital which ever medium of communication you choose.

COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION FLOWS Vital to success of the change: Written formal Written informal Oral formal Oral informal Vertical Horizontal Stakeholders Methods: Reports Awareness Briefings Meetings (all types) Workshops Phone E-mail Internet / Intranet Tele Conferencing Social media Video Conferencing / Skype Key Learning Objective: Project Communication and Information Flows Key Points: Every organized activity, from the smallest project to the largest global enterprise requires an effective communication network in order to achieve its objectives. Communication is vital to: Ensure everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing Increase the commitment of team members Encourage interest in the project Enable team members to identify with their project/programme/organisation etc. Facilitate change Avoid costly communication failures Personal development and ‘growth’. Generally, people only give of their best if they fully understand the decisions that affect them and the reasoning behind those decisions. Both they and the project will benefit further if they have a sound understanding of their roles and the benefits both they and the organisation will accrue as a result of their efforts. Consequently, a major contributor to the effectiveness of the project environment is the communication system working within it.

Standardise documentation for project/change reporting MAKE IT SIMPLE Standardise documentation for project/change reporting Limit meetings for meetings sake Use of a Project Diary / Webcams Document management and information audit trails Project Archiving – Data and Document Management Key Learning Objective: Make it Simple Key Points: Use of templates to aid reporting No such thing as regular meetings? The role of the Project Managers diary in commercial environments The need for an audit trail – linked to configuration management – including reference documents The use of software/electronic storage

REFERENCE DOCUMENTATION Vision Business Case Programme Assessments Project Initiation Document / Authority Document Baselines Project Plan Change Plans Risk & Issue Logs Quality Plan Resource Plan Progress Reports and Documentation (Key Milestone Achievement) Mid-Term Evaluations End Evaluations etc……...