1. ACQ 452 “Forging Stakeholder Relationships”
Consider integrating slides 1-3 into single one
Module 1
Creating a Foundation and a More Effective Organization for Relationship Building

2. Module 1 Objective
Assess the key components for building a solid foundation and organizational readiness and identify stakeholder interests, expectations, and requirements to support relationship building

3. FOSTERing Collaborative Stakeholder Relationships1
Develop a Stakeholder
Strategy
Refresh
Evaluate +
Improve
Relationships
Create a Foundation for Relationship
Building (R-B)
Creating a More Effective
Organization for R-B
Building a
Trusting Relationship F O S T E R
Setup the idea of what’s important now for what actions they are currently dealing with. What processes are required to reach those goals.
Q1: From Ann Svendsen’s article, what is meant by “creating an effective foundation?” Why is it important? Ensure discussion centers around what organizations, companies, etc need or have or do that is their “competency”, for example, their mission, goals, value stream, ethical principles. (This is covered in the Svendsen article.)
Q2: What is meant by creating an effective organization? What systems are in place to support collaboration internally or externally? What processes, structures does decision making follow? Are people aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, goals, social mission, ethical principles, values? Discussion should center on the companies/organization’s assessment of systems and structures. such as their internal systems e.g. communications, IT, human resources, , operation’s policies, alignment of people. ,
Teaching Point: F & O are the pre-requisites to “relationship building”. The Ann
Svendsen article provides useful info. Explain that for any relationship building it is important to get the foundation set up properly. You need to define the corporate commitment – mission, vision, goals or at a small scale as in this case for the students—their program/project objective, task working. As well, what are the organization’s values and ethical principles which define or shape relationship building?
1Adapted from Ann Svendsen’s “Six Stages in Relationship-Building Process”

4. Interests, Expectations and Requirements (IER)
Understanding, clarifying, and confirming IERs is important to forging stakeholder relationships:
Interests  (Like)
What motivates you internally; emotional interest(s)
Expectations (Want)
How something should be approached or completed ---desired outcome
Requirements (Agree To)
A product, service or outcome negotiated and agreed upon by parties/stakeholders
Identifying the IERs at the start for each of your stakeholders enables you to appreciate a little more of what you do or don’t know about them. Most will say that they do know and understand their stakeholders but when they are tasked to state IERs for each of the stakeholders they are challenged. IERs are important to know when assessing their “influence & importance” on the Power Grid. The IERs are then revisited for those SHs that become the main focus when assessing the SHs “commitment & engagement”. IERs are not static. As tasks, priorities, projects, etc change so may the IERs. Communication is vital to the success of the program and IERs are the lever that make communication happen.

5. Really Identifying Stakeholders
“You can’t build a relationship with an entity… to create a real relationship with a stakeholder you must deal with a person or set of people directly…”
As you think about your stakeholders, what do you know about their Interests? Expectations? Do you have an agreement on Requirements? What’s your relationship like with any of them?
Ask the participants to ponder this statement then inquire if they believe it to be true or not.
Can you build a relationship with a “thing”?
IER
Enable
Build
RELATIONSHIPS
Meeting interests, expectations and requirements leads to credibility, confidence and trust in relationship partners.

6. New System Program Manager
Situation: You have just received an assignment to prepare an input to the “welcome-aboard” briefing that will be going to a new System Program Manager (Flag) at a major product center. You are a O-5 at division or project level supporting your O-6 Program Lead.
Approach the exercise assignment in general DoD terms… this could apply to any service PEO organization.
Make sure the participants don’t get wrapped up in what the SMO should know in coming to this new position. The point of emphasis of the exercise is the participants to explore their views on about the questions the SMO has put forward and respond accordingly.

7. New System Program Manager
The new SPM has forwarded a series of questions to you that she wants feedback on for her briefing so that she can better understand the “environment” that exists in the Product Center and in particular, your views on it.
Meet in the O-6’s office in 20 minutes so we can brainstorm and discuss our inputs. Here are the questions we need to address…
Approach the exercise assignment in general DoD terms… this could apply to any service PEO organization.
Make sure the participants don’t get wrapped up in what the SMO should know in coming to this new position. The point of emphasis of the exercise is the participants to explore their views on about the questions the SMO has put forward and respond accordingly.

8. New System Program Manager Questions (1 of 2)
What is a typical mission, vision, goal or objective of a PM organization?
What are the general interests, expectations, and requirements (IER) a PMO would typically possess?
Who are the main set of stakeholders that a typical DoD program office would have (identify at least 3)?
The first set of questions focus on making the participants consider the need to have their NEO identified and documented prior to engaging with their stakeholders
DoD and it’s programs have a number of missions and ethical principles outlined in numerous references such as:
Policies and guidance like the DoD 5000 series, the JCIDS series
Public Law: USC and annual DoD Authorization/Appropriation Bills
Studies: DAPA, Iraq Report… etc.
Individual programs have their specific needs, expectations or desired outcomes (IER) in numerous references such as:
-Plans: PPBE inputs, Acquisition Program Baselines, KPP’s, SEP’s… etc.

9. New System Program Manager Questions (2 of 2)
What characteristics promote establishing a collaborative relationship with key stakeholders (at least 3)?
What internal or organizational processes are being used within a typical program to support communicating with these stakeholders?
What would be the driving or restraining forces at work in building a relationship with these stakeholders?
The second set of questions focus on considering how best reach our stakeholders, the barriers we might encounter and the fundamental features of a successful communications system.

10. Systems Program Manager Brainstorming Session
At the end of the 20-minute preparation period call the teams back to order and begin the brainstorming/discussion session.
For this part of the exercise the lead instructor should have a white-board or butcher-block chart available to record the participants as they brainstorm their thoughts on the SMO questions first.
1. What is our mission, values and ethical principles?
2. Are these documented and if so, where?
3. What are our interests, expectations and requirements (IER) as a member of the team or for the program?
4. Are these documented and if so, where?
5. What internal systems could we use to support communicating with our stakeholders?
6. What systems would be a barrier to building a relationship with our stakeholders?
7. What features would make for a “good” system to communicate with our stakeholders?
Since this is the first class exercise and the participants may not feel completely at ease yet with each other, it is suggested that you select one of the team’s to start-off the brainstorming session (remind them that you will start with a brainstorming session first and then discuss the inputs afterwards), record their inputs and then move around the classroom to each team until you get at least one point from each group.
Ask the group as a whole if there are other inputs and then move to the next question.
Repeat the cycle until you have finished brainstorming the classes’ inputs.
Target this part of the exercise to take about minutes so that you can spend the balance of the time (20 minutes) having an open facilitated discussion.
Systems Program Manager Brainstorming Session

11. Focus is on asking the participants why these two elements within the overall concept of FOSTERing are important:
Understanding ourselves and what our needs are
Developing methods to make our organization more effective in dealing with our stakeholders
Summary