In an agile environment, stakeholder management is a primary task of the product owner in order to ensure the achievement of objectives and the satisfaction of clients and users. The product owners can be supported in this by experts (e.g. UX designers, community managers, SEO specialists).
If stakeholders are ignored, this can lead to undesirable developments and acceptance problems in projects.
Stakeholder management approach
Stakeholder management is an overarching process that must be given attention throughout the entire duration of the project. The stakeholder structure should also be reviewed on an ongoing basis and the process repeated if necessary, as interest groups can change.
1. Identification and 2. analysis
Create the stakeholder list in a workshop (alternatively individual survey) with as many possible stakeholders as possible:
- Who is the stakeholder (position in the company)?
- What are their expectations of the project?
- What is their attitude towards the project?
- What is their influence on the project?
Once the stakeholder list has been completed, a force field diagram can be drawn up to illustrate the influence, from which subsequent measures for stakeholder management can be derived.
Example of a stakeholder list (excerpt):
Focus circles
In the university environment in particular, we have had very good experience with setting up focus groups in order to pick up on different, sometimes inhomogeneous stakeholder groups and to be able to incorporate their wishes and feedback.
Focus groups can be people from target groups (administration, students, professors), faculty representatives, marketing staff or university IT employees, for example.
These focus groups can sharpen the view of the project from a specific perspective and have the character of a workshop.
Practical for stakeholder groups of 5-20 people per group
Presentations with feedback round
Very large stakeholder groups can be targeted with presentations, particularly after focus circles have been held, but also after project phases have been completed (e.g. creation of wireframes, design phase, conception of a complex feature, provision of an MVP).
Visual presentations with condensed information are increasingly suitable here, as it is difficult to enter at a granular level in this context and, in our experience, this can be detrimental. The information content must be understandable and relevant for the majority of the audience.
The presentation of design concepts in particular usually triggers a wide range of opinions in the stakeholder group, which we help the Uni-PO to manage with our wealth of experience.
The filtering and classification of a wide variety of feedback afterwards usually reveals a wide range of opinions, whereby the weighting of the feedback is carried out by the PO team alone. Priorities for further requirements or changes are derived from this.
Practical for stakeholder groups of 10-100 people
Open reviews
The so-called review meeting, at which the development team presents the results of the current sprint (development cycle), is already integrated into the SCRUM sprint structure. It is not only sensible but also highly recommended to involve all stakeholders who will be working with the results or who have helped to shape them as a requirement.
It should be noted that no new specifications or changes are dealt with in this context, but only a presentation and information is provided to the stakeholders involved.
Practical for stakeholder groups of 1-5 people.
3. Treatment
Based on the identification and analysis, stakeholders are then dealt with in a targeted manner. The aim is to involve each stakeholder group appropriately according to their influence, attitude and expectations.
Not all stakeholders require the same level of information or involvement. The decisive factor is conscious differentiation, for example
- close involvement in the case of high relevance and influence
- regular information in the case of strategic importance
- selective involvement for clearly defined topics
Depending on the stakeholder group, different formats are used, such as personal discussions, focus groups, presentations or structured feedback rounds. It is important to clearly communicate when and in what form feedback is desired and how it is to be handled.
4. Control system
Stakeholder management is an ongoing process that must be actively managed throughout the entire duration of the project. The roles, expectations and influence of individual stakeholders can change during the project and should be reviewed regularly.
Control includes, among other things
- updating the stakeholder list
- adapting communication formats and frequencies
- transparent expectation management in the event of conflicting objectives
In an agile environment, this responsibility usually lies with the product owner, who acts as the central interface between the different interests and ensures structured communication.
Conclusion: Stakeholder management is a management task
Successful stakeholder management is crucial for the acceptance, quality and target achievement of a project. If you identify your stakeholders at an early stage, involve them in a structured manner and manage them continuously, you can reduce friction and prevent undesirable developments.
However, in complex projects with many stakeholders and different interests, the aim is not to implement all opinions. Rather, it is crucial to collect, classify and transparently prioritize feedback in a targeted manner.
Stakeholder management is therefore not an optional accompanying discipline, but a central management task in the project. Those who take it seriously create orientation and trust as well as the necessary basis for sustainable project success.
