Stakeholder analysis: 2-3 pages + title and references; Project charter: 2 pages

The discussion on stakeholders went better than expected. Everyone seems to be on the same page. But now, the team is unsure who should be included as stakeholders in the communication management plan. The team realizes that there are a lot more stakeholders on the project than expected. In addition to the team itself, there are other internal and external stakeholders who must be considered.

Although all of your team members work in the electric engineering department, they all bring unique skills and experiences to this project. Many have worked in other departments prior to their new role or have duel responsibilities in the company.

"This is a make-or-break project for us at this point," says Jim. "We have to get it right the first time. If we miss any stakeholders in our communication, it could be divesting to the success of the project."

Jim turns to you. "I need you to lead the team in conducting a stakeholder analysis. We need to make sure to include all of the stakeholders, their background, contribution to the project, and level of priority to the project communication. You will be working with your four teammates in performing the stakeholder analysis and transferring this information to the project charter for review."

"Okay," you say. "Can everyone give me a little bit of background about work experience and education?"

"Sure," says Jerry Lawson. "I have an MS in computer science and several IT certifications as well as 6 years with the company."

"I have a lot of procurement and acquisition experience, but have an engineering background," says Sara Jenkins. "I earned an MBA and a BS in electrical engineering. I have been with the company 4 years."

"I have done business analysis, quality assurance, and risk management, but have an engineering background," says Melissa Grant. "I have an MSM in project management and a BS in electrical engineering as well as 6 years with the company."

Mike Green, a technician who previously worked in the public relations and marketing department says, "I have done a lot of hands-on electrical work and testing. I earned my MBA in marketing and two undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and IT management. I have been with the company for 5 years."

"Great, thanks," you say.

Jim hands you a document, saying, "Here is a project charter template for you to use as a guideline." Click here for the project charter template.

After Jim leaves, you and the rest of the team get busy discussing how to conduct a stakeholder analysis and how to justify stakeholders' inclusion in the project communication.

Back at your desk, you write the stakeholder analysis in an essay-style format using MS Word. Notes from your team discussion help you defend your position on the stakeholders' inclusion. Your essay outlines who they are to the project; their roles, responsibilities, and positions at the company (internal or external); and their level of influence on the project.

After finishing the stakeholder analysis, you complete the first 2 pages of the project charter using the stakeholder information that was shared in the previous meeting and from the stakeholder analysis. You revise and reformat it as needed.

• Communication Policy: Lessons From Experience: Team Building Communications 1 Introduction The story that you are about to read is from actual events that occurred in the field. Its purpose is to provide you with a real-world example from aseasoned professional in the business world.Team Building CommunicationsI worked for a cross-functional organization that operated businessesthroughout the world. The company had offices in India, South Africa,Thailand, China, Canada, Brazil, and America, with their corporateheadquarters based in London, England. The company was one of the largestmanagement consulting firms in the financial servicing industry. They hadgrown rapidly over the past 10 years with great success, but the companyhad been struggling with communication issues that negatively impacted theirstakeholder relationship and customer satisfaction.The senior executives from each business unit representing their internationaloffices, along with a few key representatives from their suppliers andpartnering businesses decided to meet for a three-day conference to tacklethis problem. The meeting took place in London at the corporateheadquarters, and it was facilitated by the chief executive officer (CEO),chairmen of the board, and several vice presidents.Everyone shared examples of communication breakdowns that they hadexperienced in their respective business unit offices. The vendors anddifferent business partners also provided examples of communicationmistakes or information failure that had caused them to deliver the wrongproducts or incorrectly change the delivery dates of orders. Several of thesenior executives and their associates shared the profit lost when clients andbusiness partners canceled their contracts because of product defects or poorservices rendered. Everyone was in agreement about the severity of thecommunication problem, and they were committed in finding a solution.What many of the senior executives realized during the three-day conferencewas that there were too many communication channels in the company. Manyof the international offices and business units followed differentcommunication processes and used different technology to share information.There were also different policies in place at the company's internationaloffices, which created confusion, delayed the delivery of communicationmaterials, and required different officials to approve contract changes and Lessons From Experience: Team Building Communications2updates to project scope. The company decided to invest in an internal cloudsystem, a customer services relations management (CRM) system, and anintranet announcement system and tracker to deal with the technicalproblems. The company also created a company-wide policy and process formanaging and sharing communication information.It is important to take away the following from this scenario:• Creating a company-wide, consistent communication policy andprocess helps to reduce costly errors.• Create an opportunity for interested stakeholders to share experiences and lessons learned helps to prevent future mistakes.