Identify Stakeholder Readiness for Change
Even on smaller projects there are key individuals or groups of individuals who need special attention when planning communications for the project. In larger projects there could be multiple stakeholders, each with their own unique reason they oppose the project or some aspect that affects them. If you could identify these individuals or groups while in your project planning phase, then you could design interventions to minimize or eliminate their objections and concerns. They in fact could become one of your greatest supporters. Many times stakeholders can withstand the pressures of the changes without any help but many reach a point in the project when they have exceeded their capacity for change.
One approach is to perform a Stakeholder Readiness Analysis to help determine what deliberate activities you would like to include in your project plan to overcome these objections or never have the objection in the first place. The latter requires we can carry a stakeholder through a series of stages beginning with Awareness and ending with Acceptance. We can view this transformation in the following curve showing the level of acceptance over the time of the project (and even beyond).
Levels of Stakeholder Readiness for Change
Awareness
At the beginning of any new project, the flow of communications begins and stakeholders develop an awareness. This awareness usually does not always based on fact but rather hearsay before formal communications are released.
Personal Concern
As stakeholders begin discussion and information begins to flow, many of the stakeholders begin to determine how the project will impact them. I have talked to stakeholders who feel their jobs are in jeopardy when in fact the project will increase the staffing for their group. This is why early communications are designed to address these topics and you want to prevent personal concern to arise by sending well-written and timely communications.
Initial Exposure
Once the initial communications reach the different stakeholder groups, many of the questions can be answered. Initial exposure is founded on formal communications.
Anticipation
Once the stakeholders understand the true impact of the project, they begin to establish a positive (or negative) feeling and anticipate the proposed outcomes. Project communications should be clear on any positive changes to minimize any resistance to change. I have seen effective project communications create excitement and a "pull" to having the project be successful.
Acceptance
Once a successful series of project communications are implemented, the different stakeholder groups have internalized the changes and become advocates of the change.
The most important opportunity to communicate with the stakeholders is the 'Project Kickoff Meeting' to inform and appraise them on the project environment & seek their support clearly stating when, where, how they could make their valuable contribution leading to success in achieving the desired project goals.
Project Manager must recognize that each functionary in the organization is an important stakeholder in his project & can extend their support at crucial time once they realize their importance.
Stakeholders are not only the senior management personnel but also from HR, accounts, Administration, Facility Management (HW/SW & Network system administration)and travel-department.
Inviting them in the 'Project Kickoff Meeting' itself makes them feel important. Important is that Project Manager in his briefing about the project scope, goal, schedule & constraints/assumptions includes clear mention about the role of each stakeholder invited in the meeting and seek their understanding & support.
Project Kickoff Meeting is the most important and the earliest opportunity to present to the management his perception of the project schedule, budget & seek the funding and approval for the desired resources of all the kind/type.
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True the Project Kickoff Meeting is an important single event within the project timeline. Having the meeting demands getting ready for the meeting. This would require a stakeholder analysis with a gap at least for the primary stakeholders. From this you can better prepare for the content of the Kickoff Meeting to match their needs. Just describing what the project is going to do, you stand the chance of missing the motives of the stakeholders and instead of getting them on-board early, you could create a barrier between the project and critical players.
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