Why is it important to rank the importance of various stakeholders involved in system development?


Stakeholders can be ranked in importance through a two-dimensional scatter analysis grid which maps “Influence” and “Interest” as shown below-

 

The stakeholders can now be grouped in the following order-

  • High Influence and High Interest
  • High Influence and Low Interest
  • Low Influence and High Interest
  • Low Influence and Low Interest

The stakeholders ranking order (highest to lowest) would be-

  1. project manager
  2. end user
  3. database administrator
  4. marketing
  5. the development team leader
  6. the network administrator
  7. the CEO
  8. legal
  9. the CIO
  10. sales

It is important to determine the hierarchy and to have exact knowledge of a role in the scatter-analysis quadrant as-

  • It establishes clear guidelines for decision making
  • Helps in resolving conflicts between competing requirements – the higher-ranked stakeholder will gain priority
  • It determines a budget-time design depending on the role and their involvement necessary for the project
  • It ensures that each phase of the SDLC meets with the approval of the necessary stakeholders
  • It establishes clarity and transparency on the weight and importance that each role carries and gives no room for ambiguity or bruised
  • It provides for accountability – as the project has to meet with the review and approval of the critical stakeholders