Stakeholder mapping for a research project kick-off
When Connected Places Catapult started working with a design agency on a project about aviation industry skills, one of the first things they did was stakeholder mapping. This helped them decide who to talk to as part of their research.
They kept the exercise short and simple, and ran it in 15 minutes during the project kick-off meeting. Not every activity needs time set aside in a dedicated session! They used online virtual whiteboard app Mural.
At the start of the session, the agency clarified the definitions of key terms like ‘stakeholder’. You might assume that everyone knows what a stakeholder is, but it is surprising how often our definitions differ enough that confusion creeps in if we don’t say it out loud!
Connected Places Catapult had already told the designers that they would need to speak to people from 3 main groups of stakeholders:
- Further education (for example colleges)
- Aviation industry
- Subject matter experts
The stakeholder mapping exercise put specific people and organisations from these groups into one of 3 categories:
- Must speak to
- Useful to speak to
- Nice to speak to
The kick-off meeting itself included some of the stakeholders, from the local airport and a local college. Yes, it is useful to ask stakeholders who the other stakeholders are!
After the kick-off meeting, they met again to review the list of potential people to talk to, and how best to get in touch with them.