Why Is It Important to Identify Key Stakeholders?
Not all stakeholders need the same level of engagement. Identifying key stakeholders ensures that the team gets valuable feedback without unnecessary distractions.
Metaphor
Identifying key stakeholders is like tuning a radio to the clearest station. — Without the right signal, you’ll hear static from every direction and miss the important message. By focusing on the most relevant voices, the team gets sharper feedback and avoids unnecessary interference.
Anecdote
While supporting a team responsible for a website update, I saw delays push the work uncomfortably close to the go-live date. Believing the deadline was flexible, we decided to delay deployment to avoid technical risks. However, we hadn’t identified all key stakeholders. One emerged late, revealing the date was fixed due to a rebrand launch. As a result, we had to work through the weekend to meet the requirement. The experience taught us how costly it can be to overlook identifying key stakeholders early.
Connections
follows:: Stakeholders Include Anyone Impacted by the Product
Works Consulted
In addition to any sources cited above, the following works informed my thinking: (1)