“The business of business isn’t just about creating profit for shareholders – It’s also about improving the state of the world and driving stakeholder value.” – Marc Benioff
The concept of the modern project represents an interesting construct; broadly, it implies a collective of members/stakeholders using mechanisms that work together to achieve defined outcomes. The dynamics that animate such enterprise operate at multiple levels and are executable through different layers of operation. Invariably, project complexity emerges as an interesting phenomenon that attracts our attentions; therefore, the idea of stakeholder mapping assumes importance because architects can utilize such mapping to bring order into project operations. Meanwhile, flowcharts enable designers to impart visual clarity to such efforts. These illustrations enable modern minds to position a range of stakeholders inside visual spaces, map the connections and dependencies that animate collaboration, visualize the levels of investment that drive success in projects, and elevate the levels of visibility for all concerned.
- Articulating the Prominent
Important stakeholders – such a project executives, architects, vendors, and reviewers – can find prominent positioning inside flowcharts developed for stakeholder mapping. In this context, we may consider the flowchart as a purveyor of multiple lines of focused information. The illustration could contain data pertaining to the areas of responsibility allotted to each stakeholder, small diagrams that describe the reporting relationships (if any) among stakeholders, their designations and a snapshot of their work experience, among others. Additionally, designers of flowchart could utilize the illustration to demonstrate the complex interactions that power project progress. In essence, this instance of stakeholder mapping emerges as an interesting etching that informs and enriches the perceptions of readers and lay public alike.
- Delineation promotes Clarity
Two categories of stakeholders – internal and external – could find representation inside a stakeholder mapping illustration. Such delineation allows the stewards of projects to generate clarity of vision in such enterprise. Internal stakeholders could include company executives, analysts, and project architects, while the external could list creditors, consultants, vendors, suppliers, distributors, and specialists among others. This instance of stakeholder mapping allows all concerned to evaluate the depth of project operation, draw connections between each unit described inside diagrams, and assess the value of each contribution. Additionally, this design motif could undergo expansion when creators include large batches of distinct entities in the expanse of categorization. We may therefore consider the flowchart as a test bed that encourages designers/creators to implement the idea of layered delineation in stakeholder mapping exercises.
- The Segmented Design
The considered inclusion of project plans and the policies endorsed by project operators could significantly enrich design, description, and structure of a stakeholder mapping flowchart. In this context, we may consider four segments that embody the completed flowchart – each segment could include snapshots of project plans and the stakeholders entrusted to drive success in each segment. We may consider this flowchart as a roadmap – one which enables readers to view detailed sequences of relevant mapping. Stakeholder mapping attains new meaning when designers include the engagement levels each stakeholder invests in an ongoing project. Such a stance offers a detailed multi-layered view of project operations, thereby etching a disciplined/nuanced view of modern projects.
- Stakeholders: Big & Small
A constant effort to identify key stakeholders that emerge during various stages of a project remains central to the idea of stakeholder mapping flowchart. Such effort gains additional relevance because key stakeholders can influence the progress registered by projects, and impart meaningful momentum toward project completion. For instance, a public works project can meander through multiple, extended, and expansive stages; in this context, a flowchart that bears stakeholder mapping can reinforce the perceptions of operators and allow them to fashion the correct messages for a procession of key stakeholders. This stance enables operators to preserve the momentum generated in project operations, and expand the scope and depth of project execution. In addition, this form of stakeholder mapping encourages stewards to adopt/implement the relevant best practices on an extended basis.
- Roles & Expectations
Designers of stakeholder mapping must etch the many roles and expectations of modern stakeholders inside analytical spaces such as flowcharts. In this context, creators could elect to design ancillary editions of flowchart that define said roles and expectations; these instances of diagram could be incorporated into the master flowchart. We may view this technique as a stalwart method of disaggregation, one that allows stakeholder mapping to proceed along multiple lines implemented inside a series of diagrams. Further, a quantification matrix could find implementation as a means to attach numerical value to stakeholders’ expectations. In the wider scheme of things, such methods empower stewards of projects to build trust in the eyes of stakeholders, implement quality protocols in project execution, and enumerate the many roles associated with project operation and completion.
- The Cluster Approach
Clusters of stakeholders – arranged by corporate origin, for instance – could represent a key design implementation when creators seek to develop the idea of stakeholder mapping. The subsequent connections that emerge between different clusters of stakeholders could represent emphatic imagery that details the emerging/incipient lines of collaboration that may power progress/success in an ongoing project. This version of illustration could take shape as a dense visual representation, one that enables readers to grow an appreciation of certain aspects of project operation. Further, additional layers of imagery could be encoded inside the illustration as a means to append distinctive lines of key project-relevant information. Hence, we may view this edition of flowchart as a reservoir of data, one that allows creators to map all the relevant stakeholders.
- Driving Communication
An effective communication plan remains vital to the success of endeavors that center on stakeholder mapping. In this context, project leaders could utilize email platforms (or instant messaging systems) to ensure all stakeholders remain on the proverbial same page. When designed into flowcharts, such a stance spurs operators to design/position a regular email routine that connects to every stakeholder at regular intervals. Further, designers could include the template of the email in addenda appended to the master flowchart. The frequency of email may also find representation, thereby adding detail to diagrams. A series of subsidiary communications could emerge among stakeholders, thereby allowing for constant streams of information to emanate/terminate at various points in the flowchart.
- In Conclusion
An examination of these texts allows readers to appreciate the various uses of flowchart in stakeholder mapping exercises. Such endeavors encourage interesting insights to emanate in the domain of modern project design and execution. The fact the very structure of contemporary flowcharts allows designers to frame/create a variety of stakeholder maps – thereby enriching the headline concept beyond a mere utility-driven perspective. In addition, the structure of flowcharts promotes the concept of transparency in operational matters; every stakeholder can consult the illustration in a bid to gain a better understanding of project details.
It remains incumbent on designers to build intelligent iterations and interpretations of stakeholder mapping; a series of such initiatives can help build an original corpus of relevant design templates. These could help diversify the levels of functionality built into flowchart diagrams; such a corpus could prove instrumental in terms of viewing the concept of stakeholder mapping in new light – leading to smarter execution of ongoing projects. Additionally, large editions of flow diagrams can help connect the multiple domains that dominate modern conceptions of project management. In enabling these scenarios, the flowchart excels as a test vehicle, a platform for ideation, and as a toolkit that empowers design professionals.
