The Process of Identifying Stakeholders - Coursework Example

Creating Diagrams, Stakeholder Diagrams in a Word Document/Report Affiliation: Project: Creating a Road Pricing App Introduction A transport planner or a coordinator, a designer, project funder, builder or a transit operator, requires creating a complete and a well integrated transportation network that will be able to serve all users effectively while at the same support environmental sustainability. The term “Complete Street” is useful when referring to the comprehensive, integrated transport network through a kind of infrastructure and design that has the highest likelihood of allowing safe and convenient means of traveling alongside and across the streets for all kinds of users. These users may include the pedestrians, the operators and users of public transit, cyclists, and people with disabilities, children, motorists, and the movers of commercial goods. In this regard, a project manager needs to be sure in identifying the list if all potential stakeholders in the project so that they can facilitate on the projects’ success (Green, 2013). Right from the early stages of a project, it is a critical process to identify on all the organizations and groups of people that will end up having impact on the project, or all those that will be impacted by the project. The meaning of a ‘stakeholder’ is any kind of person or an organization with active involvement in the project, or that kind of person of whose interests may see positive or negative effect by the implementation of a certain project (Hermansen, 2010). These stakeholders may either be internal or external. The possible list of potential stakeholders in a project, but not limited to, is as shown the table below; Potential list of stakeholders Competitors Industry trade groups Industry trade groups Employees Professional associations Investors Government Prospective customers Labor unions Government regulatory agencies Prospective employees Local communities The global community Shareholders Suppliers The process of identifying stakeholders employs the use of some tools and techniques like stakeholder analysis and expert judgment. Stakeholder analysis is about gathering and conducting an assessment in order to determine on whose interests to take into account before implementing a project. Expert judgment is about conducting system analysis to identify on the possible effectiveness of the prospective project. In identifying the stakeholders, the outputs to consider are stakeholder register, and a stakeholder management strategy (Hiebert & Klatt, 2001). A stakeholder Identification Table Identify Stakeholders Process entails identifying all persons or organizations that the project affects Inputs Tools and techniques Output Project charter Procurement documents Enterprise environmental factors Organization process assets Stakeholder analysis Expert judgment Stakeholder register Stakeholder management strategy At the stakeholder identification stage, there are two important documents that require to be created. These are a stakeholder questionnaire and a stakeholder registry. For the purpose of rating on each stakeholder’s importance and the possible impact such stakeholder may have on the project, it is thus important to conduct some form of analysis. Doing the stakeholder analysis is a process that focuses entirely on the importance of that stakeholder towards the project, or to the organization trying to implement the project, together with evaluating on the stakeholder’s participation and possible expectations. A stakeholder expectation questionnaire is a useful tool for analyzing on the specific stakeholder influences and the needs. The stakeholder registry is a useful tool for recording on the general overview on each of the stakeholder involved, together with recording their planned/forecasted role in the project (Pritchard, 2004). The following is a checklist to consider in the stakeholder identification process; 1. Project manager should identify and be able to document on a list of all stakeholders to the project. This should entail determining whom the internal stakeholders are, identifying and documenting the external stakeholders, and prioritizing on stakeholder list through the process of anticipated participation. 2. There is need to validation of the stakeholder register, which may entail networking with stakeholders in order to determine on the specific project interests, followed by evaluation on the stakeholder’s capacity of influence as means of determining on their positioning to the project. 3. The next step is the creation of the high-profile approach that will be in use while communicating to these stakeholders. At this same stage, the project manager has to ensure that there is a document prepared for the description on the overall approach to use towards the management of the project. Finally, there will be need of developing a preliminary communication plan for the purpose of addressing all the general needs of the stakeholders. 4. Conclude the checklist by defining on the individual responsibilities as a manager of the project and the responsibilities of other stakeholders. At this stage, provide a brief description specifying which stakeholders that will be participating in the project directly and define on those stakeholders that will have an interest through the phases of the project. Finally, communicate to the entire team the approach that will be used in coordinating all key project stakeholders so as to obtain buy-in (Probst & Bassi, 2014). Stakeholder Onion Diagram A set of user stories for each stakeholder narrative in the scenario When trying to figure out on what was in mind of some key stakeholders that would link directly to the City Road Pricing App, the project representative was able to get feedback from three stakeholders that gave their first person narratives while describing systems requirements from their point of view. These stakeholders were the Chief City Planner (Oscar Neimeyer), Traffic Pricing Manager (Mohammed Bashar), and a delivery driver (Joe Public). Their views on the project were subject to collect on one-to-one communication with a representative from the project management teams, whereby each of their responses was as described below; Oscar Neimeyer, the Chief City Planner, gives his view that there is need of introducing a form of road pricing through the streets of the city in case there are plans of avoiding the ever increasing grid lock situations on the city streets. Oscars gives an example as to the case of considering congestion charging on similar line to London, but the only challenge is that the whole process would be extremely costly to introduce. Another challenge is that introducing this system in London may not be effective enough basing on the nature of the roads layout. The next option is the plan to introduce a crowd sourcing social media approach that would be subject to link to the satellite navigation system. The central idea for this system was that any motorist that decides to use the quickest route through such traffic conditions would have to part with a certain amount of cash. Those streets that are very popular and getting congested often were to charge more, while the unpopular streets would be free. Motorists were then to choose into paying higher fees for accessing shorter or quicker routes, while those opting to go longer routes were to pay less. With the knowledge of all streets in the city, such as their capacities and throughput rate for the different day’s times of the day, all through the week and through the entire year, it would be possible to set realistic rates that motorists would pay for accessing such streets. In this regard, Oscar thinks that introducing a pricing system within the city streets would be an effective solution for decongesting the city. Mohamed Bashar, the Traffic Pricing Manager, gives his side of story on the state of city streets. At first, he states that there are sensors throughout the city that count on the number of vehicles on every road while at the same time measuring on their rate of travel. Since the traffic control department receives this traffic flow data continuously, the flow monitoring system thus converts the information into the data table that then shows on the average and the standard deviation of the transversal time in every direction of each road. Bashar goes ahead to state that the traffic department could receive request for route pricing from satnavs that inform them on the routes available and the likelihood that ETA (extended time of arrival) at each junction. From such data, it would be possible to calculate on the expected future densities on each road. The pricing system might employ the use of this system into calculating the prices on each section for each section of the road between the two junctions, hence relaying the data back to satnavs. After the drivers make their choices, it becomes possible into calculating the expected actual future demand. Bashar concludes in side of story by stating that Satnavs may go ahead in making a request and taking the alternative routes right up to the point where they have the commitment of taking the particular section of the road. Joe Public, the delivery driver, gives his side of story by supporting the initiative of introducing a new system. In his view, the new traffic system would be of extreme use to him at personal level. Joe delivers small packages all over the city, and often picking up from a depot or an office in another part of the town and then engages in driving across to the other side of town. Additionally, Joe states that some of these packages require urgent deliveries of which the delivery company charges extra with the current traffic system. In this case, linking the delivery systems’ software to that of the city traffic system would help at creating a realistic delivery windows systems, thus being able to charge their respective customers appropriately. Joe goes ahead to give views that for those deliveries that are very urgent, they would engage in high cost routes while on others, they take on the long routes. It is also apparent that the delivery company also packages a mix of deliveries, implying that low price goods might end up reaching their delivery points quicker since the urgent packages have already paid for the services of accessing shorter routes. In this regard, Joe gives the impression that some companies would benefit more from these systems, hence making them to be willing to pay for the services rendered by the new city road pricing app. Upon looking at all of these views, it is apparent that these stakeholders might have similar or different interests through the introduction of the new city road pricing app. All in all, it is important to note that people who really have the urgency of accessing the busiest streets and areas in the city would benefit more from the introduction of this new system. Those that would be disadvantaged and unwilling to pay the set fees will have to restrain and opt for alternative long routes that would be cheaper or free of charge. In the end, the busiest streets will only be under the occupancy of those that have extra needs, while those with fewer needs would be using alternatively longer routes. In the end, the ultimate goal would see a decongestion of the busiest city environs. A set of use case descriptions developed from the user stories In part of the process of getting the feedback from the frequent road user, most of them being normal motorists and cyclists, the views were varied basing entirely on individual needs. Through an interview with one motorist chosen randomly, he was unsatisfied by the introduction on this new city road pricing app. The main reason for his dissatisfaction is that he is a businessman who goes in and out of the city many times in a day, and such service would be very costly for him and his business. When asked about the speed of movement, he stated that there was an improved speed of traffic flow but the challenge remains the same, in that it is costly for him and his entire business. In another brief interview with a different motorist, he cited his satisfaction with the introduction of the new city road pricing app. To this second motorist, it is all about speed of services that matter to him, hence making it justified for the introduction of the new pricing system for accessing the city roads. In a third interview with a cyclist, the response was also positive. The cyclist stated that the system charges low rates for the bicycles as they are quick in movements within traffic, hence making it easier for the cyclists to access the busiest city streets with ease. For serving the cyclists, they will be making payments at entry points through personal interface with traffic controlling agents, who then issue them with exit cards as an indication of their payments. In this regard, the cyclist was in total support of the new city road pricing app in that it will be effective at decongesting the busiest roads. A set of use case diagrams The following is a model of steps of which a motorist will have to use while checking in to the new city road pricing app; Step 1: Click on the model element to bring up the resource service user interface Motorist Step 2: Please click in the next button to choose on your vehicle model and the click next Motorist Step 3: After selecting your vehicle model (saloon, heavy commercial, ambulance, lorry), the price is set automatically as per street charges and you pay using the card issued by the city’s traffic department, which is loaded with cash. The following prompt box will appear; Step 4: Click next to go to the payment prompt box, which appears as below; Step 5: You have completed the payment and the following prompt box will appear Brief explanation on the system functioning The above steps are sample steps for the city road pricing user interface. The new system will have the preconditioned prices for each class of vehicle and for each street in the city. Every card is registered by the user’s vehicle registration number, with the traffic department having an online platform where card users may change on their vehicle registration numbers for the same card upon request. At the entry point, there will be an automatic system that opens the barrier for a few seconds to allow the user pass before closing again for the next user. The exit end will have no barrier, hence the automatic exit by the user and at free will and upon their chosen time. A set of sample activity diagrams Part 1: Entry Point to the city street Part 2: Exit point of the street References Green, O. (2013). Frank Picks London: Art, design and the modern city. Hermansen, C. C. (2010). Manifestoes and transformations in the early modernist city. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate Pub. Co. Hiebert, M., & Klatt, B. (2001). The encyclopedia of leadership: A practical guide to popular leadership theories and techniques. New York: McGraw-Hill. Pritchard, C. (2004). The Project Management Communications Toolkit. Norwood: Artech House. Probst, G., & Bassi, A. (2014). Tackling complexity: A systemic approach for decision makers. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing. Read More