Successful IT systems

# 4.1 Stakeholder analysis

The most commonly used way of starting to identify stakeholders is to undertake a brainstorming session. On the face of it, brainstorming is a simple method for generating ideas and it is likely that this apparent simplicity is the main reason for its popularity. However, it is more effective if it is applied more formally within a set of rules such as:

- work in small, close groups of perhaps five or six, in a private, protected area away from interference or interruption
- create an atmosphere that is safe, supportive, concerned with encouragement and building (not criticism or dissection), fun, playful, energetic, enthusiastic, permissive, stimulating and risk taking
- divide the time into periods of relaxed privacy for individual imagination and contrasting periods of excited, lively, rapid-fire group interaction
- write up all the ideas as they occur where everyone can see them
- treat everyone as equal and enable everyone to contribute, although it may be useful to appoint a ‘compère’ who discourages criticism, encourages dramatic and outlandish ideas and maintains the pace
- continue while the excitement lasts, but stop at the first signs of staleness
- when a good stock of raw suggestions has been generated, switch into a more controlled mode and work through the list of suggestions to look for overlaps, omissions and possibilities for forming groupings.

## Activity 7

15 minutes

Which three of the seven rules listed above would you select as being the most important to the success of a brainstorming session and why?

## Discussion

In our view, the following rules will most affect the atmosphere of the session and thus its likely success:

- Create an atmosphere that is safe, supportive, concerned with encouragement and building (not criticism or dissection), fun, playful, energetic, enthusiastic, permissive, stimulating and risk taking.
- Divide the time into periods of relaxed privacy for individual imagination and contrasting periods of excited, lively, rapid-fire group interaction.
- Treat everyone as equal and enable everyone to contribute, although it may be useful to appoint a ‘compère’ who discourages criticism, encourages dramatic and outlandish ideas, and maintains the pace.

In practice, it is very difficult to ensure that the rules are followed. The stifling of critical and negative remarks, for example, requires a good deal of self-discipline. ‘Everyone is equal and everyone contributes’ can be difficult in the face of hierarchical differences. A similar problem concerns the level of each individual’s knowledge about the situation under consideration.

An alternative to brainstorming is brainwriting where the participants do not talk to each other but communicate, usually electronically, instead. For example, it is possible to set up a wiki and add suggestions over a period of a few days. Brainwriting is attractive because it can overcome some of the problems associated with brainstorming but another big advantage it offers is that people can participate remotely.

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