Full-Scale PIA - Stakeholder analysis

The preparatory phase of the five-phase PIA process includes analysis of stakeholders in the project. This section provides guidance in relation to this task. Guidance at a preliminary level was provided during the discussions concerning the Framework for the PIA.

The objectives of a PIA cannot be achieved, and the aims of the project as a whole may be seriously harmed, if a PIA process is undertaken behind closed doors. The nature of contemporary information systems is such that many organisations are involved, variously as partners, participants, outsourced service providers, and technology providers. In government projects and public-private partnerships, the relevant Minister(s) is/are concerned about how the project develops.

Moreover, in a complex project applying powerful technologies, many parts of the population may be affected. To avoid the risk of alienating stakeholders, each needs to have the opportunity to provide input to the assessment, and to satisfy themselves that the outcomes have taken into account their concerns.

The purpose of Stakeholder Analysis is to lay the foundation for an effective consultation process, by ensuring that all parties are identified who may have an interest in the project.

The following is a checklist of potential stakeholders whose interests may need to be considered.

• The organisation itself.
• Segments of the organisation that have a significant interest in the matter.
• Participating organisations.
• Regulatory agencies, such as the Information Commissioner's Office, but possibly others as well.
• The intended subjects of the project, which may include:
  • incorporated business enterprises, of various sizes, in various roles;
  • incorporated associations, of various sizes, in various roles, and
  • individuals generally, in various roles, including:

    as consumers or clients
    as citizens
    as employees and contractors
    as small businesspeople
    as people subject to regulation by government

• Possibly, the general public.
• Possibly, providers of relevant technologies and services.

It is not conventional to regard the media as a 'stakeholder'. Journalists and commentators may, however, see the situation differently. There are therefore advantages in considering the media within the context of the Stakeholder Analysis. The provision of an appropriate amount of information to the media at the right stages in the process may be instrumental in avoiding misrepresentations of the project's aims and scope and the possible interruptions to the project which they can cause.