The stakeholder file is a crucial part of a project, as it provides insight into the interests, needs and concerns of the stakeholders involved. The construction of such a dossier is often still done manually, whereas by automating this you can save a lot of time and costs and better ensure consistency and accuracy. In this article, we explain the benefits of automatically building your stakeholder file and how it can be done.
Building a stakeholder file manually
As an environmental manager, you are responsible for building a stakeholder file. Such a file contains important information about the interests and needs of the various stakeholders in your project.
There are several ways to build a stakeholder file. For example, you can conduct a manual analysis, which consists of desk and field work. In desk work, you can use GIS (geographic information systems) to map who and what is in your area. Fieldwork is done by visiting the project area to visualize the site with your own eyes.
Alternatively, a (partial) stakeholder file may already be available from the client, for example in Relatics or excel.
What do these ways of building a stakeholder file have in common?
They are error-prone, since you cannot be 100% sure that they are complete.
They are created manually.
Automatic instead of manual
Because you search the Internet yourself or memorize names during conversations, you may end up making mistakes in your stakeholder file or skipping stakeholders. You can avoid these two issues by building your stakeholder file automatically. Here you perform an analysis in your project area, which immediately identifies all important stakeholders. You can then store these stakeholders in a digital stakeholder file, such as in our software Clearly.Projects.
For the automatic creation of your stakeholder file we have developed a step-by-step plan, which we will explain in more detail below.
Step 1 - scope determination
In Step 1, we establish the location and required radius for stakeholder retrieval. We start at the project location. This can be an area on the map such as the plan boundary, a tract, or multiple points, for example, depending on the type of project. Then we determine the range in which we will collect stakeholders. For example, we can collect only stakeholders adjacent to the project area, or we can select all stakeholders located within a range of 100 meters.
Step 2 - Data collection
In the next step, Step 2, we determine the sources from which we will request the information and retrieve the stakeholder information. For example, we can retrieve data on parcel owners and cable and pipeline owners from the Land Registry. We can also retrieve data from OpenStreetMap about points of interest (POIs) near the project. Think governments, emergency services, business owners, schools, etc.
In case a stakeholder file is already available, we merge the information from the file with the found information in this step. In this way we make sure that the already existing stakeholder file is completed.
Step 3 - Data conversion
In the final step, we convert the miscellaneous information to a map layer. We then convert the stakeholders and point of interests (POIs) found to items in your digital stakeholder file in Clearly.Projects.
Automatically add to an existing file
To merge an already existing stakeholder file with a digital stakeholder file, your file must meet an important condition. Your dossier must be structured. This can be done, for example, in Excel. This makes it possible to match fields. Therefore it is convenient to use fixed columns in your stakeholder file. We have a standard template available for this. This can be obtained by contacting us.
Automated completion of existing file
To merge an already existing stakeholder file with a digital stakeholder file, your file must meet an important condition. Namely, your file must be structured. This can be done in Excel, for example. This makes it possible to match fields. Therefore it is convenient to use fixed columns in your stakeholder file. We have a standard template available for this. This can be obtained by contacting us.
Want to know more?
Hopefully the tips in this article will help you on your way to automating the construction of your own stakeholder file as well. Should we be able to help with this, please feel free to contact Bas Hoorn.