Salesforce Key Stakeholders

In any project, understanding who the key stakeholders are is crucial for success. This blog dives deep into the roles and importance of stakeholders in the project management process. Let’s get started!

Key Stakeholders in a Project

• Leadership: Business leaders create a strategic plan and prioritize the goals and objectives of the project.
• Project Managers: The individuals that are responsible for the management of the team and the deliverables. They keep the team on track.
• Developers and Technical Architects: They determine how to build the product/ and are also responsible for building it.
• UX Designers: They are responsible for creating UX Design artefacts that help in identifying the vision of the business when building a product.
• Others: People from Marketing, Sales, and Human Resources that provide valuable information related to ongoing business activities.

Importance of Identifying Key Stakeholders

Before starting a new project, it is important to identify the key stakeholders impacted by the change since it involves investing time, effort, and money. Also, involving the stakeholders in the early stages of the project helps in getting their buy-in and adherence to the project goals and objectives.

Factors to be Considered When Creating a Dream Team

It is important to include representatives from all departments, such as Marketing, Sales, etc. to ensure there aren’t any objections or misalignments. Create a strategy to capture high-level inputs like priorities and challenges related to the project. Onboard SME’s to manage and influence technical implementations.

How to Identify a Key Stakeholder?

Think through the following questions to identify key stakeholders:

• Who needs to be involved in order to come up with a good plan for change?
• Who should be involved in order to obtain sufficient funding, and resources, and who has the decision-making authority?
• Who has a greater influence on how other people perceive the change?
• Who should be involved in order to represent the most affected by the change?

After you answer the above questions, ensure to conduct a stakeholder analysis.

You can do so by using a 2×2 stakeholder mapping framework. Use four different quadrants to group your stakeholders into different categories based on level of influence and level of interest or impact:

• Change Makers
• Change Sponsors
• Onlookers
• Change Adopters.

Interviewing Key Stakeholders

• What are the current gaps/pain points?
• What is the goal, the key stakeholder is trying to achieve?
• How will the solution help the stakeholder in solving their problem?
• How are the goals classified? Are these short-term or long-term?
• What is their measure of success?
• How do the prioritize the deliverables of the projects?

Use Case

Cosmo Property has been following the Waterfall methodology for developing and enhancing their Salesforce software projects. In the last quarter, the business decided to move to the agile approach for developing products in increments. This change in the model needs to be introduced in the next quarter. What should be the ideal approach?

Solution: Change Management System

Reason: A Change Management System should be set up before introducing the changes in the team. This helps in adaptation and builds support. A change network helps the core change management team reach more people and create clear communication channels.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding and engaging with key stakeholders is not just a step in project management—it’s a cornerstone of successful project outcomes. From leadership to technical architects, each stakeholder plays a pivotal role in shaping the project’s direction, ensuring its alignment with business goals, and facilitating smooth transitions through methodologies like Agile.  

As we navigate the complexities of project management and stakeholder engagement, the need for continuous learning and adaptation becomes evident. This is where saasguru steps in. Join our community on Slack to connect with a network of professionals who are navigating the same challenges and opportunities. 

Enhance your skills further by enrolling in our online Salesforce bootcamps. With hands-on training and real projects, you’ll not only deepen your understanding but also apply what you’ve learned in a practical setting.