Stakeholders are the people and organisations able to significantly influence the success of any of the phases of the business case.
The stakeholder consultation strategy:
◼ identifies the key stakeholders who must be consulted in order to ensure the effective implementation and delivery of the business case.
◼ what consultation has occurred and
◼ how any issues are assessed and managed.
Agencies must document a consultation strategy for implementing the project or program.
Identifying, engaging and communicating with stakeholders is an ongoing process in the project or program's lifecycle. The extent of engagement with stakeholders will invariably be proportionate to the scale, risk and complexity of the project and will involve both agency and external stakeholders. Stakeholders are those who have a significant stake in the project or program and may include other agencies, and other units in the proponent agency, as well as external parties such as the community.
While agencies are likely to have stakeholder consultation methodologies, they will need to consider the most effective way of engaging with stakeholders over the life of a project to keep them informed and to respond to issues that are raised throughout the communication process. This process is not a static activity so agencies are encouraged to regularly review and monitor their strategies/plans to ensure they continue to be relevant and have regard to emerging risks and issues.