on Culture & Development - Seameo-SPAFA

project planning. Used effectively itcan help us to better understand theimportance of different groups (i.e.those whose needs and interests are apriority), and to anticipate the kind ofinfluence they may have (i.e. thosewho exert power in the decisionmakingprocess).Our starting point was to define theword stakeholder and to translate itinto the participants’ own language.On occasions, finding an equivalentthat was in fact inclusive provedchallenging in itself. With the agreeddefinitions in mind, and working insmall groups, the participants werethen asked to identify thestakeholders for a specific project. Asfar as possible we encouraged them touse projects they were working on,thus input from the different membersof the group was of a very practicalnature. A number of participantssubsequently commented on the factthat in their real work contexts, theyhad neither the time nor the humanresources available to dedicate toconduct such a comprehensiveanalysis. They did however recognisethe benefits of doing so.The extensive lists generated by thebrainstorming also led to aquestioning of the practicalities of howand when to engage with the variousstakeholder groups and to requests forclarification on what is meant by theterms primary and secondarystakeholders. This, in turn, raisedissues of power and ownership. Theseissues were explored using animportance /influence grid, adaptedfrom materials for project cyclemanagement from the Tearfund. Ourmodel incorporated an idea from theOverseas Development Institute (ODI)materials which encourages the userto consider how best to manage therelationship with each stakeholder.The latter helps to prioritise efforts tobe more inclusive and encouragesthought about strategies forengagement. Both sources are listedwith the activity and in the referencesection.Participants were encouraged to seethe initial stakeholder analysis, whichwould take place early in the planningprocess, as something they wouldneed to revisit and build on. Often,despite the fact that the initialanalysis seeks to be exhaustive, newstakeholder groups, which may57