EXIN BCS Stakeholder Engagement Professional flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Stakeholder definition

Any person or group that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity. Perception alone is sufficient to qualify.

Power/Interest grid

Two-axis analysis classifying stakeholders by influence and concern. High power with high interest are managed closely; low power with low interest are merely monitored.

Mendelow matrix

Grid using Power and Legitimacy rather than Interest. High power plus high legitimacy yields a dominant stakeholder who expects formal, regular involvement in decisions.

Salience model

Mitchell, Agle and Wood model scoring stakeholders on Power, Legitimacy and Urgency. Holding all three attributes makes a stakeholder definitive and first in priority.

Stakeholder circle

Bourne's method with layers from the sponsoring organisation outward. It sequences identification, prioritisation and profiling, recording each stakeholder's attitude and influence.

Snowball identification

Technique where known stakeholders are asked to name others who may affect or be affected by the work, extending coverage beyond formal registers and documents.

Attitude classification

Labelling each stakeholder supporter, neutral or opponent. Attitude, combined with influence, determines whether direct dialogue or advocacy roles are appropriate.

Iterative re-analysis

Re-running identification and re-scoring influence at phase gates or when scope, regulation or ownership changes, because stakeholder positions shift over the lifecycle.

Engagement plan content

Per stakeholder group: objective, key messages, channel, frequency, responsible owner and success measure. A plan lacking owners and dates cannot be executed.

IAP2 spectrum

Five levels of participation: Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate, Empower. The level promised must equal the decision rights genuinely offered.

Consult before decision

Sequencing rule requiring consultation to occur while options remain open. Consulting after the decision is fixed reduces engagement to mere notification.

Impact-based engagement level

Rule that stakeholders receiving significant negative impact should be involved or collaborated with, not simply informed, to preserve legitimacy.

Engagement risk register

Log of engagement-specific risks such as consultation fatigue, misaligned expectations, information leakage and failure to meet statutory consultation duties, each with mitigation and owner.

Success criteria definition

Measurable indicators agreed in the plan, such as response rate or issue closure time, that let engagement performance be judged against objectives rather than activity.

Escalation route

Pre-agreed path naming who is notified when a key stakeholder withdraws support, and the maximum time allowed before a response is given.

Resourcing the plan

Explicit budgeting of facilitator time, venues, translation, accessibility provision and analysis effort, all of which recur across the engagement programme.

Channel richness rule

Matching medium to message: face-to-face for complex or sensitive dialogue, lean written channels for routine broadcast information to large audiences.

World café

Large-group method using rotating small-table conversations with evolving notes, suited to generating and connecting ideas across many participants quickly.

Delphi technique

Structured anonymous rounds of expert judgement with controlled feedback, used to converge on a view without dominance by senior or vocal participants.

Focus group

Facilitated small-group discussion probing attitudes and reasoning in depth. It trades statistical breadth for insight into why stakeholders hold their views.

You said, we did

Feedback loop closing every consultation by reporting what changed, what did not, and the reasons. It converts consultation into credible two-way engagement.

Decision rule

Stated method for concluding a meeting: consensus, majority vote, or chair decides. Publishing it in advance prevents disputes about whether agreement was reached.

Accessible consultation

Providing alternative formats, reasonable adjustments and translation so that stakeholders with disabilities or language needs can participate on equal terms.

Two-way versus broadcast

Dialogue changes attitudes and builds commitment; one-way broadcast mainly raises awareness. Channel choice therefore follows the intended engagement outcome.

Digital exclusion risk

Online channels extend reach but omit people lacking access or skills, so material decisions need at least one non-digital participation route.

Engagement KPIs

Measures including reach, participation rate, sentiment shift, issue resolution time, commitment fulfilment and complaint trend, each tied to a plan objective.

Output versus outcome

Outputs count activity such as meetings held; outcomes show effect such as attitude change or resolved issues. Reporting must lead with outcomes.

Sentiment trend tracking

Repeated sampling with an unchanged question and scale, so shifts in stakeholder attitude can be compared validly across reporting periods.

Issue and action log

Audit record capturing date raised, owner, due date, status and closure evidence for each stakeholder issue or commitment made.

Exception reporting

Reporting cadence to the sponsor that highlights deviations from the engagement plan first, rather than burying them inside general narrative.

Continuous improvement loop

Cycle of measuring against objectives, adjusting channel, level or message, then re-measuring. The engagement plan is treated as a living document.