Formalize the stakeholder network with a mind map

The adoption of project management beyond the traditional fields of oil, construction (building, nuclear, etc.), defense or aeronautics, has meant that everyone becomes a project manager with the obligation of balancing competing or contradictory requirements, convincing a network of changing players and decision-makers, and mobilizing towards the hoped-for positive change (see "Using mind maps in project management" [FIC 0809] ).

Furthermore, "stakeholder management" is highlighted by the recent ISO 21500:2012 standard [FIC 0807] . The Project Management Institute immediately followed suit (cf. 5th edition of PMBoK ^® ). Although we prefer the term "stakeholders", which takes more account of the decision-making capacity of the individual or group (cf . glossary), we will adopt the same term here.

The mind map makes the functionality of historically expensive tools for identifying stakeholders and managing their involvement accessible to as many people as possible.

This practical information sheet provides guidelines for building a project's network of players, particularly during the project set-up phase, using the mind map. Using an example, it shows how important it is to identify the links and correlations between players in order to manage communication and project marketing.