STEP 1: PREPARING FOR CO-CREATION
Stakeholder Mapping
Why stakeholder mapping is important:
Stakeholder mapping is the visual process of laying out all the stakeholders of a product, project, or idea on one map. It helps to create a visual representation and understanding of all the people who can influence a project and how they are connected. The visualisation helps encourage intentionality in determining which stakeholder to engage throughout a project and may also highlight gaps in influence among different actors.
How stakeholder mapping is done:
There are countless stakeholder mapping formats and templates which vary across sectors and according to the goals of the mapping exercise (see, for example, 📚Practical Guidance for Involving Stakeholders in Health Research and 🛠 USAID: Mapping your stakeholders). In most cases, actors with common characteristics are grouped together into different sections or quadrants. For each quadrant, there are typically different considerations or actions recommended for engaging that group. Additionally, the mapping may reveal imbalances in power and influence across individuals or quadrants which may need to be addressed.
Step by Step guide to stakeholder mapping:
The stakeholder mapping approach and template outlined in this section is specific to individuals or organisations working on AI/ML projects.
Step 1: List out all of the stakeholders that are relevant to your project in a simple format such as the table below. If workshopping, put the details of each stakeholder onto a sticky note or similar.
Step 2: Using the template below, plot each of these stakeholders on the grid according to their level of technical fluency and contextual understanding.
Step 3: Identify the level of influence each stakeholder holds and colour-code them within the grid.
Step 4: Identify positive and negative relationships between stakeholders, such as any existing partnerships and potential points of tension
Step 5: Analyse the map. Review the considerations and actions across each quadrant and determine activities that may be needed to manage different stakeholders effectively. During this step, it’s also important to acknowledge a potential bias risk when performing a stakeholder mapping and to consider what kind of bias stakeholders themselves might bring to the design and implementation of an AI model. Additionally, it is important to account for equity considerations including gender and disability (see also 📚 Designing gender-responsive data projects - Guide on how to operationalize gender-responsive, feminist, and intersectional principles and perspectives).
Step 6: Revisit the mapping periodically throughout the project to reassess individuals’ positions and determine any new dynamics that may need to be proactively managed.