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364 The proCess oF operaTIons sTraTegy – monITorIng and ConTrol
change and learning from mistakes. Those implementations that involve relatively little
process or resource ‘distance’ provide an ideal opportunity for organisational learning. As
in any classic scientific experiment, the more variables that are held constant, the more
confidence you have in determining cause and effect. Conversely, in an implementation
where the resource and process ‘distance’ means that nearly everything is ‘up for grabs’,
it becomes difficult to know what has worked and what has not. More importantly, it
becomes difficult to know why something has or has not worked (see Figure 10.13).

stakeholders
All implementation projects have stakeholders who must be included in their planning
and execution. By stakeholders we mean the individuals and groups who have an inter-
est in the project process or outcome. Individual stakeholders are likely to have different
views on a project’s objectives that may conflict with other stakeholders. At the very
least, different stakeholders are likely to stress different aspects of a project. So, as well as
any ethical imperative to include as many stakeholders as possible in an implementation,
it also can prevent problems later in the implementation. There may also be more direct
benefits from a stakeholder-based approach. Powerful stakeholders may shape the imple-
mentation at an early stage, making it more likely that they will support the project.

The power–interest grid
Managing stakeholders can be a subtle and delicate task, requiring significant social
and, sometimes, political skills. It is based on three activities: identifying, prioritising,
and understanding the stakeholder group. One approach to discriminating between

Figure 10.13 learning potential depends on both resource and process ‘distance’

Process Potential for
pioneer learning is
limited – too
many things
change

Process distance

Process Potential for
modification learning is
relatively
high
Modification to Resource distance Pioneering
existing new resources
resources

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