Lines of Communication and Agency Support | Contactless ...

Written by sinorfid// September 10, 2012// No Comment// Blogs//

One finding from the initial smart card pilots was the importance but difficulty of achieving adequate
stakeholder communication and participation throughout the planning and implementation processes. These
pilots recognized that inadequate stakeholder participation early in the project resulted in ??requirements creep,??
integration problems, and project management issues later in the project.
Consequently, it is important for agencies to identify the key stakeholders in this procurement from the very
beginning. The stakeholders will vary substantially from project to project depending on such things as the
applications to be implemented, degree to which card applications are to be developed in-house or outsourced,
whether the agency is sharing the platform with any external agencies, and whether the card platform has any
commercial partners. Once the stakeholders have Contactless Smart Cards been identified, it is equally important to determine how
these stakeholders interact with each other. The relationships among the various stakeholders both before
and during the project need to be analyzed to understand how these ongoing relationships may affect the
operation of the card platform. If there are particular communication problems or misunderstandings, these
should be identified and addressed as soon as possible.

Part of the implementation planning should address mechanisms for establishing buy-in by the stakeholders.
These relationships may be established through a variety of mechanisms including the Management Council
described above, interagency agreements, contractual relationships, and communication plans. Each situation
will be unique, so that different mechanisms may be more or less effective depending upon the particular
circumstances of the project. Clearly one mechanism that has been highly effective in some of the pilot
projects is to use change management programs. These change management programs include the
designation of change agents; development of a strategic communications plan; and implementation of a web
site or other communications vehicle to keep all stakeholders informed about project issues and progress.
Ongoing meetings to apprise employees of the impact of the changes have also been effective in other pilots,
as has the willingness of top management to address employee concerns about the changes.
Properly phasing the roll-out can help immeasurably in achieving stakeholder commitment and involvement in
the project. The implementation should not occur during periods of high activity or stress for particular
stakeholders. During the budgeting process, adequate resources should be allocated to the roll-out, especially
to train and provide assistance and consultation to offices during the roll-out period. It is critical that employees
understand the full functionality to be offered by the card platform. If necessary, roll-out should be delayed if
the applications to be used with the card platform are not yet available.

Source: http://www.ismartcards.net/lines-of-communication-and-agency-support/

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