Engaging Your Stakeholders and Making the Most of Your Team Presented by Jennifer McGee, Engagement Manager My title Title of discussion My background: Project Management, Colgate in 2007, iModules 2012

Discussion Topics Identifying stakeholders Creating buy-in Managing change Engaging leadership Working with your Account Manager Networking and Resources Discuss the benefits of identifying and engaging you site’s stakeholders Show the value of the work that you Move from being tactical to strategic Working with your leadership iModules resources – your account manager, networking opportunities, additional resources

Introduction – Is this your life? Most of my professional life has been cat herding Higher ed has proven to be a particular change resistant group This is a story I hear from my clients again and again The purpose of this discussion today is how to make it a little easier

The Typical Site Manager Is… Tech support specialist Graphic designer Email manager Event manager Reporting manager Data manager Strategic manager Social media expert Often the people who are tasked with managing an iModules site are wearing a lot of hats I don’t know many people who have the luxury of carrying the title of “site manager” – you’re probably an assistant director, web specialist, communications specialist… and so on. Reality is: managing a complex system of tools with a myriad of functionality It’s not uncommon for this to be going on without the management realizing it Engaging your sites stakeholders can help to shed light on how complex your job Possibly recruit more resources

Identifying Stakeholders Engaging the site stakeholders helps to establish realistic goals and expectations Which groups are invested in the success of your site? Alumni Relations Development Student Relations Parent Relations ITS Marketing and Communications Constituents In addition to shedding light on the full range of functionality and potential, engaging your stakeholders will help to set realistic goals and expectations Before you engage your stakeholders, you have to identify them Site admins are the usual suspects There are probably other campus stakeholders that don’t use the tools directly but benefit from the success of the system Some may not even be aware that they are a stakeholder Even constituents have a stake in the effectiveness of the tools and well you can communicate with them.

Creating Buy-In Quarterly or bi-annual stakeholder updates Establish a web committee Document 3-5 agreed on strategic goals Build an action plan around those goals Report on site metrics and goals monthly/quarterly Now that you’ve identified your stakeholders, you need to engage them and create buy-in and awareness of the potential Division meetings are a good place to update all the stakeholders. Ask for 15-30 minutes on the agenda. If possible, establish a web committee with representation from each of the stakeholder groups that meets monthly. A simple strategic plan documenting top goals, action items, and ownership can help build buy-in. Create a report tracking the key metrics - don’t get too carried away

This is something you can take a first pass at and share with your team and leadership. Take a look at your institution’s strategic plan for identifying top goals/strategies

Change Management Recognize the need for change Set goals Engage leadership Create a plan Implement new process Evaluate outcomes Learn and adjust (wash, rinse, repeat) So this is the big hurdle It’s great to have a web committee and strategic plan – but if your institution is used to working this way it can be challenging to establish this new process

Engaging Leadership Benefits of involving the executive leadership: Creates buy-in Ensures your work aligns with institutional priorities Identifying and allocating resources Assists with prioritizing projects Methods for engaging leadership – COMMUNICATE! Quarterly attendance at web meetings Monthly status reports Account Manager meetings Establish process for escalating issues or lack of buy-in It’s not uncommon to see situations where the only time the leadership is involved is when you need to pay for something, or something goes wrong. Engaging your leadership team in decisions, strategy, and prioritization helps to ensure that everyone is aware and onboard.

Working with your Account Manager Account Managers are your partners. They provide strategic support, feedback, expertise in the field, insight into trends, peer examples, and information about product updates. Regularly scheduled meetings Invite leadership and stakeholders to participate Send questions/issues in advance of call Consider your Account Manager a member of your web team.

Networking and Resources iModules Networking Opportunities Facebook Client Group Regional Impact Groups Sizzler Annual User Conference (of course!) Client Community Website (http://clients.imodules.com) Webinars and Training Client Examples Product Information and Latest Updates Other Handy Resources iModules Insider blog (http://www.imodules.com/blog) HighEdLive Blog (http://www.higheredlive.com/blog/) College Web Editor (http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/) Lynda.com Technology Training (http://www.lynda.com)

Questions?