How do you define roles and responsibilities for system architecture stakeholder analysis?

1 Identify stakeholders

Identifying who the stakeholders of a system architecture are, and understanding their main characteristics and relationships, is the first step. Brainstorming, interviewing, surveying, and reviewing documents are all techniques that can be used to create a list of potential stakeholders. Customers, developers, operators, managers, regulators, and suppliers are all common categories of stakeholders. Customers use or benefit from the system or its outputs; developers design, implement, test, and maintain the system or its components; operators manage, monitor, or support the system or its infrastructure; managers oversee, coordinate, or control the system or its projects; regulators set, enforce, or audit the standards; and suppliers provide resources, services, or products for the system or its components.

2 Analyze stakeholders

The second step is to analyze the stakeholders of the system architecture, and what their main needs, interests, and expectations are. To collect and document the stakeholder requirements, you can utilize various techniques such as interviews, workshops, questionnaires, or scenarios. Some of the common aspects of stakeholder analysis include goals (the desired outcomes that stakeholders want to achieve from the system or its outputs), requirements (the functional, non-functional, or quality attributes that stakeholders want from the system or its components), constraints (the limitations, assumptions, or dependencies that stakeholders have or impose on the system or its components), risks (the uncertainties, threats, or challenges that stakeholders face or pose to the system or its components), and priorities (the relative importance, urgency, or weight that stakeholders assign to their goals, requirements, constraints, or risks).

3 Define roles

The third step is to define the roles of the stakeholders of the system architecture, and what their main responsibilities and authorities are. You can use different techniques, such as role diagrams, responsibility matrices, or RACI charts, to assign and communicate the stakeholder roles. Common types of stakeholder roles include Owner - the ultimate authority and owner of the system; Sponsor - provides funding and resources; User - interacts with or benefits from the system; Architect - defines and designs the architecture; Developer - implements and maintains; Operator - manages and supports; Manager - oversees and coordinates; Regulator - sets standards and policies; Supplier - provides resources or services.

4 Align roles

The fourth step is to align the roles of the stakeholders of the system architecture, and what are their main interactions and dependencies. To manage stakeholder alignment, you can use various techniques such as stakeholder maps, communication plans, or collaboration tools. This alignment should ensure expectations are met, communication is exchanged, collaboration is coordinated, conflicts are discussed and resolved, and evaluation of performance, quality and value is done. By following these four steps, you can define roles and responsibilities for system architecture stakeholder analysis that meets the needs, interests and expectations of the stakeholders while still supporting the business goals, user requirements and technical constraints of the system.