What are the best methods for communicating with stakeholders during an ETL project?

1 Define the scope and objectives

The first step in any ETL project is to define the scope and objectives clearly and explicitly. This means identifying the data sources, the target data warehouse, the business requirements, the expected outcomes, the success criteria, and the risks and assumptions. You should document these elements in a project charter or a scope statement and share it with the stakeholders for approval. This will help you set the expectations, align the vision, and avoid scope creep later on.

2 Establish the communication plan

The next step is to establish a communication plan that outlines how, when, and with whom you will communicate throughout the project. This plan should include communication objectives and goals, channels and tools, frequency and schedule, roles and responsibilities, deliverables and formats, as well as feedback and escalation mechanisms. You should tailor the communication plan to the needs and preferences of different stakeholder groups, and update it as the project progresses. Doing so will help keep stakeholders informed, engaged, and satisfied.

4 Conduct the meetings

Meetings are an effective way to communicate with stakeholders face-to-face or virtually, and to discuss the project status, issues, decisions, and actions. These can include kick-off meetings to launch the project and introduce the team and plan, progress meetings to report on milestones, achievements, and challenges, review meetings to demonstrate deliverables and solicit feedback, as well as closure meetings to wrap up the project and celebrate success. To ensure that each meeting is successful, you should prepare an agenda and minutes for the attendees before and after the meeting. Additionally, you should facilitate the meeting by setting ground rules, managing time, encouraging participation, resolving conflicts, and assigning tasks.

5 Use the dashboards and reports

Dashboards and reports are useful tools to communicate with stakeholders visually and quantitatively, as well as to demonstrate the project performance, results, and value. These tools should include project status and health indicators, scope and schedule variances, budget and resource utilization, risks and issues, quality and customer satisfaction, as well as benefits and ROI. It's important to design dashboards and reports with clear, accurate, and relevant data and metrics, while presenting them using charts, graphs, tables, and colors. Additionally, you should customize the dashboards and reports to the needs of different stakeholder groups. Lastly, deliver them on a regular or on-demand basis.

6 Solicit the feedback

Feedback is a crucial component of communication, as it helps you understand the stakeholder expectations, perceptions, and satisfaction, and to improve the project quality and delivery. You can obtain feedback through surveys and questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, reviews and ratings, or comments and suggestions. It's important to solicit feedback from stakeholders at various stages of the project, such as after completing a deliverable or milestone. Additionally, you should analyze the feedback received, acknowledge it, act on it, and follow up on it.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?