Nov 23

Managing Stakeholders (Minus the Firefighting)

Lots of you tell us juggling timetabling requests from managers, leadership teams and academics can often leave you feeling like you’re fighting fires – especially when a new term is looming and the requests are coming in thick and fast.
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You’re the one in the middle trying to deal with them all and that can feel difficult, especially when each person is thinking in their own silo. 

You can end up handling tricky conversations, and it can be hard to leave your emotions at the door.

Sound familiar? 

The good news is you’re not alone. Stakeholder management is a big part of a timetablers job, yet many of you say you’re not quite sure where to start.

Our top tips for getting started

The key to effective stakeholder management is all in the planning, and this is where some sleuthing up front can be helpful. Make a list of all your stakeholders, and answer the following questions next to each name:

  1. What do you know about their role? What is important to them?
  2. ​How much interest does this person have in timetabling?​
  3. How influential is this person in helping me achieve my aims?​
  4. How much does this person understand about timetabling?


Armed with this information, you can identify any blockers. For example, your academics may be interested in the outcome of your timetabling efforts, but have little understanding of what your process entails. Your senior leaders might hold a lot of sway, but you need to pique their interest to get their buy-in.

Your list becomes a great resource for helping you work out whose minds you need to change, and why. Focus your energy here at the beginning of your next project, and you’re much less likely to feel the heat.

Keen to find out more?

Managing stakeholders (minus the fires) is one of many topics we cover over at the Timetabling Academy - a huge resource of courses and events, all designed to help you be a powerful problem solver and a superstar timetabler. We’d love you to be a part of it – find out more here.

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