What should be established to ensure stakeholders are aligned with a new solution?

To ensure stakeholders are aligned with a new solution, gaining consensus is crucial. This process involves actively engaging various stakeholders, discussing their perspectives, needs, and concerns, and working toward a common agreement on the goals and aspects of the new solution. It promotes mutual understanding and commitment to the project, fostering a collaborative environment where all voices are heard, thus ensuring that everyone is on the same page.

Achieving consensus helps to mitigate resistance to change and enhances the likelihood of successful implementation, as stakeholders feel invested and aligned with the objectives. It is about building agreement on the vision and direction of the solution, which is foundational for successful outcomes in business analysis initiatives.

While stakeholder mapping can help identify who the stakeholders are and their influence, regular check-ins can facilitate ongoing communication, and a communication plan outlines how information will be shared, these elements support the process of gaining consensus. However, they do not directly establish the alignment that a consensus achieves among stakeholders regarding the new solution.