Early in a business data analytics engagement, stakeholders are identified and analyzed to understand how to effectively engage and collaborate with the variety of stakeholders involved. As the engagement evolves, changes to business context, strategy, and personnel occur. As a result, stakeholder analysis is ongoing and continually updated.

The analytics team continually validates the results of stakeholder analysis to help guide their work of interpreting and reporting results. They continually assess:

• changing needs and objectives,
• the importance of the research questions,
• how quickly the analytics results are expected,
• skill-sets for interpreting those results, and
• levels of education in and experience with analytics.

Understanding the unique characteristics of each stakeholder group increases the team's ability to interpret and report meaningful outcomes.

When validating the results of stakeholder analysis, the team uses techniques such as brainstorming, interviews, process modelling, and reviewing other models such as organizational charts. Models that were used to relate the enterprise strategic goals to the organizational goals and objectives and the stakeholders impacted are reviewed. This gives the team the best opportunity to interpret and report results in a way that will resonate with stakeholders.