Integrating the Input of Stakeholders in Infrastructure Risk Assessment

Dynamics associated with the involvement of multiple stakeholders with conflicting objectives often result in significant delays and cost overruns. Lack of a systematic approach to integrate input of a wide range of stakeholders in infrastructure planning results in the neglect of interactional dynamics and can overshadow the accuracy of project schedules and estimates. To address this lack, a systematic approach based on risk assessment is presented in this paper to gauge the relative impact of interactions on project outcomes based on the input of a wide range of stakeholders. With the primary objective of facilitating the input of stakeholders in infrastructure planning, the proposed approach aims to help project developers define and characterize the network of stakeholders in a specific project phase, assess relative importance of risks associated with the interactions based on the fuzzified input of a wide range of stakeholders, and integrate the results of the assessment into the project plans using social network analysis. A case study considering the preconstruction and construction phases of nuclear power plants was used to demonstrate the application of the proposed approach. High interactional risk levels were observed in various degrees of involvement, highlighting the high risk of overlooking actors with a low degree of involvement, such as the general public or a regulatory agency, in project planning. The results further indicate the dynamic nature of interactions in a project's lifetime because degrees of significance for stakeholder interactions changed in different phases of the project.