PLAN: Developing an Engagement Program

In RP 1185, operators are required to maintain a program for engagement with stakeholders, whether you’re building on an existing public awareness or stakeholder engagement program or beginning the process of developing a new program.

Although RP 1185 is framed around the full PDCA cycle, each section contains requirements—shall or conditional shall statements that add a qualifier—that must be considered in the development of your written engagement program.

Focusing only on the process requirements that will help build a program for effective engagement:

  • Section 5, Identify, Understand, and Confirm: A process to
    • consider historical and current environmental and social injustices or disparities when identifying stakeholders, including economic, racial, health, and other disparities, and how these injustices and disparities may have been produced or exacerbated by cumulative historical impacts.
    • refresh lists of known stakeholders and identify new stakeholders as a pipeline moves from one life cycle to another.
    • document stakeholders who want to engage and act accordingly.
  • Section 6, Plan and Prepare: A process to
    • plan and prepare engagement with stakeholders and document key process steps.
  • Section 7, Share Information: A process to
    • develop and share initial baseline information about a pipeline or project to encourage initial engagement.
  • Section 8, Ask, Listen, and Respond: A process to
    • ask stakeholders what they want to know about a pipeline or project, listening to their concerns and observations, and respond to their requests.
    • share information requested by stakeholders, or that the operator believes will help answer questions throughout the entire life cycle.
    • receive observations, comments, and requests for information from stakeholders, address their requests, track requests, and confirm responses have been provided.
    • define how stakeholder requests that come into the organization through other channels will be routed appropriately and addressed.
  • Section 9, Monitor and Evaluate: A process to
    • monitor, evaluate, and adjust the program.
    • monitor the execution of processes developed for each section of the RP.
    • adjust the program to improve effectiveness.

Management commitment is essential to the success of new programs. Section 4, Commit and Align, requires top management or management to:

  • demonstrate commitment to a stakeholder engagement program by establishing and maintaining policies, goals and objectives that align with the company’s vision and values and committing budget and resources to the program.
  • establish high-level performance metrics for transparency and engagement.
  • communicate and demonstrate their commitment to employees and stakeholders.
  • support employees as they work to meet engagement objectives while performing their day job.
  • integrate annual reviews of the engagement program into their PSMS management or company program reviews.