Stakeholder Map

Identify the key stakeholders for your project.

The Stakeholder Map will help you identify, as early as possible, the key individuals or organizations who may influence, impact, or be affected by the project. Knowing your stakeholders will help build alignment early, anticipate their reactions as your project develops, gain additional resources, and use their input to define projects.

2-4 people

60 minutes

What you’ll need

Pens or markers
Sticky notes

Prerequisite Activities

None

Downloadable Materials

Instructions

step 1

Identify stakeholders

Use one sticky note per stakeholder. Write the stakeholder’s name. Consider individuals or organizations that have these roles: executive sponsors, project sponsors, external or partners, internal or teams, users or customers.

step 2

Analyze stakeholders

Understand each stakeholder’s level of involvement and relationship to the project. Go through each stakeholder with the below questions in mind. Assess how each one influences your project or shows an interest in the project.

Influence: Who has the most influence on your project? Does the stakeholder have information or expertise on the topic that could be helpful? Is the stakeholder also the approver? Which stakeholders will be most affected by your project? Which stakeholders control the resources?

Interest: What are the motivations and interests of each stakeholder? Which stakeholder is financially invested? Is the stakeholder an advocate or detractor?

step 3

Prioritize stakeholders on the map

Use the canvas. If you’re drawing it on a whiteboard, label the x-axis as “interest” and the y-axis as “influence”. Both will go from low to high. Place each stakeholder in the appropriate location on the grid that best represents what they need.

step 4

Understand your actions with stakeholders

The filled map will help you understand the actions to take with each stakeholder.

Quadrant 1 (top right), these are high influence, highly interested people. These are the key players to your project. Fully engage with these people and prioritize focusing your efforts here.

Quadrant 2 (top left), these are high influence, less interested people. These are next in priority. Keep these people satisfied.

Quadrant 3 (bottom right), these are low influence, highly interested people. These are third in priority. Keep these people informed.

Quadrant 4 (bottom left), these are low influence, less interested people. They are the least important stakeholders. Keep effort to a minimum.

You now need to work out how best to engage them and communicate with them based on which category they’re in.