Stakeholder Analysis
Overview
Stakeholder analysis identifies everyone who affects or is affected by a decision, classifies them by power and interest, and designs engagement strategies for each group. It prevents surprises from forgotten stakeholders and focuses effort on the relationships that matter most.
Framework
IRON LAW: Map ALL Stakeholders Before Engaging Any
Identify the full stakeholder landscape FIRST. Engaging one powerful
stakeholder before understanding the others' positions can create
unintended alliances against you. A stakeholder you forgot to include
becomes your biggest risk.
Power-Interest Matrix
|
Low Interest |
High Interest |
| High Power |
Keep Satisfied — Monitor, inform proactively, don't bore with details |
Manage Closely — Active engagement, regular communication, involve in decisions |
| Low Power |
Monitor — Minimal effort, watch for changes in power or interest |
Keep Informed — Regular updates, address concerns, leverage as advocates |
Analysis Steps
- Identify all stakeholders (internal and external)
- Assess each on Power (ability to influence outcome) and Interest (degree of concern)
- Classify into the four quadrants
- Understand each stakeholder's position: supportive, neutral, or resistant
- Design engagement strategy per quadrant and position
- Monitor for shifts in power or interest over time
Engagement Strategies by Position
| Position |
Strategy |
| Supporter |
Empower them, give them information to advocate on your behalf |
| Neutral |
Educate about benefits, reduce perceived risk, address concerns early |
| Resistant |
Understand their concerns deeply, find common ground, involve in design |
Conflict Management
When stakeholders have conflicting interests:
- Identify the specific points of conflict
- Separate positions (what they say they want) from interests (why they want it)
- Find solutions that address underlying interests of both parties
- Escalate only when negotiation fails — and escalate to a stakeholder with power over both
Output Format
# Stakeholder Analysis: {Project/Decision}
## Stakeholder Map
| Stakeholder | Role | Power | Interest | Position | Quadrant |
|-------------|------|-------|----------|----------|----------|
| {name/role} | {relationship} | H/M/L | H/M/L | Support/Neutral/Resist | {strategy} |
## Power-Interest Matrix
| | Low Interest | High Interest |
|---|---|---|
| **High Power** | {names} | {names} |
| **Low Power** | {names} | {names} |
## Engagement Plan
| Stakeholder | Strategy | Frequency | Channel | Key Message |
|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------------|
| {name} | {approach} | {weekly/monthly/ad-hoc} | {meeting/email/report} | {tailored message} |
## Conflict Points
| Conflict | Stakeholders | Resolution Approach |
|----------|-------------|-------------------|
| {issue} | {A vs B} | {proposed resolution} |
Examples
Correct Application
Scenario: Stakeholder analysis for implementing a new CRM system at a mid-size company
| Stakeholder |
Power |
Interest |
Position |
Strategy |
| CEO |
High |
Low |
Neutral |
Keep Satisfied — monthly summary, focus on ROI |
| Sales VP |
High |
High |
Supporter |
Manage Closely — co-design, champion role |
| IT Director |
High |
High |
Resistant (worried about integration) |
Manage Closely — involve early, address technical concerns |
| Sales reps |
Low |
High |
Resistant (don't want to change tools) |
Keep Informed — training, show time savings, address concerns |
| Finance |
Medium |
Low |
Neutral |
Monitor — inform about budget when needed |
Key insight: IT Director is high-power + resistant = biggest risk. Address integration concerns before the project gets blocked ✓
Incorrect Application
- Only mapped internal stakeholders, forgot that the CRM vendor, existing tool vendor (who might resist), and key customers (who'll be affected by the transition) are also stakeholders. Violates Iron Law: map ALL stakeholders.
Gotchas
- Power shifts: A stakeholder who's low-power today may gain power (promotion, organizational change). Reassess quarterly.
- Hidden stakeholders: Executive assistants, board members' advisors, union representatives — people with informal but real influence.
- Don't over-engage low-power stakeholders: It's tempting to spend time on the most vocal critics, but if they have low power, their resistance won't block you. Focus energy on the high-power quadrants.
- Resistance ≠ enemy: Resistant stakeholders often have legitimate concerns. Their input can improve the project. Treat resistance as data, not opposition.
- Stakeholder fatigue: Over-communicating with everyone wastes their time and yours. Match communication frequency to the quadrant.
References
- For negotiation techniques with resistant stakeholders, see
references/negotiation-tactics.md
1---2name: soc-stakeholder3description: Conduct stakeholder analysis using identification, Power-Interest matrix classification, and influence strategy development. Use this skill when the user needs to map stakeholders for a project, manage conflicting interests, prioritize communication, or build a stakeholder engagement plan — even if they say 'who needs to approve this', 'how do I get buy-in', or 'who might block this project'.4---5
6# Stakeholder Analysis
7
8## Overview
9
10Stakeholder analysis identifies everyone who affects or is affected by a decision, classifies them by power and interest, and designs engagement strategies for each group. It prevents surprises from forgotten stakeholders and focuses effort on the relationships that matter most.
11
12## Framework
13
14```
15IRON LAW: Map ALL Stakeholders Before Engaging Any
16
17Identify the full stakeholder landscape FIRST. Engaging one powerful
18stakeholder before understanding the others' positions can create
19unintended alliances against you. A stakeholder you forgot to include
20becomes your biggest risk.
21```
22
23### Power-Interest Matrix
24
25| | Low Interest | High Interest |
26|---|---|---|
27| **High Power** | **Keep Satisfied** — Monitor, inform proactively, don't bore with details | **Manage Closely** — Active engagement, regular communication, involve in decisions |
28| **Low Power** | **Monitor** — Minimal effort, watch for changes in power or interest | **Keep Informed** — Regular updates, address concerns, leverage as advocates |
29
30### Analysis Steps
31
321. **Identify** all stakeholders (internal and external)
332. **Assess** each on Power (ability to influence outcome) and Interest (degree of concern)
343. **Classify** into the four quadrants
354. **Understand** each stakeholder's position: supportive, neutral, or resistant
365. **Design** engagement strategy per quadrant and position
376. **Monitor** for shifts in power or interest over time
38
39### Engagement Strategies by Position
40
41| Position | Strategy |
42|----------|---------|
43| **Supporter** | Empower them, give them information to advocate on your behalf |
44| **Neutral** | Educate about benefits, reduce perceived risk, address concerns early |
45| **Resistant** | Understand their concerns deeply, find common ground, involve in design |
46
47### Conflict Management
48
49When stakeholders have conflicting interests:
501. Identify the specific points of conflict
512. Separate positions (what they say they want) from interests (why they want it)
523. Find solutions that address underlying interests of both parties
534. Escalate only when negotiation fails — and escalate to a stakeholder with power over both
54
55## Output Format
56
57```markdown
58# Stakeholder Analysis: {Project/Decision}
59
60## Stakeholder Map
61| Stakeholder | Role | Power | Interest | Position | Quadrant |
62|-------------|------|-------|----------|----------|----------|
63| {name/role} | {relationship} | H/M/L | H/M/L | Support/Neutral/Resist | {strategy} |
64
65## Power-Interest Matrix
66| | Low Interest | High Interest |
67|---|---|---|
68| **High Power** | {names} | {names} |
69| **Low Power** | {names} | {names} |
70
71## Engagement Plan
72| Stakeholder | Strategy | Frequency | Channel | Key Message |
73|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------------|
74| {name} | {approach} | {weekly/monthly/ad-hoc} | {meeting/email/report} | {tailored message} |
75
76## Conflict Points
77| Conflict | Stakeholders | Resolution Approach |
78|----------|-------------|-------------------|
79| {issue} | {A vs B} | {proposed resolution} |
80```
81
82## Examples
83
84### Correct Application
85**Scenario:** Stakeholder analysis for implementing a new CRM system at a mid-size company
86| Stakeholder | Power | Interest | Position | Strategy |
87|-------------|-------|----------|----------|----------|
88| CEO | High | Low | Neutral | Keep Satisfied — monthly summary, focus on ROI |
89| Sales VP | High | High | Supporter | Manage Closely — co-design, champion role |
90| IT Director | High | High | Resistant (worried about integration) | Manage Closely — involve early, address technical concerns |
91| Sales reps | Low | High | Resistant (don't want to change tools) | Keep Informed — training, show time savings, address concerns |
92| Finance | Medium | Low | Neutral | Monitor — inform about budget when needed |
93
94Key insight: IT Director is high-power + resistant = biggest risk. Address integration concerns before the project gets blocked ✓
95
96### Incorrect Application
97- Only mapped internal stakeholders, forgot that the CRM vendor, existing tool vendor (who might resist), and key customers (who'll be affected by the transition) are also stakeholders. Violates Iron Law: map ALL stakeholders.
98
99## Gotchas
100
101- **Power shifts**: A stakeholder who's low-power today may gain power (promotion, organizational change). Reassess quarterly.
102- **Hidden stakeholders**: Executive assistants, board members' advisors, union representatives — people with informal but real influence.
103- **Don't over-engage low-power stakeholders**: It's tempting to spend time on the most vocal critics, but if they have low power, their resistance won't block you. Focus energy on the high-power quadrants.
104- **Resistance ≠ enemy**: Resistant stakeholders often have legitimate concerns. Their input can improve the project. Treat resistance as data, not opposition.
105- **Stakeholder fatigue**: Over-communicating with everyone wastes their time and yours. Match communication frequency to the quadrant.
106
107## References
108
109- For negotiation techniques with resistant stakeholders, see `references/negotiation-tactics.md`
aibot88