Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder Management

Overview

Maps stakeholders using power/interest grid, tracks their alignment and concerns, and creates a communication plan. Prevents initiatives from failing due to stakeholder misalignment.

When to Use

• Starting a new initiative or major feature
• Charter approved, need to build support
• Sensing resistance to a proposal
• Before major product decisions
• Quarterly stakeholder review

Core Pattern

Step 1: Identify Stakeholders

For the initiative in question, list all stakeholders who:

• Have decision authority (can approve/block)
• Control resources (budget, engineering, design)
• Are impacted (their team's work changes)
• Have expertise needed (domain knowledge, technical input)
• Represent customers/users

Ask user: "Which initiative is this for?" and "Who are the key stakeholders?"

If user unsure, suggest checking:

• Charter owners and approvers
• Engineering/design leads
• Product leadership
• Customer-facing teams (sales, CS, support)
• Cross-functional partners (legal, compliance, ops)

Step 2: Power/Interest Grid Analysis

For each stakeholder, assess:

• Power: High (can approve/block) or Low (influence only)
• Interest: High (cares deeply) or Low (peripheral concern)
• Current Stance: Support / Neutral / Oppose / Unknown
• Why they care: What's their stake in this?

Place in grid:

• High Power, High Interest: Manage closely (key players)
• High Power, Low Interest: Keep satisfied (need approval but not engaged)
• Low Power, High Interest: Keep informed (champions, advocates)
• Low Power, Low Interest: Monitor (minimal effort)

Step 3: Alignment Tracking

For each stakeholder, document:

• Concerns: What worries them about this initiative?
• What they need: Info, decision, resources, reassurance?
• Last contact: When did we last engage?
• Next action: Specific next step to move them toward support

Step 4: Communication Plan

For each stakeholder, define:

• Cadence: Weekly, biweekly, monthly, or ad-hoc?
• Format: 1:1 meeting, email update, dashboard, demo?
• Key messages: Top 3 things they need to hear

Step 5: Generate Output

Write to outputs/stakeholders/stakeholder-map-[initiative]-YYYY-MM-DD.md:

---
generated: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
skill: stakeholder-management
initiative: [Initiative name]
sources:
  - outputs/roadmap/Q1-2026-charters.md (modified: YYYY-MM-DD)
  - (stakeholder list provided by user)
downstream:
  - outputs/delivery/prds/[initiative].md
---

# Stakeholder Map: [Initiative]

## Initiative Context
**What:** [1-sentence description of initiative]
**Why:** [Why this matters to the business]
**Timeline:** [Expected completion]

## Power/Interest Grid

### Manage Closely (High Power, High Interest)
| Stakeholder | Role | Current Stance | Why They Care | Strategy |
|-------------|------|----------------|---------------|----------|
| [Name] | [Title] | Support/Neutral/Oppose | [Their stake] | [Engagement approach] |

### Keep Satisfied (High Power, Low Interest)
| Stakeholder | Role | Current Stance | Why They Care | Strategy |
|-------------|------|----------------|---------------|----------|
| [Name] | [Title] | Support/Neutral/Oppose | [Their stake] | [Engagement approach] |

### Keep Informed (Low Power, High Interest)
| Stakeholder | Role | Current Stance | Why They Care | Strategy |
|-------------|------|----------------|---------------|----------|
| [Name] | [Title] | Support/Neutral/Oppose | [Their stake] | [Engagement approach] |

### Monitor (Low Power, Low Interest)
| Stakeholder | Role | Current Stance | Why They Care | Strategy |
|-------------|------|----------------|---------------|----------|
| [Name] | [Title] | Support/Neutral/Oppose | [Their stake] | [Engagement approach] |

## Alignment Tracking

| Stakeholder | Concerns | What They Need | Last Contact | Next Action | Owner |
|-------------|----------|----------------|--------------|-------------|-------|
| [Name] | [Key concerns] | [Info/decision/support] | YYYY-MM-DD or "Not yet" | [Specific next step] | [PM/other] |

## Communication Plan

| Stakeholder | Cadence | Format | Key Messages | Next Touchpoint |
|-------------|---------|--------|--------------|-----------------|
| [Name] | Weekly/Biweekly/Monthly/Ad-hoc | 1:1/Email/Dashboard/Demo | [Top 3 messages] | YYYY-MM-DD |

## Risks & Mitigation

| Stakeholder | Risk | Impact if Opposed | Mitigation Plan |
|-------------|------|-------------------|-----------------|
| [Name] | [What could go wrong] | High/Med/Low | [How to prevent/address] |

## Approval Chain

**Required approvals:**
1. [Stakeholder] - [What they approve] - Status: Pending/Approved/Blocked
2. [Stakeholder] - [What they approve] - Status: Pending/Approved/Blocked

**Timeline:**
- [Milestone] by [Date]
- [Milestone] by [Date]

## Unknowns / Open Questions

- [What stakeholder info is missing?]
- [Whose support level is unclear?]
- [What concerns need investigation?]

## Sources Used
- [file paths or "Stakeholder list provided by user"]

## Claims Ledger
| Claim | Type | Source |
|-------|------|--------|
| [Stakeholder has high power] | Evidence/Assumption | [org chart or "Assumed from role"] |
| [Stakeholder opposes] | Evidence/Assumption | [meeting notes or "Assumed from past feedback"] |
| [Approval needed by X date] | Evidence | [charter:line or project timeline] |

Step 6: Copy to History & Update Tracker

• Copy to history/stakeholder-management/stakeholder-map-[initiative]-YYYY-MM-DD.md
• Update alerts/stale-outputs.md

Quick Reference

Engagement Strategies by Quadrant

Common Concerns by Role

Common Mistakes

• Missing stakeholders: Only mapping leadership → Include IC influencers, cross-functional partners
• Assuming support: "They'll be fine" → Explicitly confirm stance
• No follow-up: Just mapping once → Track alignment changes over time
• Vague next actions: "Talk to them" → Specific action with deadline
• Ignoring opposition: Hoping it goes away → Address concerns proactively

Verification Checklist

• All key stakeholders identified
• Power/interest assessed for each
• Current stance documented (not assumed)
• Concerns captured for each stakeholder
• Next actions specific and dated
• Communication plan defined
• Approval chain mapped
• Risks identified
• Metadata header complete
• Copied to history, tracker updated

Evidence Tracking