Stakeholder Summary
A stakeholder summary documents the people and groups who have interest in or influence over a project, capturing their needs, concerns, and relationships. Effective stakeholder management often determines project success more than technical execution, making this document essential for navigating organizational complexity.
When to Use
- At the start of a new project or initiative to map the landscape
- When taking over an existing project from another PM
- Before major decision points that require cross-functional buy-in
- When experiencing resistance or misalignment mid-project
- During organizational changes that shift stakeholder dynamics
- When preparing communication strategies for launches or changes
When NOT to Use
- You need the async update you will SEND to stakeholders -> use
foundation-stakeholder-update; this skill maps them, that one talks to them
- You are preparing for one specific high-stakes meeting -> use
foundation-meeting-brief
- You need customer research synthesis rather than an influence map -> use
discover-interview-synthesis
- You want a persona to design or market against -> use
foundation-persona
Instructions
When asked to create a stakeholder summary, follow these steps:
Identify All Stakeholders
List everyone with a stake in the project: sponsors, approvers, contributors, consumers of the output, and those affected by changes. Cast a wide net initially.you can prioritize later. Include both individuals and groups.
Assess Influence and Interest
For each stakeholder, evaluate their influence (power to affect the project) and interest (how much they care about outcomes). This determines how much attention each requires.
Understand Their Perspective
Document what each stakeholder needs from the project, what concerns or risks they perceive, and what a successful outcome looks like to them. When possible, validate these directly through conversation.
Map Relationships
Identify key dependencies, alliances, and potential conflicts between stakeholders. Understanding who influences whom helps you navigate organizational dynamics.
Categorize by Engagement Level
Based on influence and interest, determine the appropriate engagement approach: actively manage, keep satisfied, keep informed, or monitor. Different stakeholders need different levels of attention.
Plan Communication
For high-priority stakeholders, define communication cadence, preferred channels, and key messages. Good stakeholder management is proactive, not reactive.
Identify Risks and Mitigations
Note where stakeholder concerns could derail the project and plan how to address them. Early attention to resistant stakeholders prevents surprises.
Output Format
Use the template in references/TEMPLATE.md to structure the output. A complete summary fills every template section: Overview; Stakeholder Map; Stakeholder Profiles; Detailed Stakeholder Analysis; Key Relationships; Communication Plan; Risk Mitigation; Action Items; and Document History.
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
Examples
See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed example.
1---2name: discover-stakeholder-summary3description: Maps the people and groups with a stake in a project, documenting their needs, concerns, influence, and engagement approach. Use at project kickoff, when taking over from another PM, or when resistance signals misalignment. For the update you send to those stakeholders, use foundation-stakeholder-update instead; this skill maps them, that one talks to them.4license: Apache-2.05---6<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->
7# Stakeholder Summary
8
9A stakeholder summary documents the people and groups who have interest in or influence over a project, capturing their needs, concerns, and relationships. Effective stakeholder management often determines project success more than technical execution, making this document essential for navigating organizational complexity.
10
11## When to Use
12
13- At the start of a new project or initiative to map the landscape
14- When taking over an existing project from another PM
15- Before major decision points that require cross-functional buy-in
16- When experiencing resistance or misalignment mid-project
17- During organizational changes that shift stakeholder dynamics
18- When preparing communication strategies for launches or changes
19
20## When NOT to Use
21
22- You need the async update you will SEND to stakeholders -> use `foundation-stakeholder-update`; this skill maps them, that one talks to them
23- You are preparing for one specific high-stakes meeting -> use `foundation-meeting-brief`
24- You need customer research synthesis rather than an influence map -> use `discover-interview-synthesis`
25- You want a persona to design or market against -> use `foundation-persona`
26
27## Instructions
28
29When asked to create a stakeholder summary, follow these steps:
30
311. **Identify All Stakeholders**
32 List everyone with a stake in the project: sponsors, approvers, contributors, consumers of the output, and those affected by changes. Cast a wide net initially.you can prioritize later. Include both individuals and groups.
33
342. **Assess Influence and Interest**
35 For each stakeholder, evaluate their influence (power to affect the project) and interest (how much they care about outcomes). This determines how much attention each requires.
36
373. **Understand Their Perspective**
38 Document what each stakeholder needs from the project, what concerns or risks they perceive, and what a successful outcome looks like to them. When possible, validate these directly through conversation.
39
404. **Map Relationships**
41 Identify key dependencies, alliances, and potential conflicts between stakeholders. Understanding who influences whom helps you navigate organizational dynamics.
42
435. **Categorize by Engagement Level**
44 Based on influence and interest, determine the appropriate engagement approach: actively manage, keep satisfied, keep informed, or monitor. Different stakeholders need different levels of attention.
45
466. **Plan Communication**
47 For high-priority stakeholders, define communication cadence, preferred channels, and key messages. Good stakeholder management is proactive, not reactive.
48
497. **Identify Risks and Mitigations**
50 Note where stakeholder concerns could derail the project and plan how to address them. Early attention to resistant stakeholders prevents surprises.
51
52## Output Format
53
54Use the template in `references/TEMPLATE.md` to structure the output. A complete summary fills every template section: Overview; Stakeholder Map; Stakeholder Profiles; Detailed Stakeholder Analysis; Key Relationships; Communication Plan; Risk Mitigation; Action Items; and Document History.
55
56## Quality Checklist
57
58Before finalizing, verify:
59
60- [ ] All significant stakeholders are identified (not just obvious ones)
61- [ ] Influence and interest assessments are realistic, not wishful
62- [ ] Concerns are documented from stakeholder's perspective, not dismissed
63- [ ] Relationships and dependencies are mapped
64- [ ] Communication plan is specific and actionable
65- [ ] Resistant stakeholders have mitigation strategies
66
67## Examples
68
69See `references/EXAMPLE.md` for a completed example.
product-on-purpose