Free template
A free stakeholder analysis template in Word with a power and interest grid, an analysis table and an engagement plan.
By Christopher Fagan, Managing Partner, PEF Consulting Partners
A note before you start
Stakeholder maps are often drawn once, filed and forgotten. The value is in the conversation you have while filling one in, and in going back to it when something surprises you. Be honest about who is resistant and why, keep the sensitive version private, and plan the specific conversation each key person needs rather than adding them to another distribution list.
Christopher Fagan, Managing Partner, PEF Consulting Partners
List everyone affected by or able to affect the work, then place each person or group on the power and interest grid. For everyone in the top right, record what they care about, where they stand today and where you need them to be, and plan the conversation that closes the gap. Review the map monthly and before major decisions. Keep a sanitised copy for wider sharing.
[Organisation name] | Version 0.1 | [Date] | Owner: [Name, role]
| Low interest | High interest | |
|---|---|---|
| High power | Keep satisfied: consult on decisions that touch them | Manage closely: involve in decisions and meet regularly |
| Low power | Monitor: light touch updates | Keep informed: regular updates and listen for concerns |
| Stakeholder | Role | Power (high, medium, low) | Interest (high, medium, low) | What they care about | Current position | Position needed | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder | Objective | Channel | Frequency | Key messages | Owner | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Unaware | Does not know about the change |
| Resistant | Aware and opposed |
| Neutral | Aware, neither for nor against |
| Supportive | Wants it to succeed |
| Leading | Actively champions it |
Template by PEF Consulting Partners, pefconsultingpartners.co.uk. Free to use and adapt.
Related reading: the communication plan template, the change management plan template, the change readiness assessment, change management and adoption.
A picture of everyone who can affect or is affected by a piece of work, usually placed on a grid of power against interest, so you can decide how closely to involve each one.
The work behind the map: for each stakeholder, what they care about, how they see the change today, where you need them to be and what it will take to get them there.
List the stakeholders, place them on the power and interest grid, record their interests and current position for the important ones, then plan the engagement that moves each of them. Do it with two or three people who know the organisation well.
Monthly on an active programme, and before any major decision or announcement. People move roles and change their minds, so a map older than a quarter is usually wrong.
If the people who matter most are still sitting in the resistant column a month before go live, that is a delivery risk, not a communications problem.