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:
markdown
--- 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] | ## Relationship Management | Stakeholder | Cadence | Channel | Relationship | Last Contact | Next Action | |-------------|---------|---------|--------------|--------------|-------------| | [Name] | Weekly/Biweekly/Monthly | 1:1/Slack/Staff meeting | Good/Neutral/Strained | YYYY-MM-DD | [Action] | ## Blockers Analysis | Stakeholder | What They're Blocking | Root Cause | Unblock Strategy | Owner | Target Date | |-------------|----------------------|------------|------------------|-------|-------------| | [Name] | [Issue] | [Why] | [Action] | [PM] | [Date] | ## How to Win Each Stakeholder | Stakeholder | Their Win Condition | What They Fear | Winning Message | Proof They Need | |-------------|--------------------|--------------------|-----------------|-----------------| | [Name] | [What success looks like to them] | [Their worry] | [Key message] | [Evidence that moves them] | ## 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
nexa/state.jsonand append tooutputs/audit/auto-run-log.md
Quick Reference
Engagement Strategies by Quadrant
| Quadrant | Strategy | Tactics |
|---|---|---|
| High Power, High Interest | Manage closely | Weekly 1:1s, early involvement in decisions, solicit input |
| High Power, Low Interest | Keep satisfied | Monthly updates, ensure no surprises, make their job easy |
| Low Power, High Interest | Keep informed | Regular comms, leverage as champions, gather feedback |
| Low Power, Low Interest | Monitor | Occasional updates, minimal effort unless they escalate |
Common Concerns by Role
| Role | Typical Concerns | How to Address |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Lead | Scope creep, tech debt, timeline | Clear requirements, technical trade-off discussions |
| Design Lead | User research, design debt, quality | User evidence, design review cadence |
| Product Leadership | Business impact, resource allocation | Metrics, ROI, strategic alignment |
| Sales/CS | Customer impact, training, positioning | Customer evidence, enablement plan |
| Legal/Compliance | Risk, liability, regulatory | Early involvement, clear documentation |
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
| Claim | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| [Stakeholder is key decision maker] | Evidence/Assumption | [org chart or "Role-based assessment"] |
| [Stakeholder has X concern] | Evidence | [meeting notes, email, or "Stated in conversation"] |
| [Need approval by X] | Evidence | [charter timeline or project plan] |