What is Stakeholder Analysis?
Stakeholder analysis identifies people or groups affected by a decision and compares their influence and interest. It helps plan proportionate communication and engagement based on what each group needs or can affect.
When to use it
Use it when a decision or change affects groups with different levels of influence and interest.
How the methodology works
Plot stakeholders on an influence-interest matrix to identify who to manage closely, keep satisfied, keep informed, or simply monitor.
- Name the decision and include people affected by the outcome, implementation, or ongoing operation.
- Estimate each stakeholder's influence and interest, and record their concerns or requirements.
- Choose a practical engagement approach for each group, then update the map as people respond or circumstances change.
Example: Introducing a new order-processing workflow
Illustrative situation: The change may affect customer-service staff, warehouse operators, managers, and customers waiting for order updates.
How to apply it: Map who can approve or block the workflow, who will use it daily, and which groups need a demonstration, a decision briefing, or an opportunity to test the process.
Example limits: This scenario is illustrative, not evidence about a real business. Use evidence relevant to your decision for your own facts, ratings, probabilities, or financial estimates.
How to read the result
Focus most effort on high-influence, high-interest stakeholders, keep high-influence and lower-interest stakeholders satisfied, communicate regularly with high-interest stakeholders, and monitor others for changes.
Questions about Stakeholder Analysis
Does high influence mean someone has final decision authority?
Not necessarily. Influence describes the ability to affect an outcome. Record formal approval rights separately from informal influence.
How often should I update the stakeholder map?
Review it when the scope changes, new groups are affected, or engagement reveals a different level of interest or influence.
Next step
Begin with one decision or change, then list the groups who approve, deliver, use, or are affected by it.
Need a printable resource or a step-by-step method? Business planning tools. Connect stakeholder mapping to customer, competition, and planning work.