Stakeholder Analysis

Overview

Stakeholder analysis identifies everyone who affects or is affected by a decision, classifies them by power and interest, and designs engagement strategies for each group. It prevents surprises from forgotten stakeholders and focuses effort on the relationships that matter most.

Framework

IRON LAW: Map ALL Stakeholders Before Engaging Any

Identify the full stakeholder landscape FIRST. Engaging one powerful
stakeholder before understanding the others' positions can create
unintended alliances against you. A stakeholder you forgot to include
becomes your biggest risk.

Power-Interest Matrix

	Low Interest	High Interest
High Power	Keep Satisfied — Monitor, inform proactively, don't bore with details	Manage Closely — Active engagement, regular communication, involve in decisions
Low Power	Monitor — Minimal effort, watch for changes in power or interest	Keep Informed — Regular updates, address concerns, leverage as advocates

Analysis Steps

1. Identify all stakeholders (internal and external)
2. Assess each on Power (ability to influence outcome) and Interest (degree of concern)
3. Classify into the four quadrants
4. Understand each stakeholder's position: supportive, neutral, or resistant
5. Design engagement strategy per quadrant and position
6. Monitor for shifts in power or interest over time

Engagement Strategies by Position

Position	Strategy
Supporter	Empower them, give them information to advocate on your behalf
Neutral	Educate about benefits, reduce perceived risk, address concerns early
Resistant	Understand their concerns deeply, find common ground, involve in design

Conflict Management

When stakeholders have conflicting interests:

1. Identify the specific points of conflict
2. Separate positions (what they say they want) from interests (why they want it)
3. Find solutions that address underlying interests of both parties
4. Escalate only when negotiation fails — and escalate to a stakeholder with power over both

Output Format

# Stakeholder Analysis: {Project/Decision}

## Stakeholder Map
| Stakeholder | Role | Power | Interest | Position | Quadrant |
|-------------|------|-------|----------|----------|----------|
| {name/role} | {relationship} | H/M/L | H/M/L | Support/Neutral/Resist | {strategy} |

## Power-Interest Matrix
| | Low Interest | High Interest |
|---|---|---|
| **High Power** | {names} | {names} |
| **Low Power** | {names} | {names} |

## Engagement Plan
| Stakeholder | Strategy | Frequency | Channel | Key Message |
|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------------|
| {name} | {approach} | {weekly/monthly/ad-hoc} | {meeting/email/report} | {tailored message} |

## Conflict Points
| Conflict | Stakeholders | Resolution Approach |
|----------|-------------|-------------------|
| {issue} | {A vs B} | {proposed resolution} |

Examples

Correct Application

Scenario: Stakeholder analysis for implementing a new CRM system at a mid-size company

Stakeholder	Power	Interest	Position	Strategy
CEO	High	Low	Neutral	Keep Satisfied — monthly summary, focus on ROI
Sales VP	High	High	Supporter	Manage Closely — co-design, champion role
IT Director	High	High	Resistant (worried about integration)	Manage Closely — involve early, address technical concerns
Sales reps	Low	High	Resistant (don't want to change tools)	Keep Informed — training, show time savings, address concerns
Finance	Medium	Low	Neutral	Monitor — inform about budget when needed

Key insight: IT Director is high-power + resistant = biggest risk. Address integration concerns before the project gets blocked ✓

Incorrect Application

• Only mapped internal stakeholders, forgot that the CRM vendor, existing tool vendor (who might resist), and key customers (who'll be affected by the transition) are also stakeholders. Violates Iron Law: map ALL stakeholders.

Gotchas

• Power shifts: A stakeholder who's low-power today may gain power (promotion, organizational change). Reassess quarterly.
• Hidden stakeholders: Executive assistants, board members' advisors, union representatives — people with informal but real influence.
• Don't over-engage low-power stakeholders: It's tempting to spend time on the most vocal critics, but if they have low power, their resistance won't block you. Focus energy on the high-power quadrants.
• Resistance ≠ enemy: Resistant stakeholders often have legitimate concerns. Their input can improve the project. Treat resistance as data, not opposition.
• Stakeholder fatigue: Over-communicating with everyone wastes their time and yours. Match communication frequency to the quadrant.

References

• For negotiation techniques with resistant stakeholders, see references/negotiation-tactics.md