{"id":392,"date":"2026-11-08T21:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T20:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/?p=392"},"modified":"2026-11-08T21:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T20:10:13","slug":"stakeholder-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/stakeholder-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Stakeholder Map: How to Build One for a Multi-Project Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"ok-byline\"><div class=\"ok-who\"><span class=\"ok-avatar\" aria-hidden=\"true\">MB<\/span><div><strong>Written by Max Benz<\/strong><span>Updated <time datetime=\"2026-11-08\">November 8, 2026<\/time> \u00b7 15 min read<\/span><\/div><\/div><ul class=ok-chips><li class=\"ok-chip ok-chip--ok\">Program-level example<\/li><li class=\"ok-chip ok-chip--ok\">Free template, no sign-up<\/li><li class=\"ok-chip ok-chip--ok\">Scoring rule included<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A stakeholder map is the page that tells you who to talk to this week, who to leave alone and who's about to cause a problem. This guide explains what one is, how the power interest grid works, how to build a map in six steps and what a filled-in map looks like for a program with several projects. It also includes a template you can copy or download.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"ok-tldr\"><strong class=\"ok-tldr__h\">Stakeholder map in short<\/strong><ul><li>A stakeholder map is a visual that plots each stakeholder by how much power they hold and how interested they are in the work.<\/li><li>The usual layout is a two-by-two grid with four quadrants: manage closely, keep satisfied, keep informed and monitor.<\/li><li>Score power and interest from 1 to 5, plot each person, then give every stakeholder an action, an owner and a contact rhythm.<\/li><li>The map's only useful if it changes what you do. Re-plot it at milestones and whenever the program's shape changes.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<nav class=\"ok-toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><p class=\"ok-toc__h\">On this page<\/p><ol><li><a href=\"#what-is-a-stakeholder-map\">What Is a Stakeholder Map?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-is-a-stakeholder-map-different-from-a-stakeholder-analysis\">How Is a Stakeholder Map Different From a Stakeholder Analysis?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-does-a-power-interest-grid-work\">How Does a Power Interest Grid Work?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-to-build-a-stakeholder-map-in-six-steps\">How to Build a Stakeholder Map in Six Steps<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#stakeholder-map-example-for-a-program\">Stakeholder Map Example for a Program<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#free-stakeholder-map-template\">Free Stakeholder Map Template<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#which-stakeholder-mapping-model-should-you-use\">Which Stakeholder Mapping Model Should You Use?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-do-you-turn-the-map-into-an-engagement-plan\">How Do You Turn the Map Into an Engagement Plan?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-often-should-you-update-a-stakeholder-map\">How Often Should You Update a Stakeholder Map?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#where-should-you-keep-a-stakeholder-map\">Where Should You Keep a Stakeholder Map?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#common-stakeholder-mapping-mistakes\">Common Stakeholder Mapping Mistakes<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-a-stakeholder-map\">What Is a Stakeholder Map?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A stakeholder map is a visual tool that plots people, groups and organizations by how much power they have over a project and how interested they are in it. The map shows you at a glance who needs close management and who needs only an occasional update. It won't tell you what people think, but it does tell you where to look. PMI defines a stakeholder broadly: an individual, group or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity or outcome of a project, program or portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stakeholders fall into two broad groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Internal stakeholders<\/strong> work inside your organization: the executive sponsor, the steering committee, workstream leads, finance, legal, security, the PMO and the teams who will use the result.<\/li><li><strong>External stakeholders<\/strong> sit outside it: customers, vendors, regulators, partners and sometimes the public.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a single project the map might hold ten names. For a program it holds many more, because every project brings its own stakeholders and several of them overlap. That overlap is where programs get into trouble. The same executive is a sponsor on one project and a skeptic on another, yet nobody has put the two views side by side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-is-a-stakeholder-map-different-from-a-stakeholder-analysis\">How Is a Stakeholder Map Different From a Stakeholder Analysis?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stakeholder analysis is the process of finding and prioritizing stakeholders, and stakeholder mapping is the process of showing the result visually. Lucid puts it that way. It's a useful split because each piece answers a different question, and the answers don't overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Piece<\/th><th>Question it answers<\/th><th>Output<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Stakeholder analysis<\/td><td>Who are the stakeholders, and what do they want or fear?<\/td><td>Notes, scores and priorities<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stakeholder map<\/td><td>Where does each stakeholder sit relative to the others?<\/td><td>A grid or diagram<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Engagement plan<\/td><td>What will we do about each one, who does it and how often?<\/td><td>Actions, owners and a contact rhythm<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most teams do the analysis in their head and draw the map, then stop. The engagement plan is the part that changes behavior, so the sections below treat all three as one workflow. If you want the broader program context first, our guide to <a href=\"\/blog\/program-management\/\">program management<\/a> explains how stakeholder work fits with planning, risk and delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-does-a-power-interest-grid-work\">How Does a Power Interest Grid Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A power interest grid sorts stakeholders into four quadrants using two scores: power over the outcome and interest in it. It's the most common stakeholder map layout, and it's also called the power interest matrix or Mendelow's matrix. Each quadrant gets a different way of working with people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Quadrant<\/th><th>Power<\/th><th>Interest<\/th><th>What to do<\/th><th>Typical example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Manage closely<\/td><td>High<\/td><td>High<\/td><td>Involve them in decisions and talk often<\/td><td>Executive sponsor, workstream leads<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Keep satisfied<\/td><td>High<\/td><td>Low<\/td><td>Brief them briefly and check at decision points, so they're never surprised<\/td><td>Finance, security, legal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Keep informed<\/td><td>Low<\/td><td>High<\/td><td>Share progress and ask for feedback<\/td><td>Teams who'll use the result, customer groups<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Monitor<\/td><td>Low<\/td><td>Low<\/td><td>Send occasional updates and watch for change<\/td><td>Distant departments<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lucid describes the same four groups in plain terms: fully engage the high-power, highly interested people, keep the high-power but less interested people satisfied without overloading them, inform the low-power but interested people and talk to them so that no major issue arises, and keep an eye on the rest without burying them in messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"ok-callout ok-callout--watch\"><p><strong>High power, low interest is the risky quadrant<\/strong> People who hold power but don't follow the work closely tend to surface late, with a veto or a budget cut. They don't need many messages, but they do need a short update on a regular schedule and a heads-up before any decision that touches them. Skipping that, of course, is how the surprise happens. You'll want to avoid it.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-build-a-stakeholder-map-in-six-steps\">How to Build a Stakeholder Map in Six Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To build a stakeholder map, list every stakeholder, score power and interest from 1 to 5, plot the scores on a grid, check the placement with someone who knows the organization, assign an action and owner to each person and set a date to review the map. Lucid teaches three steps (identify, prioritize, create an engagement plan) and Lark teaches four. The version below splits them further so that the scoring is repeatable and the plan has an owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"ok-steps\"><li><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"list-every-stakeholder\">List every stakeholder<\/h3><p>Write down people and groups, not just the names you already know. Don't filter yet, because you'll find the surprises here. Walk through each project in the program and ask who decides, who pays, who does the work, who uses the result and who could block it. Group people who behave alike, such as \"regional sales leads\", so the list stays workable.<\/p><div class=\"ok-steps__meta\">Owner: program manager<\/div><\/li><li><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"score-power-from-1-to-5\">Score power from 1 to 5<\/h3><p>Power is the ability to change the outcome: approve or cancel the work, control budget or staff, or stop a release. Use 5 for someone who can end the program, 3 for someone who can delay one workstream and 1 for someone with no say.<\/p><div class=\"ok-steps__meta\">Owner: program manager, check with PMO<\/div><\/li><li><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"score-interest-from-1-to-5\">Score interest from 1 to 5<\/h3><p>Interest is how much the person is affected by the result and how closely they follow it. A 5 means it changes their daily work or their goals. A 1 means they'd barely notice. Score what the person does today, not what you wish they did, even if that stings.<\/p><div class=\"ok-steps__meta\">Owner: program manager<\/div><\/li><li><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"plot-the-grid\">Plot the grid<\/h3><p>Treat 4 and 5 as high and 3 and below as low. That's a convention, not a standard. Change the cut-off if your scale feels skewed, but keep it the same for every stakeholder. Place each name in its quadrant. Put anyone scored exactly at the line in the more engaged quadrant.<\/p><div class=\"ok-steps__meta\">Owner: program manager<\/div><\/li><li><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"check-the-placement-with-someone-who-knows-the-people\">Check the placement with someone who knows the people<\/h3><p>A sponsor, PMO lead or experienced workstream lead can tell you that the quiet director you scored 2 for interest is in fact lobbying against you. Change any score that doesn't match what you've seen.<\/p><div class=\"ok-steps__meta\">Owner: sponsor or PMO<\/div><\/li><li><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"assign-an-action-an-owner-and-a-review-date\">Assign an action, an owner and a review date<\/h3><p>For each quadrant, decide what you'll do, who does it and how often. Then set the date when you'll re-plot the map. Without this step the map is a picture of the problem, and nothing changes.<\/p><div class=\"ok-steps__meta\">Owner: program manager<\/div><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/stakeholder-map-six-steps.png\" alt=\"Five-stage flow for building a stakeholder map from listing stakeholders to assigning actions and a review date.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From list to plotted map to actions with owners.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two rules keep the scores honest. First, score each stakeholder separately on each axis and don't let seniority decide both. A vice president can have high power and low interest, while a junior analyst can have the reverse. Second, write down why you gave each score in one line, because in three months you won't remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"stakeholder-map-example-for-a-program\">Stakeholder Map Example for a Program<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The example below is a filled-in map. Let's take an illustrative program: replacing a customer portal, run as three workstreams. It's hypothetical, and it's written at program level, so the stakeholders include the groups a program has to manage across projects. Plainly, a project-level map wouldn't have half of these rows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Stakeholder<\/th><th>Power<\/th><th>Interest<\/th><th>Quadrant<\/th><th>Action<\/th><th>Owner<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Executive sponsor<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>Manage closely<\/td><td>Weekly 30-minute check-in on risks and decisions<\/td><td>Program manager<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Workstream leads<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>Manage closely<\/td><td>Join planning and dependency reviews<\/td><td>Program manager<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Finance partner<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>Keep satisfied<\/td><td>One-page budget and forecast summary every month<\/td><td>PMO<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Security and compliance lead<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>Keep satisfied<\/td><td>Review at each design gate and flag changes early<\/td><td>Program manager<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Customer support head<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>Keep informed<\/td><td>Bi-weekly demo and change log, collect feedback<\/td><td>Workstream lead<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Portal vendor<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>Keep informed<\/td><td>Weekly sync under the contract<\/td><td>Workstream lead<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Customer advisory group<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>Keep informed<\/td><td>Quarterly preview session<\/td><td>Workstream lead<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Regional sales teams<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>Monitor<\/td><td>Monthly update in the team channel<\/td><td>PMO<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/stakeholder-map-example-power-interest-grid.png\" alt=\"Power interest grid with eight numbered stakeholders in four quadrants and a legend of names and scores.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The example program's eight stakeholders plotted by power and interest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here's what to notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Two stakeholders look alike on paper and need opposite handling.<\/strong> The finance partner and the security lead are both in \"keep satisfied\", but finance wants numbers on a schedule and security wants early notice of design changes. The quadrant sets the intensity, while the action fills in the content.<\/li><li><strong>The customer support head sits just below the line on power.<\/strong> They score a 3, so they're in \"keep informed\". Still, if support's go-live sign-off becomes a condition for launch, their power moves to 4 and so does their quadrant.<\/li><li><strong>Every row has an owner.<\/strong> A map where the program manager owns every relationship doesn't scale, and it won't survive a busy month. Hand each relationship to the person closest to it and keep the program manager on the top two rows.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you're also assigning who approves and who is consulted on each decision, pair this map with a <a href=\"\/blog\/raci-chart\/\">RACI chart<\/a>. The RACI says what role each person plays on a deliverable, whereas the stakeholder map says how much attention they need overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"free-stakeholder-map-template\">Free Stakeholder Map Template<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The template below holds one row per stakeholder, with the scores, quadrant, engagement levels, action, owner and next contact date. Copy it into a spreadsheet or document, or download it as a Word or Excel file. The grey values are examples to replace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"ok-tpl ok-wide\" aria-labelledby=\"stakeholder-map-template\"><div class=\"ok-tpl__doc\"><header class=\"ok-tpl__head\"><span class=\"ok-tpl__eyebrow\">Template<\/span><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"stakeholder-map-template\">Stakeholder map template<\/h3><p class=\"ok-tpl__intro\">One row per stakeholder or stakeholder group. Score power and interest from 1 to 5, then let the quadrant decide how much attention each one gets.<\/p><\/header><div class=\"ok-tpl__sec\"><strong class=\"ok-tpl__sh\">Program details<\/strong><dl class=\"ok-tpl__fields\"><div class=\"ok-tpl__f\"><dt>Program<\/dt><dd><span class=\"ok-tpl__val\">Customer portal replacement<\/span><span class=\"ok-tpl__hint\">Name and short purpose<\/span><\/dd><\/div><div class=\"ok-tpl__f\"><dt>Map owner<\/dt><dd><span class=\"ok-tpl__val\">Program manager<\/span><\/dd><\/div><div class=\"ok-tpl__f\"><dt>Last updated<\/dt><dd><span class=\"ok-tpl__val ok-tpl__val--blank\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span class=\"ok-tpl__hint\">YYYY-MM-DD<\/span><\/dd><\/div><div class=\"ok-tpl__f\"><dt>Next review<\/dt><dd><span class=\"ok-tpl__val ok-tpl__val--blank\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span class=\"ok-tpl__hint\">Milestone or date<\/span><\/dd><\/div><\/dl><\/div><div class=\"ok-tpl__sec\"><strong class=\"ok-tpl__sh\">Stakeholder map<\/strong><table class=\"ok-tpl__table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Stakeholder<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Power (1-5)<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Interest (1-5)<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Quadrant<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Current engagement<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Desired engagement<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Action<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Owner<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Next contact<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Stakeholder\">Executive sponsor<\/td><td data-label=\"Power (1-5)\">5<\/td><td data-label=\"Interest (1-5)\">5<\/td><td data-label=\"Quadrant\">Manage closely<\/td><td data-label=\"Current engagement\">Supportive<\/td><td data-label=\"Desired engagement\">Leading<\/td><td data-label=\"Action\">Weekly check-in<\/td><td data-label=\"Owner\">Program manager<\/td><td data-label=\"Next contact\">Mon<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Stakeholder\">Finance partner<\/td><td data-label=\"Power (1-5)\">4<\/td><td data-label=\"Interest (1-5)\">2<\/td><td data-label=\"Quadrant\">Keep satisfied<\/td><td data-label=\"Current engagement\">Neutral<\/td><td data-label=\"Desired engagement\">Supportive<\/td><td data-label=\"Action\">Monthly summary<\/td><td data-label=\"Owner\">PMO<\/td><td data-label=\"Next contact\">1st of month<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Stakeholder\">Customer support head<\/td><td data-label=\"Power (1-5)\">3<\/td><td data-label=\"Interest (1-5)\">5<\/td><td data-label=\"Quadrant\">Keep informed<\/td><td data-label=\"Current engagement\">Resistant<\/td><td data-label=\"Desired engagement\">Supportive<\/td><td data-label=\"Action\">Bi-weekly demo<\/td><td data-label=\"Owner\">Workstream lead<\/td><td data-label=\"Next contact\">Thu<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Stakeholder\">Regional sales teams<\/td><td data-label=\"Power (1-5)\">2<\/td><td data-label=\"Interest (1-5)\">2<\/td><td data-label=\"Quadrant\">Monitor<\/td><td data-label=\"Current engagement\">Unaware<\/td><td data-label=\"Desired engagement\">Neutral<\/td><td data-label=\"Action\">Monthly update<\/td><td data-label=\"Owner\">PMO<\/td><td data-label=\"Next contact\">Month end<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><div class=\"ok-tpl__sec\"><strong class=\"ok-tpl__sh\">Quadrant rules<\/strong><ul class=\"ok-tpl__check\"><li>Power 4 or 5 and interest 4 or 5: manage closely<\/li><li>Power 4 or 5 and interest 3 or lower: keep satisfied<\/li><li>Power 3 or lower and interest 4 or 5: keep informed<\/li><li>Power 3 or lower and interest 3 or lower: monitor<\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"ok-tpl__sec\"><strong class=\"ok-tpl__sh\">Review checklist<\/strong><ul class=\"ok-tpl__check\"><li>Every stakeholder has a score and a one-line reason<\/li><li>Every row has an action and an owner<\/li><li>Everyone in the top two quadrants has a contact date<\/li><li>The map was checked by someone who knows the people<\/li><li>Review date is set<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ok-tpl__dl\"><a class=\"ok-tpl__btn ok-tpl__btn--docx\" href=\"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/stakeholder-map-template.docx\" type=\"application\/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document\" download><span class=\"ok-tpl__fmt\" aria-hidden=\"true\">DOCX<\/span>Word (.docx)<\/a><a class=\"ok-tpl__btn ok-tpl__btn--xlsx\" href=\"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/stakeholder-map-template.xlsx\" type=\"application\/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet\" download><span class=\"ok-tpl__fmt\" aria-hidden=\"true\">XLSX<\/span>Excel (.xlsx)<\/a><span class=\"ok-tpl__note\">Free, no sign-up.<\/span><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Excel or Google Sheets you can fill the quadrant column automatically. If the power score is in column B and the interest score in column C, a formula like <code>=IF(B2&gt;=4, IF(C2&gt;=4, \"Manage closely\", \"Keep satisfied\"), IF(C2&gt;=4, \"Keep informed\", \"Monitor\"))<\/code> returns the label, and a filter on that column gives you each group's list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"which-stakeholder-mapping-model-should-you-use\">Which Stakeholder Mapping Model Should You Use?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Start with the power interest grid and switch to another stakeholder mapping model only when it hides something you need to see. It's simple, and that's the point. Project management training material, including PMP prep guides, commonly lists four classification models, and they differ in what the axes measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Stakeholder mapping model<\/th><th>Axes<\/th><th>Use it when<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Power interest grid<\/td><td>Power and interest<\/td><td>You need a quick view of who to manage and how closely<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Power influence grid<\/td><td>Power and active involvement<\/td><td>Some powerful people take part in the work and others watch from a distance<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Influence impact grid<\/td><td>Ability to influence and how much the work affects them<\/td><td>You're sorting people by how much the program changes their world<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Salience model<\/td><td>Power, legitimacy and urgency<\/td><td>Claims compete, and you have to decide whose to act on first<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The salience model comes from Mitchell, Agle and Wood (1997). It scores each stakeholder on three attributes, which are power to influence, the legitimacy of their relationship with the organization and the urgency of their claim. The combinations give seven classes: dormant, discretionary, demanding, dominant, dangerous, dependent and definitive. A definitive stakeholder holds all three attributes and has the highest salience. It's the right tool when two groups ask for opposite things and you need a defensible way to rank them. It's heavier than the two-by-two grid, though, so don't start there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-do-you-turn-the-map-into-an-engagement-plan\">How Do You Turn the Map Into an Engagement Plan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To turn the map into an engagement plan, state for each important stakeholder where they stand now, where you need them to be, how you'll reach them, how often and who's responsible. The five levels most often used are unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive and leading. PMP study material presents them as a matrix in which each stakeholder gets one mark for the current level and one for the desired level, and the gap between the two is the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not everybody has to reach the top. That's expected. A regulator may only need to be neutral, while the sponsor needs to be leading. Here's the plan for four people from the example above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Stakeholder<\/th><th>Now<\/th><th>Needed<\/th><th>Channel<\/th><th>Rhythm<\/th><th>Owner<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Executive sponsor<\/td><td>Supportive<\/td><td>Leading<\/td><td>One-to-one meeting<\/td><td>Weekly<\/td><td>Program manager<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Finance partner<\/td><td>Neutral<\/td><td>Supportive<\/td><td>One-page summary<\/td><td>Monthly<\/td><td>PMO<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Customer support head<\/td><td>Resistant<\/td><td>Supportive<\/td><td>Demo plus a feedback session<\/td><td>Every two weeks<\/td><td>Workstream lead<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Regional sales teams<\/td><td>Unaware<\/td><td>Neutral<\/td><td>Team channel post<\/td><td>Monthly<\/td><td>PMO<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Closing a gap needs a different move depending on where it starts, and there's no single script. For a stakeholder who's unaware, the first job is a clear message. For a resistant one, it's a conversation about what they're worried about, ideally before the next demo. For a neutral one, show what's in it for them, using their goals, not the program's.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-often-should-you-update-a-stakeholder-map\">How Often Should You Update a Stakeholder Map?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Update the map at every major milestone and whenever something changes who holds power or who's affected. Lucid advises updating the map regularly throughout the project to reflect changes in positions, priorities and interests, and a program changes faster than a single project. A monthly 15-minute review by the map owner is enough for most programs. A re-plot, which means rescoring everyone, is worth doing when any of the following happens, although you won't need every trigger every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A new sponsor, executive or steering committee member joins the program.<\/li><li>The scope, budget or timeline of the program changes.<\/li><li>A project in the program starts, ends or gets cancelled.<\/li><li>An organizational change moves reporting lines or decision rights.<\/li><li>A stakeholder's behavior surprises you, as when someone who was engaged goes silent or a quiet person raises a new objection.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch for stakeholders who change quadrants. When the program changes shape, the map has to follow. Someone moving from \"monitor\" to \"keep informed\" is telling you the work has started to touch them, and someone moving from \"keep informed\" to \"manage closely\" has just acquired a say in the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"ok-callout ok-callout--tip\"><p><strong>Treat the map as a sensitive document<\/strong> A map that says who's resistant, and why, is useful to you and awkward if it's forwarded. Keep it in a space limited to the program team and the sponsor. Write the reasons the way you'd write them if the person were reading over your shoulder, and share the engagement plan more widely than the scores. That's non-negotiable if the map holds names.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"where-should-you-keep-a-stakeholder-map\">Where Should You Keep a Stakeholder Map?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep it in the format your team will actually update, because that's the one that stays accurate. For most programs that is a spreadsheet, with a whiteboard view for workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Format<\/th><th>Fits<\/th><th>Limit<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets)<\/td><td>The working version: scores, formulas, filters and owners<\/td><td>The grid has to be drawn separately<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Digital whiteboard (Lucidspark, Miro)<\/td><td>Workshops where several people place stakeholders together<\/td><td>The data goes stale when it's separate from the plan<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Wiki page (Confluence, Notion)<\/td><td>A map that sits next to the charter and the RACI chart<\/td><td>Weak for scoring and sorting<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Work management tool<\/td><td>Stakeholder tasks next to the project plan<\/td><td>Few have a grid view, so the map usually lives in a custom view<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dedicated stakeholder software<\/td><td>Hundreds of stakeholders, consultations or audit trails<\/td><td>Costs more and has to be adopted by a team<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Start in a spreadsheet and move up only when the size of the stakeholder list demands it, because adoption is the real cost. If you're choosing a general tool for the rest of the program as well, our roundups of the <a href=\"\/blog\/program-management-software\/\">best program management software<\/a> and the <a href=\"\/blog\/project-management-software\/\">best project management software<\/a> cover the options. And when the map feeds a wider artifact set, see the <a href=\"\/blog\/program-management-templates\/\">program management templates<\/a> collection for the charter, plan and status report that belong with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"common-stakeholder-mapping-mistakes\">Common Stakeholder Mapping Mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most stakeholder maps fail in the same five ways, and they're easy to spot once you've seen them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Mapping once and filing it.<\/strong> The map describes the program as it was on the day you drew it, and programs don't stand still. Put a review in the calendar when you create it.<\/li><li><strong>Scoring by job title.<\/strong> Seniority isn't power over this particular outcome. A mid-level security reviewer can hold a bigger veto than a vice president.<\/li><li><strong>Listing too many names.<\/strong> A map of sixty individuals gets ignored. Group people who behave alike and keep named individuals for the top two quadrants.<\/li><li><strong>No action beside the name.<\/strong> A quadrant label without an action and an owner is a decoration. Each row should say what happens next.<\/li><li><strong>Treating \"monitor\" as \"ignore\".<\/strong> Low-power, low-interest people can change quadrant quickly. Check them at each re-plot.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A map is a snapshot of who matters. It doesn't replace the conversations. The risks that come out of it, such as a resistant sponsor or a security veto, belong in the <a href=\"\/blog\/risk-register\/\">risk register<\/a> or in a <a href=\"\/blog\/raid-log\/\">RAID log<\/a> so that somebody owns them. If you're setting up the function that runs this work across programs, see <a href=\"\/blog\/what-is-a-pmo\/\">what a PMO is<\/a> and what it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Program Manager doesn't map stakeholders. It maps dependencies across Jira and Asana and watches milestones for risk, which is a different job. Still, a flagged milestone risk is often the trigger for a re-plot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"ok-product ok-wide\" id=\"the-program-manager\"><span class=\"ok-fav ok-fav--md ok-fav--ours\"><img src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/opskit\/fav\/prog.svg\" alt=\"\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><\/span><div><p class=\"ok-product__eyebrow\">What these tools don&#x27;t watch<\/p><p class=\"ok-product__head\">Know what will slip before your next status meeting.<\/p><p>The Program Manager maps dependencies across Jira and Asana, watches every milestone for risk, and keeps blockers, decisions and approvals in one graph. Ask about it in Claude or ChatGPT, and approve every change before it happens.<\/p><\/div><a class=\"ok-product__cta\" href=\"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/\">See how it works<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the main purpose of a stakeholder map?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>A stakeholder map shows who can influence the work and who is affected by it, so you can decide how much attention each person or group needs. Its purpose is to focus communication, not to list everyone with an opinion.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What are the four quadrants of a stakeholder map?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>The four quadrants of a power interest grid are manage closely (high power, high interest), keep satisfied (high power, low interest), keep informed (low power, high interest) and monitor (low power, low interest).<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between a stakeholder map and a stakeholder register?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>A stakeholder register is the list of stakeholders with details such as name, department, job title, project role and category. A stakeholder map plots them by power and interest. Many teams keep both in one spreadsheet.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is the Mendelow matrix the same as a power interest grid?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes, the Mendelow matrix is another name for the power interest grid. It's a two-by-two layout that places each stakeholder by their power and their interest.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How many stakeholders should a map include?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Include as many as you can act on. For a program that often means a dozen or so named individuals in the top two quadrants and a handful of groups for the rest. If you can't say what you'll do for a row, merge it into a group.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How often should you update a stakeholder map?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Update it at each milestone and whenever a sponsor, scope, budget or organizational change alters who holds power. For a program, a short monthly review by the map owner keeps it current.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A stakeholder map shows who holds power and interest in your program. Learn the power interest grid, build one in six steps and copy a free template.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":397,"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392\/revisions\/397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprogrammanager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}