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.json and append to outputs/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]

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