Stakeholder grid

Power and interest mapped to engagement strategies.

What you are looking at

Power runs vertically — how much authority this person has to fund, block or redirect the project. Interest runs horizontally — how closely they follow progress. Four quadrants each have a non-negotiable engagement strategy: Manage closely (weekly), Keep satisfied (monthly), Keep informed (fortnightly), Monitor (quarterly). Drag any dot to reposition. Sentiment colours show champion, supporter, neutral, skeptic and blocker.

What most PMs miss

Mapping stakeholders once at kickoff and filing it away. Stakeholder positions drift — a reorganisation, a missed milestone or a change of sponsor can shift someone from Monitor to Manage closely overnight without any visible signal. Re-plot the grid before every major project event and ask for each person: has anything changed in their world?

The expert tip

Before every steering committee meeting, re-plot the grid and ask one question per stakeholder: has anything changed? A new boss, a budget pressure, a bad experience with a similar project. Five minutes of reflection prevents the most common and most avoidable project crisis — the stakeholder surprise where someone who appeared aligned suddenly blocks a key decision in front of everyone.