HKSM
Stakeholder Mapping
A visual technique that plots stakeholders by their level of influence and interest to guide engagement and communication strategies.
Key Points
- Often presented as a power-interest grid that groups stakeholders into quadrants.
- Helps prioritize who to manage closely, keep satisfied, keep informed, or simply monitor.
- Informs tailored communication: message content, frequency, and channels by stakeholder segment.
- Should be updated as stakeholder influence, interest, or project context changes.
Example
On an enterprise software rollout, the executive sponsor is high influence/high interest (manage closely), the compliance department is high influence/low interest (keep satisfied), end users are low influence/high interest (keep informed), and a distant vendor is low influence/low interest (monitor). The team schedules weekly check-ins with the sponsor, quarterly briefings for compliance, monthly newsletters for users, and occasional status notes for the vendor.
PMP Example Question
During stakeholder engagement planning, a project manager wants to classify stakeholders by their influence on the project and their level of interest. Which tool should the manager use?
- Stakeholder mapping
- Communication requirements analysis
- Risk probability and impact matrix
- RACI chart
Correct Answer: A — Stakeholder mapping
Explanation: Stakeholder mapping visually positions stakeholders by influence and interest, guiding engagement choices; the other options serve different purposes.
