Stakeholder mapping tools
Know who matters, how much, and what they need to hear from you
What it is
About Stakeholder mapping tools
Stakeholder mapping tools help change managers and business analysts visually plot stakeholders by influence, interest or attitude (commonly a power/interest grid) and plan tailored communication and engagement strategies for each group. They range from purpose-built templates within Miro, Smaply or Lucidchart to simple RACI-style matrices and are a foundational step in change management and business analysis.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Plot stakeholders on a power/interest (or influence/impact) grid
Categorise stakeholders by attitude towards a change (champion, resistant, neutral)
Build a tailored communication and engagement plan per stakeholder group
Track engagement activity and sentiment over the life of a project
Share a visual stakeholder map with sponsors and project teams for alignment
How to learn it
Learning Resources
APM Body of Knowledge and Prosci change management materials covering stakeholder analysis frameworks
Miro/Lucidchart template galleries for ready-made stakeholder map templates
Business analysis courses (e.g. BCS/IIBA-aligned) covering stakeholder engagement techniques
Practise by mapping stakeholders for a real (even small) project you're involved in
Pro Tip
Revisit the stakeholder map regularly through the project, not just at kickoff — influence and attitude shift as a change progresses, and a stale map is a common cause of being blindsided by late-stage resistance
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool