Stakeholder mapping

Abstract

The key to successful projects are a systematic implementation of stakeholder mapping. This mapping will give you total insight in the stakeholders needs, interest and their level of involvement. All these factors are important to investigate if you are a Project Manager. The stakeholder mapping technique enables the project manager to identify and analyze stakeholders to ensure minimal resistance to the project. This article will focus on the method called the Power/Interest Grid, one of the most commonly used stakeholder mapping models which groups stakeholders based on their level of interest and influence. The Power/Interest Grid is not the only method project managers can use. Some other models are also mentioned, but they will not get described in this article. This article gives the project manager some guidance and some guidelines for your own stakeholder mapping. The stakeholders can have influence or be able to affect the project. The influence or affect can occur before, under and after the execution of the project, and the stakeholders can have positive or negative influence on the project. Therefor it’s important that you handle the stakeholders in the right way when starting a project. Therefor it is important to use multiple mapping methods, reference stakeholder maps regularly, and update them regularly because they are dynamic. The downward stakeholders, upward stakeholders, and outward stakeholders can be identified as the main groups of stakeholders that need to be considered, and this article tells you how to identify them. Overall stakeholder mapping is a valuable tool for project managers, it gives a better understand of the perspectives and interests from stakeholders. This helps the project manager to prioritize the resources, and allocate them effectively.

This article will take you through the 4 steps of stakeholder mapping: Identification, Categorization, Strategy for handling and Communication plan.

Overall the article will include following:

• What is Stakeholder mapping

• The Idea behind the Method

• Whom are the Stakeholders

• How to analyze

- Identification

- Categorization

- Strategy for handling

- Communication plan

After having read this article, the reader should be ready to make a stakeholder analysis specific to the project they are working on.

Big idea

Stakeholder mapping is a tool that helps you identifying and analyze the stakeholders that are involved or affected in all kinds of projects. The idea behind making a stakeholder mapping is to make sure that all stakeholders are handled in the right way. This is done by getting to understand the stakeholders interest and needs in a project, and get them to know how they can engage with the project in the most effective way.

Figure 1: Power/Interest Grid

All types of projects will typically include many different stakeholders which means many different expectations to the outcome of the project. Therefor it’s important to make a plan for how to communicate with all of the stakeholders in order to make them collaborate in the project.

There is some different types of methods to use for a stakeholder map. The most common once are listed below

Different types of stakeholder mapping models:

• Salience Model

• Stakeholder Knowledge Base Chart

• Power/Interest Grid

• Power-Predictability Matrix

• Stakeholder Relationship Mapping

• Stakeholder Mapping Spreadsheets

This Wiki article will focus on the Power/Interest Grid (Figure 1). Unless other is specified this is the model the article is based on. This methos is chosen because it is one of the most common once, and it quickly gives an overview on how to handle the stakeholders.

In general no matter which stakeholder mapping methos you decide to use there is some general tips.

Stakeholder Mapping Tips:

1. Use multiple Mapping Methods

When you have to do a stakeholder mapping, it can be helpful to use more than only one method. In this way you will get a deeper understanding for your stakeholders.

2. Reference Stakeholder Maps Regularly

After you have made the Stakeholder Mapping its important that you keep bringing the map into discussion. In this way it will be possible to develop on the project strategies and make sure you handle the stakeholders correct.

3. Update Stakeholder Maps Regularly

Under a project your stakeholders might change and therefor it is important that you keep updating the stakeholder map to keep on track.

Mapping stakeholders can give a better understanding on different perspectives and interest in projects, and will help the project manager to prioritize recourses and allocate them as effectively as possible.

Application - Power/Interest Grid

Figure 2: Stakeholders

In order to identify whom will be the projects stakeholders you can ask the questions, who has the knowledge, what do we need, who will get affected by the project? The different stakeholders such a project often is having is the once in Figure 2.

Downward stakeholders

The downwards stakeholders is the project group and the project manager. It is important that the project group and the project manager has the same goals for the project and that they have a common goal that they all can relate to. The downvards stakeholders are the essence of the project.

Upward stakeholders

The upwards stakeholders will often be the once that finance the project but also the project owner. These stakeholders are actually werry important for the project and a lot of project managers forgets to informed this stakeholder enough. If the project owner not gets included in the right way there will be a possibility that the project owners attention to the project decrees. When the project manager starts up a new project some questions has to be asked for the project owner. This is questions like the reasons why you are chosen as the project manager and what expectations the project owner has to you.

Outward stakeholders

The outwards stakeholders is both companies intern and extern. Extern can be costumers supplier, business partners, interest organizations, authorities, competitors, the public and the press. Intern can be line managers, project managers for other projects, other employees and managers, union representatives, safety and cooperation committees. In this case the most important once is the once that needs to change behavior's due to the project.

If the project is inside the organization the end user/department can be considered as a costumer. This take on the end user can help the project manager to ask the "costumer" about their opinion and get some feedback from the costumer.

Identification:

The first step in generating a Stakeholder Map is to identify the project's stakeholders. This can be done by creating a brainstorm that includes all possible stakeholders. This tool is verry useful because a project can have many stakeholders and they can be both internal or external. Write down all persons or groups that will be affected in some way of the project with the understanding of possible stakeholders described in the section above. Don’t think too much in this process, you can always delete some stakeholders from the list afterwards, the worst that can happen is to forget some stakeholders. If groups of stakeholders emerge, then group them and give them a label. Remember that groups not necessarily follows functions.

Categorization:

With the list of all stakeholders you must now categorize the stakeholders into four different groups. Each of the four quadrants in the matrix (Figure 1) indicates the difference in how to handle the stakeholders. Take one stakeholder at the time and identify their influence on the project and their level of interest in the project.

Place the stakeholders in the Power/Interest Grid. Downunder the different quadrants in the grid is described.

High power / high interest – Manage closely, Stakeholders in this quadrant are the most important once for the project. They must be managed closely, regularly engage, and you have to manage their expectations.

High power / low interest – Meet their needs, Stakeholders in this quadrant are very powerful but not verry interested in the project. Therefore, its important to meet their needs, keep them satisfied, and actively consult them.

Low power / low interest – Keep into account, Stakeholders in this quadrant don’t have much influence on the project. However, it’s important to monitor and provide information to them as needed.

Low power / high interest – Keep informed, Stakeholders in this quadrant do not have much influence but they have a high interest in the project. Therefor keep them informed and maintain their interest during the project.

Strategy and communication

When the stakeholders are categorized you have to make a plan for how to handle the stakeholders. This plan will include pros and cons, their affect on the project (positive or negative) and how to handle them. When you know how to handle the stakeholders it is time to make a plan for communication. This plan shall make it clear how to communicate with the stakeholders, when to communicate and whom are responsible for the communication.

Figure 3: The cycle of stakeholder mapping

Downunder is some points listed that can be a part of the communication plan.

Vision and Objectives:

Note all goals and objectives and make sure they are clear from the start.

Goals and Timeframes:

When the goals are set, make sure to make a timeline with some deadlines. No projects will get done without some deadlines.

Communication Staff and Tools:

Make sure to delegate work out to some people who has the responsibilities and ownership of the task and what tools they have to use for this.

Make a Plan:

Make sure that you follow your advice and stick to the plan. No project is started without some kind of planning.

Stakeholder mapping is a dynamic tool because stakeholders will sometimes chance during a project. Therefor you will have to reconsider the stakeholder analysis during your project. Figure 3 shows the cycle of stakeholder mapping, and it will first stop when the project has ended. This is also connected to some of the limitations of stakeholder mapping. This process is very dynamic, and this figure shows why.

Limitation

Stakeholder mapping is an effective tool and it gives you great insight in the different stakeholders and their interest and needs. But stakeholder mapping dose have several limitations that needs to be considered and they are described down under:

1. Incomplete or inaccurate information:

Stakeholder mapping is only effective when it is based on up to date data about stakeholders interests, needs and their level of influence. If this information is incorrect the stakeholder mapping is based on wrong information's an this can lead to incorrect handling of stakeholders. It is especially important to be aware of this if the environment is dynamic and often change.

2. Lack of stakeholder engagement:

The best result of stakeholder mapping is reached when a broad range of stakeholders gets involved in the mapping to give inputs. It is not always a possibility that stakeholders can attend or are willing to be a part of this process. This can limit the accuracy of the results.

3. Limited scope:

Stakeholder mapping is typically focused on a specific project, organization, or business. Sometimes, stakeholders may have broader or more complex relationships that are not captured by the mapping process.

4. Bias and subjectivity:

Stakeholder mapping is influenced by the once constructing it. Their perspectives and assumptions will be a part of the mapping. Therefor it is important to be more than one person completing the mapping. If only one person is constructing the stakeholder map it can lead to incomplete or inaccurate results, especially if stakeholders are not adequately represented or considered.