Stakeholder Mapping

What is Stakeholder Mapping?

Stakeholder mapping is the process of:

1. Identifying all relevant stakeholders
2. Analyzing their power, interest, influence, attitude, and needs
3. Visualizing their relationships and priority
4. Planning how to engage and communicate with each group

Goal: Manage expectations, reduce resistance, increase support, and ensure requirements reflect real needs.

Most Common Stakeholder Mapping Techniques

Technique	Best Used For	Visual Style	Complexity
Power-Interest Grid	Prioritizing engagement	2×2 matrix	Low
Power-Influence Grid	Understanding informal power	2×2 matrix	Low
Salience Model	Three dimensions (Power + Legitimacy + Urgency)	Venn diagram or table	Medium
Stakeholder Onion	Showing layers of closeness to project	Concentric circles	Medium
Stakeholder Rainbow / Rainbow Chart	Showing attitude + power + interest	Color-coded table	Medium

Most Popular: Power-Interest Grid (with hospital examples)

	Low Interest	High Interest
High Power	Keep Satisfied• Hospital Board• Ministry of Health• Major donor / investor	Manage Closely• Hospital CEO/Director• Medical Director• Head of Nursing• Key Consultants (e.g. Cardiology Lead)
Low Power	Minimal Effort• General suppliers• Cleaning staff• Distant community groups	Keep Informed• Patients & families• Ward nurses & junior doctors• Pharmacists• Lab technicians• Insurance coordinators

Hospital-specific examples of each quadrant

• Manage Closely (High Power + High Interest)
  → CEO, Medical Director, Head of Nursing, Finance Director
  → Frequent 1:1 meetings, steering committee, detailed reporting

• Keep Satisfied (High Power + Low Interest)
  → Board members, Ministry officials, Major philanthropist/donor
  → Regular high-level updates, formal reports, invitations to key events

• Keep Informed (Low Power + High Interest)
  → Nurses, junior doctors, pharmacy staff, patients using the new system
  → Regular newsletters, town halls, training sessions, feedback channels

• Minimal Effort (Low Power + Low Interest)
  → General office suppliers, external laundry service
  → Standard procurement communication only

Practical Tips for Hospitals

• Patients are almost always High Interest / Low Power → treat them as "Keep Informed" + give strong feedback mechanisms
• Consultants / senior doctors can have very high informal power even if they are not line managers
• Nursing leadership usually has high influence over adoption — never underestimate them
• IT department often moves from "Minimal Effort" to "Manage Closely" when implementing clinical systems
• Ministry / regulatory bodies — always "Keep Satisfied" even if they seem distant

Recommended Simple Template (Table Format)

Stakeholder	Department / Group	Power (H/M/L)	Interest (H/M/L)	Attitude (Supporter/Neutral/Resistor)	Engagement Strategy	Communication Frequency
Dr. Samantha Perera	Cardiology Consultant	High	High	Supporter	Manage Closely	Weekly
Nursing Union	Nursing staff	Medium	High	Neutral → Resistor	Keep Informed + Consult	Bi-weekly
Ministry of Health	Regulatory	High	Low	Neutral	Keep Satisfied	Monthly / on request
Patients	End users	Low	High	Mixed	Keep Informed + Feedback	Ongoing (portal/notices)

Tip: Revisit and update the map every 3–6 months — stakeholders' interest and attitude change during the project.

Related pages:
← Stakeholders in Business Analysis

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Last updated: 2026