STAKEHOLDER MAPPING

Introduction

In a project, the project team maps the stakeholder after identifying them and and their:

• identification information (name, organization, position, phone, email, etc.)
• stakes (aspects) that can affect the project or be affected by the project (interest, rights, ownership, knowledge, contribution, etc.)

Stakeholder mapping is a method of categorizing stakeholders using various methods.

Categorizing stakeholders helps the team to build relationships with the identified project stakeholders and manage their expectations.

After categorization, the project team identifies the current and desired engagement for key stakeholders.

Then the team develops a suitable stakeholder engagement plan for each.

The most common stakeholder mapping methods are:

1. Power/Interest grid, Power/Influence grid, or Impact/Influence grid:

Each of these techniques supports a grouping of stakeholders according to their level of:

• authority (power).
• concern about the project’s outcomes (interest).
• ability to influence the outcomes of the project (influence).
• ability to cause changes to the project’s planning or execution (impact).

These classification models are useful for (OR):

• small projects.
• projects with simple relationships between:

- stakeholders and the project.

- the members of the stakeholder community.

2. Stakeholder cube:

This is a refinement of the grid models previously mentioned by adding a third dimension to two dimensional grids mentioned above.

Mostly, the third dimension is the attitude of the stakeholder (how supports the project).

It provides the project managers and teams a model with multiple dimensions that:

• helps in identifying, engaging and depicting the stakeholder community.
• assists the development of communication strategies.

3. Salience model:

Describes classes of stakeholders based on assessments of their:

• power (level of authority or ability to influence the outcomes of the project).
• legitimacy (how appropriately involved in the project).
• urgency (the need for immediate attention because of time-constrains or relation with the stakeholders’ high stake).

Sometimes legitimacy is replaced by proximity (their involvement level in the project work).

These characteristics are represented by three intersecting circles that makes eight intersecting areas beside the outer area (non stakeholder).

It is also useful in determining the relative importance of the identified stakeholders.

This classification is useful for projects with (either or):

• large communities of stakeholders.
• complex relationships between the members of the stakeholder community.

The eight intersecting areas are:

i- Discretionary:

Stakeholders solely in the legitimacy section.

This means their presence during the project is valid.

ii- Dormant:

Stakeholders solely in the power section.

They have all authority to change the project's direction but their involvement is minimal.

iii- Demanding:

Stakeholders in the urgency section.

They want tasks completed quickly, but they have neither the power nor legitimacy to influence this.

ix- Dominant:

Stakeholders at the intersection of legitimacy and power.

They are often the largest category determined in analysis.

Their involvement is formal.

x- Dangerous:

Stakeholders at intersection of power and urgency.

There is not valid reason for getting them involved in the project.

xi- Dependent:

Stakeholders at intersection of legitimacy and urgency.

These stakeholders rely on someone else to have their input considered.

xii- Definitive:

Stakeholders at the three-way intersection.

They are the key members of the project team and require the most attention from project managers.

xiii- Non-Stakeholders:

Stakeholder outside the three domains.

They are not to be considered.

4. Directions of influence:

Classifies stakeholders according to their influence on (or):

• the project work.
• the project team.

Stakeholders can be classified to:

i- Upward:

The senior management of the:

• performing organization
• customer organization
• sponsor
• steering committee

ii- Downward:

The team or specialists contributing knowledge or skills in a temporary capacity.

iii- Outward:

Stakeholder groups and their representatives outside the project team, such as:

• suppliers.
• government departments.
• the public
• end-users
• regulators

ix- Sideward:

The peers of the project manager, such as other project managers or middle managers who (either or):

• compete for the scarce project resources.
• shares with the project manager resources or information.

5. Prioritization:

Prioritizing stakeholders may be necessary for projects with a large number of stakeholders where (either or):

• the membership of the stakeholder community is changing frequently.
• the relationships between stakeholders and the project team or within the stakeholder community are complex.