/stakeholder-map

description: Map stakeholders on a Power × Interest grid and create a tailored communication plan
argument-hint: "<project, initiative, or launch>"

/stakeholder-map -- Stakeholder Mapping & Communication Plan

Identify all stakeholders for a project, map them by influence and interest, and generate a communication plan that ensures the right people get the right information at the right time.

Invocation

/stakeholder-map New analytics platform launch
/stakeholder-map Pricing model change affecting all customers
/stakeholder-map [upload a project brief or org chart]

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Initiative

Ask:

• What is the project or initiative?
• What phase is it in? (planning, building, launching, post-launch)
• Who are the obvious stakeholders you already know about?
• Are there any politically sensitive dynamics to be aware of?

Step 2: Identify Stakeholders

Brainstorm stakeholders the user might not have considered:

• **Internal**: Engineering, Design, QA, Data, Legal, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Support, Leadership
• **External**: Customers, partners, vendors, regulators, board members
• **Often missed**: Adjacent teams, on-call engineers, customer success, documentation team

Step 3: Map to Power × Interest Grid

Apply the **stakeholder-map** skill:

Place each stakeholder in a quadrant:

                    HIGH INTEREST
                         │
    KEEP SATISFIED       │      MANAGE CLOSELY
    (High Power,         │      (High Power,
     Low Interest)       │       High Interest)
                         │
   ──────────────────────┼──────────────────────
                         │
    MONITOR              │      KEEP INFORMED
    (Low Power,          │      (Low Power,
     Low Interest)       │       High Interest)
                         │
                    LOW INTEREST

Step 4: Generate Communication Plan

## Stakeholder Map: [Initiative]

### Stakeholder Grid
| Stakeholder | Role | Power | Interest | Quadrant | Stance |
|------------|------|-------|----------|----------|--------|

### Communication Plan

#### Manage Closely (High Power, High Interest)
| Stakeholder | Channel | Frequency | Content | Owner |
|------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------|

#### Keep Satisfied (High Power, Low Interest)
| Stakeholder | Channel | Frequency | Content | Owner |
|------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------|

#### Keep Informed (Low Power, High Interest)
| Stakeholder | Channel | Frequency | Content | Owner |
|------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------|

#### Monitor (Low Power, Low Interest)
[Minimal communication — include in broad updates only]

### Potential Conflicts
[Where stakeholder interests may clash — with mitigation strategies]

### Escalation Path
[Who to go to when decisions are blocked]

### RACI Matrix
| Decision Area | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted | Informed |
|--------------|-------------|-------------|-----------|----------|

Save as markdown.

Step 5: Offer Next Steps

• "Want me to **draft the first stakeholder update** for the 'Manage Closely' group?"
• "Should I **create a meeting prep brief** for key stakeholder conversations?"
• "Want me to **set up a communication cadence** as a recurring checklist?"

Notes

• The "Manage Closely" quadrant is where PMs spend most of their political capital — get these relationships right
• "Stance" (supportive, neutral, resistant) helps prioritize where to invest relationship-building effort
• Don't forget downstream stakeholders: support, docs, and sales enablement teams are often surprised by launches
• Update the map as the project evolves — stakeholder interest shifts with project phase