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Stakeholder Analysis Tool
Place every group a change touches on the power/interest grid, mark where each stands today, and get a first move for each.
This tool also runs as a stage in a playbook, which takes you through several tools in order:
- Manage organizational change Stage 1 of 5: who does the change affect? Start at stage 1
Not following the playbook?
The change
Every group it touches
Inside and outside the organization: who signs it off, who runs it, who does the work, and who hears about it from customers. A group can be one person.
Your notes never leave your browser
Group names, the change and your first moves stay on your computer and in your progress file. To write the diagnosis, only the ratings and headcounts are sent to our server. How it works
Place each group
For each group: how much power it has over the outcome, how much it cares, and where it stands today.
- Power: can they help or block it? Sign-off, budget, a veto, or a workforce that can refuse.
- Interest: how much do they care how this turns out? Interest moves as the change becomes real.
- Their daily work changes: Yes if they will do their job differently (new tools, tasks or routines). No if they only approve, fund or hear about it. Later stages follow the Yes groups.
- Others follow them: tick it when people listen to this group whatever its rank, such as a respected senior handler.
The map so far
The power/interest grid
Each group, and the first move
Save your progress
Download your progress file to continue from this point any time, on any computer: choose it under "Coming back?" at the start of the tool. Each new file includes everything so far, including the earlier stages when they are connected, so keep the latest one. Your work stays in this browser only until you close it.
Not saved yet.
Take your results with you
A PDF of the grid, each group with its first move, and the diagnosis.
About the tool
Why it exists
Know who matters before anyone hears a word
Stakeholder analysis lists every group a change touches and places each on two scales: how much power it has over the outcome, and how much interest it takes in it. Each quadrant gets its own approach, and where each group stands today shows who to talk to first.
This tool works on its own, and as stage 1 of our playbook for managing organizational change, where the map goes on to the change plan in stage 2. For the method, see our guide to stakeholder analysis.
The method
How the tool works
Four levels, not two. Power and interest are each rated high, fairly high, fairly low or low, so no group sits on the line. High and fairly high count as high.
The quadrants. High power and high interest: manage closely. High power, low interest: keep satisfied. Low power, high interest: keep informed. Low on both: monitor.
What the tool flags. A group with high or fairly high power that is against the change: talk to them before announcing anything. Groups whose daily work changes but who have little say: the most affected, with the least say. Groups others follow whatever their rank: power and influence are not the same.
First moves. "Suggest first moves for the empty ones" writes a first move from each group's place and stance. It only fills empty boxes, and you can change every one.
What leaves your computer. Group names, the change and your moves stay in your browser and your progress file. To write the diagnosis, the page sends our server only the ratings and headcounts, by place in your list, and the server keeps nothing.