Business Analyst · #057 · September 26, 2026 · 2 min read
How do you map stakeholders? The power/interest grid that ends reply-all
The power/interest grid, the four quadrants with who sits in each, the exact cadence each one earns, and the political traps the textbook leaves out: one page.
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Not everyone deserves the same meeting. The power/interest grid is a one-page effort budget: it decides who gets a weekly 1:1, who gets one monthly page, and who gets nothing at all. One page on drawing it and on the three people it misses. The print-ready A4 PDF is at the bottom.
The grid
- Two axes: power (can they change or kill this?) x interest (do they pay attention?).
- Score everyone 1-5 on both. Gut feel is fine, but write it down.
- Revisit monthly: reorgs move people between quadrants.
The four quadrants
| Quadrant | Typically | They get |
|---|---|---|
| manage closely (high/high) | sponsor, product owner | weekly 1:1 + drafts |
| keep satisfied (power, no time) | execs, legal, security | monthly one-pager |
| keep informed (keen, little power) | end users, support | demos + newsletter |
| monitor (low/low) | everyone else | a readable channel |
Quadrant by quadrant
- Manage closely: decisions happen here. No surprises, bad news first, in person.
- Keep satisfied: short updates only. Noise here costs you power: every unnecessary email spends access you will need later.
- Keep informed: they carry adoption, and their pain points are the best raw requirements you will get.
- Monitor: minimal effort, but watch for moves. Quadrants are not forever.
The three people the grid misses
| Profile | The risk | The move |
|---|---|---|
| high-interest blocker | reads everything, fights it | manage closely too |
| the quiet exec | silent until go-live, owns budget | keep satisfied anyway |
| the proxy | speaks "for" the users | verify with real users |
Gotchas
- Interest ≠ support: your most engaged reader may be your opposition.
- The map is political. Keep it private; share the communication plan, not the scores.
- Score power by what happens when they say no, not by their title.
Interview phrasing worth memorizing: the grid is an effort budget. Every hour spent bottom-left is an hour stolen from the top-right, where the project lives or dies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the power/interest stakeholder grid?
A 2x2 map: score every stakeholder 1-5 on power (can they change or kill the project?) and interest (how much attention do they pay?). The four quadrants each get a different engagement level: manage closely (high/high), keep satisfied (high power, low interest), keep informed (high interest, low power), monitor (low/low). It is an effort budget, not a org chart.
How often should each quadrant hear from you?
Manage closely: weekly 1:1s, drafts before meetings, bad news first and in person. Keep satisfied: a short one-pager monthly, never spam, because noise to powerful people costs you access. Keep informed: demos and a newsletter, they carry adoption. Monitor: a channel they can read when they want, no meetings.
Does high interest mean a stakeholder supports the project?
No, and this is the most common mapping mistake. Interest measures attention, not approval: the stakeholder who reads every document may be the one building the case against you. Map blockers with high interest into 'manage closely' too, and track support separately from interest.
Should you share the stakeholder map with the team?
Keep it private or heavily redacted. The map contains political judgments (who has real power, who is a blocker, who gets minimal effort) that damage relationships if they leak. Share the communication plan that results from it, not the scores.
Get the free PDF
One page, print-ready, free to share. No signup needed.