Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
Identifying and analysing stakeholders
A stakeholder is anyone who can affect, be affected by, or perceives themselves to be affected by the project. Identify them broadly (including indirect and external parties), then analyse using the power/interest grid: high power–high interest = manage closely; high power–low interest = keep satisfied; low power–high interest = keep informed; low/low = monitor. Engagement level should also be recorded - unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, leading - against the level actually needed, so the gap drives the plan.
Planning communication
A communication plan specifies what information, to whom, when, in what format and by what channel, plus who is responsible and how feedback is captured. Communication is two-way: the basic model is sender → encoding → medium → decoding → receiver, with noise (jargon, cultural difference, distance, emotional state) distorting the message, and feedback closing the loop. Plan formal reporting (highlight reports, dashboards) and informal engagement separately, and consider virtual teams, time zones, language and accessibility.
Traps
Reversing the high power/low interest quadrant; treating communication as broadcast rather than dialogue; ignoring stakeholders who are resistant but powerful; assuming the most senior stakeholder needs the most information rather than appropriately tailored information.
Rule of thumb
Design the communication approach around the needs of the most influential stakeholder who is not yet supportive - that is where engagement effort converts into project support.