--- name: discover-stakeholder-summary description: Documents stakeholder needs, concerns, and influence for a project or initiative. Use when starting projects, managing complex stakeholder relationships, or ensuring alignment across organizational boundaries. phase: discover version: "2.0.0" updated: 2026-01-26 license: Apache-2.0 metadata: category: research frameworks: [triple-diamond, lean-startup, design-thinking] author: product-on-purpose --- # Stakeholder Summary A stakeholder summary documents the people and groups who have interest in or influence over a project, capturing their needs, concerns, and relationships. Effective stakeholder management often determines project success more than technical execution, making this document essential for navigating organizational complexity. ## When to Use - At the start of a new project or initiative to map the landscape - When taking over an existing project from another PM - Before major decision points that require cross-functional buy-in - When experiencing resistance or misalignment mid-project - During organizational changes that shift stakeholder dynamics - When preparing communication strategies for launches or changes ## Instructions When asked to create a stakeholder summary, follow these steps: 1. **Identify All Stakeholders** List everyone with a stake in the project: sponsors, approvers, contributors, consumers of the output, and those affected by changes. Cast a wide net initially—you can prioritize later. Include both individuals and groups. 2. **Assess Influence and Interest** For each stakeholder, evaluate their influence (power to affect the project) and interest (how much they care about outcomes). This determines how much attention each requires. 3. **Understand Their Perspective** Document what each stakeholder needs from the project, what concerns or risks they perceive, and what a successful outcome looks like to them. When possible, validate these directly through conversation. 4. **Map Relationships** Identify key dependencies, alliances, and potential conflicts between stakeholders. Understanding who influences whom helps you navigate organizational dynamics. 5. **Categorize by Engagement Level** Based on influence and interest, determine the appropriate engagement approach: actively manage, keep satisfied, keep informed, or monitor. Different stakeholders need different levels of attention. 6. **Plan Communication** For high-priority stakeholders, define communication cadence, preferred channels, and key messages. Good stakeholder management is proactive, not reactive. 7. **Identify Risks and Mitigations** Note where stakeholder concerns could derail the project and plan how to address them. Early attention to resistant stakeholders prevents surprises. ## Output Format Use the template in `references/TEMPLATE.md` to structure the output. ## Quality Checklist Before finalizing, verify: - [ ] All significant stakeholders are identified (not just obvious ones) - [ ] Influence and interest assessments are realistic, not wishful - [ ] Concerns are documented from stakeholder's perspective, not dismissed - [ ] Relationships and dependencies are mapped - [ ] Communication plan is specific and actionable - [ ] Resistant stakeholders have mitigation strategies ## Examples See `references/EXAMPLE.md` for a completed example.