Stakeholder identification and mapping

Stakeholder mapping starts with identifying everyone who can impact or is impacted by your product. This includes obvious players like your development team and customers, but also less obvious ones like legal, compliance, or support teams. Missing a key stakeholder early can derail your product later.

Create a comprehensive stakeholder map by categorizing people based on their influence and interest in your project:

• High influence, high interest: Your champions and key decision makers who need weekly updates and direct involvement
• High influence, low interest: Executives or department heads who need executive summaries of major milestones
• Low influence, high interest: End users and team members who benefit from regular but simple updates
• Low influence, low interest: Peripheral teams who only need quarterly newsletters or company-wide announcements

Once mapped, document each stakeholder's role, their goals, and how your product affects them. Include their preferred communication style and frequency. Update this map regularly as projects evolve and new stakeholders emerge.