Mapping and Understanding Stakeholders

Stakeholders in government services range from direct users to indirect participants who influence or are affected by service outcomes. Understanding who these stakeholders are forms the foundation of effective public sector design. Government stakeholders typically fall into several key categories:

• Internal stakeholders include department staff, IT teams, and administrative personnel who develop and maintain services
• External stakeholders comprise citizens, businesses, community organizations, and other non-governmental agencies that interact with these services

Key aspects to consider while identifying stakeholders:

• Direct involvement: Those who directly interact with the service
• Indirect impact: Groups affected by service outcomes
• Decision-making power: Individuals or groups who can influence service development and delivery
• Resource control: Stakeholders who control necessary resources
• Legal obligations: Regulatory bodies and compliance monitors

Power mapping reveals how influence and decision-making actually work in government organizations. While organizational charts show formal structures, power maps uncover the real dynamics of how things get done.

Creating a power map means identifying central individuals who are key sources of information and influence. Some control important resources, while others serve as bridges between different departments or groups. Understanding these dynamics helps navigate organizational relationships more effectively.

Key elements to document in your power map:

• Central individuals: Key decision-makers and influencers
• Resource control: Who manages crucial resources and information
• Information flow: How knowledge and decisions spread
• Network connections: Relationships between influential people
• Influence patterns: How decisions actually get made^[1]

Interest analysis reveals what drives different stakeholders' positions on government initiatives. While some stakeholders actively support a project, others might oppose or remain neutral. Understanding the reasons helps build better engagement strategies.

Interest analysis goes beyond what stakeholders say publicly. Some might support an initiative to achieve their program area mandates or for economic benefits, while others might resist due to cultural values or operational concerns. Even stakeholders from the same group may have conflicting interests based on how changes affect their work, resources, or responsibilities.

Key areas to analyze:

• Impact level: How changes directly affect stakeholders' mandate, work, or life
• Economic factors: Financial implications and resource considerations
• Operational concerns: How changes affect daily operations and procedures
• Cultural values: Beliefs and traditions that influence positions
• Professional obligations: How changes affect job requirements and responsibilities

Understanding these diverse interests helps predict potential resistance points and identify common ground.^[2]

Stakeholder prioritization helps focus engagement efforts where they matter most. Using data from identification, power mapping, and interest analysis, this systematic approach determines which stakeholders need immediate attention and what level of engagement each requires.

The influence/interest matrix serves as a practical tool for prioritization, dividing stakeholders into four key categories:

• Promoters (high influence, high interest): Engage closely with these stakeholders through regular meetings and direct collaboration
• Latents (high influence, low interest): Keep these stakeholders satisfied through consistent updates and thoughtful communication
• Defenders (low influence, high interest): Keep these stakeholders informed through regular reports and feedback channels
• Apathetics (low influence, low interest): Monitor these stakeholders through occasional check-ins and general communications

Communication strategy matches the right message with the right delivery method for each stakeholder group. It's about being clear, relevant, and efficient with updates and information sharing.

For each stakeholder group, determine three key aspects:

• What they need/want to know: focus on information relevant to their role and interests
• When they need/want to know it: from real-time updates to periodic summaries
• How they prefer to receive it: whether through emails, meetings, or formal reports

Promoters typically benefit from regular face-to-face meetings and detailed briefings. Latents need concise emails highlighting key decisions and impacts. Defenders appreciate regular project updates through team meetings or newsletters. Apathetics can stay informed through general organizational communications.

Remember that good communication is two-way. Plan not just to share information but also to gather feedback and respond to questions from different stakeholder groups.

Engagement planning helps organize how you'll work with stakeholders during your project. It focuses on creating specific activities that bring value to both the project team and stakeholders.

Plan different types of activities based on what you need to achieve: workshops to collect ideas, working sessions to solve problems together, review meetings to get feedback, and project updates to keep everyone aligned. Each activity needs a clear goal and expected result.

Think about practical details that make activities work well. Consider when people are most available, where they prefer to meet, and what resources you'll need. Balance getting good input with using time wisely. Some activities might need two hours in person, while others work fine as a 30-minute online check-in.

Keep track of what was decided and what needs to happen next after each activity. This helps everyone stay clear about their commitments and shows progress over time.

Feedback systems help collect and track stakeholder input throughout a project. Good feedback helps spot potential issues early and shows if engagement efforts are working.

Set up simple ways for stakeholders to share their thoughts. This could be sprint reviews, project briefs, quick pulse surveys after meetings, comment sections in project updates, or regular check-in conversations. Make it easy for people to give feedback when issues come up, not just during planned reviews.

Focus on collecting feedback that you can actually use. Ask specific questions about what's working well and what needs to change. If stakeholders raise concerns, discuss how to address them and let them know what actions you're taking.

Keep track of feedback patterns over time. Are certain groups consistently raising similar issues? Are some engagement methods working better than others? Use these insights to improve how you work with stakeholders.

Implementation monitoring helps track if your stakeholder engagement efforts are working. It shows whether you're getting the right input from stakeholders and if they're staying involved in meaningful ways.

Watch for specific signs that show engagement is effective:

• Do stakeholders understand the objective of the session in relation to the project?
• Are stakeholders attending and actively participating in sessions?
• Do they provide useful feedback?
• Are they sharing information openly?

Track both formal metrics like attendance and participation rates and informal indicators like the quality of discussions and willingness to engage. Look for patterns in stakeholder responses. Notice which groups engage more actively and which might need a different approach. If participation drops or feedback quality decreases, adjust your methods. What works at the start of a project might need to change as the project develops. Document what you learn about engaging different stakeholder groups. These insights help improve future engagement efforts and share successful approaches with other teams.

Impact measurement shows whether stakeholder engagement makes a difference to your project outcomes. Instead of just tracking activities, focus on measuring real results.

Measure impact through these key areas:

• Project decisions improved by stakeholder input
• Implementation issues prevented or solved early
• Solutions modified based on stakeholder co-creation and feedback
• Resources saved through early stakeholder alignment
• Timeline changes influenced by engagement
• Quality improvements traced to stakeholder input

Look for both direct and indirect effects of engagement. Sometimes stakeholder input leads to immediate changes, while other times the benefits show up later in the project.