What is Stakeholder Management?

In the project management sphere, a stakeholder is an individual, group, or organisation that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome.

Stakeholder management is the discipline of identifying those people, understanding what they care about, and actively building the relationships and communications needed to keep the project moving.

In 2026, stakeholder management matters more than ever: projects are delivered across hybrid teams, decisions are scrutinised more quickly, and misalignment spreads fast (often via digital channels). The good news is the fundamentals still work—done consistently and with the right tools.

TL; DR;

• Stakeholder management involves identifying and engaging individuals or groups impacted by a project to support successful outcomes.
• Prioritising stakeholders by power and interest helps focus time and communication where it matters most.
• Direct engagement (not assumptions) is the fastest way to understand needs, resistance points, and success criteria.
• Tools such as a Power–Interest Grid support stakeholder analysis, mapping, and prioritisation.
• Clear expectation-setting and ongoing communication are essential to maintain stakeholder support.
• In 2026, strong stakeholder management also means being deliberate about digital communication, data privacy, and transparent decision-making.

This article describes stakeholder management, how to develop stakeholder management strategies, and the process.

What is Stakeholder Management Meaning ?

Project stakeholders can be internal (e.g., senior leaders, team members, functions such as Finance/Legal/IT) or external (e.g., customers, suppliers, regulators, communities). Each stakeholder may have different interests, incentives, risk tolerance, and perspectives—and their combined influence can help or hinder delivery.

Stakeholder management is, in simple terms, understanding what each stakeholder wants from the project, how they define success, and how you will keep them informed and involved at the right level (without overwhelming them). It is a professional process: you build alignment, reduce friction, and create the conditions for decisions to be made on time.

Good stakeholder management helps you to:

• Build strong, credible relationships
• Communicate clearly and consistently
• Identify and manage stakeholder-related risks early
• Maximise opportunities for successful project delivery

Developing Your Stakeholder Management Skills

One of the key responsibilities in project management is managing stakeholders: identifying who they are, understanding their interests, and planning engagement across the project lifecycle. In 2026, this also includes managing communication across channels (Teams/Slack/email/portals), avoiding information overload, and ensuring sensitive information is handled appropriately.

Developing effective stakeholder management skills involves understanding stakeholder needs and expectations, then aligning your communication and engagement activities to meet those needs.

The following pointers can help you get started:

1. Define your stakeholder groups: who are they, and what are their concerns?
2. Identify the key stakeholders within each group (decision-makers, influencers, blockers, champions).
3. Understand what each stakeholder group wants—and how expectations may change over time.
4. Develop a communication plan for each stakeholder group (message, cadence, channel, owner).
5. Put a simple feedback process in place so concerns are captured, assessed, and responded to quickly.

By developing a comprehensive stakeholder approach, you can keep people informed and engaged throughout delivery. IPM offers a Stakeholder Management and Communications course to help you explore stakeholder identification, analysis, engagement planning, and managing challenging stakeholders.

Identify your Stakeholders

As you develop your stakeholder management strategy, start by identifying stakeholders across both internal and external environments.

Internally, consider departments, teams, and governance groups your project impacts (e.g., Operations, Sales, Customer Support, Information Security, Compliance). Externally, consider customers, suppliers, partners, regulators, and—depending on context—community or industry bodies.

Once identified, capture each stakeholder’s:

• role and decision rights,
• what they care about (outcomes, risks, constraints),
• preferred communication style and channel,
• influence and interest,
• potential support or resistance triggers.

This information becomes your baseline for engagement and your early-warning system for stakeholder risk.

Prioritise Your Stakeholders

After identifying stakeholders, prioritise them based on interest and influence so you invest your time and communication effort where it will have the greatest impact.

Practical factors to consider:

• Power: ability to approve, block, fund, or redirect the work
• Interest: how affected they are by the outcomes (positive or negative)
• Ability to influence others: informal networks, credibility, and reach
• Proximity to risk: who will feel the impact first if something goes wrong

Once you’ve considered these factors, maintain a priority list (and revisit it—stakeholder influence changes during a project)

Interview Your Stakeholders

To manage stakeholders effectively, you need real insight—not assumptions.

As a project manager, you may feel, “I already know my stakeholders, and I don’t need to interview them.” However, taking the time to sit down and talk with your stakeholders will give you a whole new level of understanding about what they want and how you can best work together.

Stakeholder interviews (or short structured conversations) are one of the fastest ways to uncover expectations and hidden constraints.

Useful questions include:

• What outcomes matter most to you—and why?
• What are your non-negotiables (scope, timing, compliance, cost)?
• What would make this project a “win” from your perspective?
• What worries you about this change?
• What information do you need, how often, and in what format?
• Who else do you listen to when forming an opinion about this project?

Create a Power Interest Grid

A Power–Interest Grid is a straightforward tool to categorise stakeholders and choose an appropriate engagement approach:

• High power / high interest: manage closely
• High power / low interest: keep satisfied
• Low power / high interest: keep informed
• Low power / low interest: monitor

This keeps your engagement plan realistic and prevents over-investing in low-impact relationships.

Set & Manage Expectations

Setting and managing expectations early is vital. This means being clear about:

• what will and won’t be delivered (scope),
• what decisions are needed and by when,
• what trade-offs exist (time/cost/scope/risk),
• and how issues and changes will be handled.

In 2026, expectation management also includes clarity on digital ways of working (response times, meeting etiquette, documentation standards) and transparency on how decisions will be communicated.

If you can effectively set and manage expectations, achieving successful stakeholder management will go a long way.

Stakeholder Management Process

The stakeholder management process is a structured way to identify, assess, and manage the expectations of individuals or groups with a vested interest in the outcome of a project.

A practical process looks like this:

• Monitor sentiment and engagement, then adjust as the project evolves
• Identify stakeholders and capture what matters to them
• Assess influence, interest, and likely stance (supportive, neutral, resistant)
• Define engagement strategies and communications

Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholder analysis identifies who matters, what they need, and how they may influence the work. One common approach is mapping stakeholders by interest and influence, then tailoring engagement accordingly.

In 2026, it is also useful to assess:

• communication risk: risk of misinterpretation across channels or cultures
• change impact: how much the stakeholder’s day-to-day will change
• confidence/trust: how much credibility the team currently has

Stakeholder Identification

The first step is to identify all stakeholders involved in or affected by the project, including sponsors, governance bodies, team members, users, suppliers, and impacted functions. For each, note role, influence, expectations, and any constraints they bring (policy, compliance, resourcing).

Stakeholder Mapping

Stakeholder mapping visualises stakeholders and their importance to delivery. A popular method is plotting stakeholders on a grid using power and interest—making it easier to decide who needs deeper involvement and who needs concise updates.

Stakeholder Prioritisation

You can prioritise stakeholders using:

• a stakeholder map (power vs interest), or
• a simple grid analysis comparing relative importance and risk.

The objective is to focus your limited time on relationships that affect decisions, delivery flow, adoption, and benefits realisation.

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is the ongoing practice of understanding and responding to stakeholder needs and expectations. Effective engagement builds trust and keeps the right people involved at the right time.

Common engagement methods include meetings, written updates, demos/show-and-tells, workshops, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and forums.
Where projects affect customers or communities, engagement can range from inform to consult, involve, collaborate, and empower—depending on the level of stakeholder impact and decision participation needed.

Tips for productive engagement:

• Be clear about your objectives
• Do your research
• Be transparent
• Be open to feedback
• Be respectful
• Seek common ground

FAQ : What is stakeholder management

Stakeholder management Meaning

Stakeholder management is the process of identifying, analysing, and engaging individuals or groups who have an interest or influence in a project, with the goal of building positive relationships and ensuring successful project outcomes.

What are the 4 steps for managing stakeholders?

1. Identify Stakeholders – Recognise all individuals and groups affected by or influencing the project.
2. Analyse Stakeholders – Assess their interests, influence, and impact on the project.
3. Plan Engagement – Develop strategies for communication and involvement tailored to stakeholder needs.
4. Manage and Monitor – Implement engagement plans, maintain relationships, and adjust strategies as needed throughout the project.

What are the 4 types of stakeholders?

1. Internal Stakeholders – People within the organisation, such as team members and managers.
2. External Stakeholders – Outside entities like customers, suppliers, and regulators.
3. Primary Stakeholders – Directly affected by the project’s outcome (e.g., users, clients).
4. Secondary Stakeholders – Indirectly affected or have an interest in the project (e.g., community groups, media).