| name | itk-stakeholder-power |
| description | Use this canvas to quickly categorize and prioritize which stakeholders to engage based on power and impact. Highlight impacted stakeholders and ideate on how to elevate their roles on the effort |
| intent | When figuring out which stakeholders to engage after you have identified a comprehensive and representative set of stakeholders. You can revisit this tool as the effort evolves, to ensure the right set of stakeholders are involved. |
| type | component |
| phase | scope |
| outcome | scope |
| difficulty | intermediate |
| group_size | 1+ people |
| time_required | 60+ minutes |
| best_for | ["Mapping stakeholder influence before a major launch where executive sponsors and impacted user groups have misaligned authority","Prioritizing engagement when a backlog of stakeholder requests outpaces your capacity to consult everyone meaningfully","Surfacing high-impact, low-power user segments who deserve elevated voice in roadmap decisions but lack organizational pull","Planning a regulatory or compliance-heavy initiative where power to block sits separately from who bears the consequences","Re-baselining stakeholder strategy mid-effort when org changes have shifted who holds decision authority"] |
| sources | ["MITRE Innovation Toolkit (ITK)","https://itk.mitre.org/toolkit-tools/stakeholder-power-categories/"] |
Stakeholder Power Categories
What Is It
Use this canvas to quickly categorize and prioritize which stakeholders to engage based on power and impact. Highlight impacted stakeholders and ideate on how to elevate their roles on the effort
Why Use It
When figuring out which stakeholders to engage after you have identified a comprehensive and representative set of stakeholders. You can revisit this tool as the effort evolves, to ensure the right set of stakeholders are involved.
When to Use It
Collaborating with stakeholders and deferring to those that are impacted will results in their endorsement of the effort and better outcomes for all
How to Do It
- Categorize whether each stakeholder is impacted by the effort (the y-axis). For steps 1 & 2, don’t worry about ranking or quantifying within each quadrant. Consider impact such as financial, professional, health, communal or social opportunities, access, experience, etc. For each stakeholder, ask: Will this stakeholder be significantly affected by the effort? Does the effort provide a significant opportunity, benefit, or gain to this stakeholder? Does the effort impose a significant burden or harm to this stakeholder? If you answered yes to any question, put that stakeholder in quadrant 1 (Q1). If you answered no to every question, put that stakeholder in quadrant 3 (Q3).
- Categorize the amount of power each stakeholder has over the effort (the x-axis). Consider power in different forms, including having availability, resources, information, knowledge of how to navigate a process, and the real or perceived ability to influence others or outcomes. For each stakeholder, ask: Can this individual or group significantly shape, regulate, or influence the effort and/or another stakeholder? If the answer to this question is yes, move that stakeholder to the quadrant on the right: From Q1 -> Q2 or Q3 -> Q4
- Reflect on the patterns that have emerged. Read the quadrant descriptions to better contextualize the power categories. Then, move to the “Notice & Reflect” section on the right side. You can answer the questions in any order.
- Summarize the key takeaways and next steps in the “Assess” section at the bottom of the canvas.
Key Concepts
Impact Axis (Y) — Whether a stakeholder is significantly affected by the effort—through financial, professional, health, social, or access gains and burdens. This separates who has a stake in outcomes from who merely observes.
Power Axis (X) — A stakeholder's real or perceived ability to shape, regulate, or influence the effort or other stakeholders via availability, resources, information, or process knowledge. Power is multi-dimensional, not just hierarchical authority.
Four Quadrants — Q1 (impacted/low-power), Q2 (impacted/high-power), Q3 (unaffected/low-power), Q4 (unaffected/high-power). Each quadrant prescribes a different engagement posture, from elevating voices to managing gatekeepers.
