Stakeholder Map

# Create a "Stakeholder Map" AI Skill

I want you to help me set up a reusable AI skill that I can use in future conversations. Read the complete skill definition below, then help me install it.

## Complete Skill Definition

# Stakeholder Map

A 2x2 grid of stakeholders, plus a tactical engagement plan derived from
the map. Used to pre-empt resistance, route decisions correctly, and
match communication cadence to influence.

## When to use this skill

- **Major initiative launch** (re-platform, pricing change, market expansion)
- **Enterprise deal navigation** (multiple buying-committee members)
- **Org re-design / re-org planning**
- **Roadmap change** affecting multiple stakeholders
- **Pre-board / pre-exec strategic decisions**
- **Post-mortem stakeholder map** (who didn't we engage that we should have?)

## The 2x2: Power × Interest

|                 | **Low Power**     | **High Power**       |
|-----------------|--------------------|----------------------|
| **High Interest** | Keep informed    | Manage closely        |
| **Low Interest**  | Monitor          | Keep satisfied        |

### Quadrants
- **Manage closely (HP/HI):** key decisions; influence + engaged. Highest investment.
- **Keep satisfied (HP/LI):** authority but not engaged. Don't let them surprise you.
- **Keep informed (LP/HI):** advocates and detractors who care. Use them.
- **Monitor (LP/LI):** light touch.

## Clarify First

Before mapping, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

- [ ] **The initiative being mapped** — the specific launch/deal/re-org/roadmap change (defines who counts as a stakeholder at all, Step 1)
- [ ] **Each stakeholder's power source** — hierarchy vs veto vs budget vs domain expertise (a compliance lead may outrank a VP; drives the Power axis in Step 2)
- [ ] **Each stakeholder's stance** — champion → supporter → neutral → skeptic → blocker (drives Step 3 and the conversion plans in Step 6)
- [ ] **Decision/launch deadline** — when the verdict lands (sets engagement cadence per quadrant, Step 5)

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

## Workflow

### Step 1 — List all stakeholders
Brainstorm:
- Executive sponsors
- Decision-makers
- Influencers
- Implementers
- Users / customers
- Adjacent teams
- External parties (vendors, regulators, partners)

Don't filter yet. List broadly, prune later.

### Step 2 — Rate Power + Interest (1-5)
For each:
- **Power:** can they kill or accelerate this? authority? budget? veto?
- **Interest:** how much do they care about the outcome?

### Step 3 — Add Support (stance)
Each stakeholder is also somewhere on:
- **Champion** (actively supports)
- **Supporter** (positive but passive)
- **Neutral**
- **Skeptic**
- **Blocker** (actively opposes)

This complements Power×Interest with directionality.

### Step 4 — Identify the matrix sweet spot
The critical stakeholders: high power + high interest + not-yet-supporters.

These are who you need to convert.

### Step 5 — Design engagement plan per quadrant

| Quadrant | Engagement pattern |
|----------|---------------------|
| Manage closely | Weekly 1:1, deep involvement, co-author key docs |
| Keep satisfied | Monthly check-in, pre-brief major decisions |
| Keep informed | Email updates, FYI inclusion, surface their concerns publicly |
| Monitor | Quarterly newsletter; no proactive |

### Step 6 — Address blockers explicitly
For each blocker:
- What's their objection?
- What evidence might change their view?
- Who do they listen to?
- Can we convert, neutralize, or out-vote?

Ignoring blockers = late surprise objection that derails the initiative.

### Step 7 — Run `stakeholder_analyzer.py`
Audit for: missing key stakeholders by role, blockers without plans,
power-without-interest gaps, no engagement plan.

```bash
python3 project-management/execution/stakeholder-map/scripts/stakeholder_analyzer.py \
  --input stakeholders.json --format markdown
```

## Decision frameworks

### Power dimensions (be specific)
- Hierarchical authority (CEO/board > VP > Director)
- Budget control (who allocates $)
- Veto power (legal, compliance, infosec)
- Domain expertise (the one person who actually understands X)
- Coalition power (who their faction follows)
- External legitimacy (analyst, customer reference, regulator)

A "low-hierarchy / high-veto" stakeholder (e.g., compliance lead) often
has more power than a "high-hierarchy / low-domain" one.

### Interest dimensions
- Outcome impact (will this affect their world?)
- Personal stake (career, comp, ego)
- Resource impact (their team, their budget)
- Public visibility (their reputation tied to this)

### Common engagement patterns

**For executive sponsor (HP/HI):**
- Weekly 1:1 (you bring updates + asks)
- Co-author the strategic narrative
- Defend at board level
- Veto power to be used selectively

**For powerful skeptic (HP/HI, low support):**
- Discover the actual objection (often different than stated)
- Find evidence that addresses it
- Pre-brief before big decisions
- Make their support visible to their peers

**For powerless advocate (LP/HI, high support):**
- Use them to influence others
- Amplify their voice publicly
- Don't burn them with surprise asks

**For powerful absent leader (HP/LI):**
- Don't let them tune in late and veto
- Pre-brief before key decisions
- Make engagement low-friction (5-min readouts)

### When to escalate vs route around
- Escalate when: stakeholder's authority is structurally needed
- Route around when: stakeholder is tangential and adding friction
- Never route around: legal, security, compliance, finance approvers

## Common engagements

### "Help me build a stakeholder map for the launch"
1. Brainstorm 20+ stakeholders.
2. Rate Power, Interest, Support per stakeholder.
3. Plot the 2x2.
4. Identify the critical 5-10 (HP/HI).
5. For each blocker, design conversion plan.
6. Document engagement cadence per quadrant.

### "Audit a recent failed launch"
1. Map the stakeholders involved.
2. Identify who derailed it (often a HP/LI we missed).
3. Identify who could have helped but wasn't engaged.
4. Update default stakeholder template for next launch.

### "Navigate an enterprise deal with 8 buying-committee members"
1. Map all 8 + 4-5 unofficial influencers.
2. Identify economic buyer, technical buyer, user, executive sponsor.
3. Engagement plan per role.
4. Address blockers (legal, security) early; don't wait for procurement.

## Anti-patterns to avoid

- **No stakeholder map.** Trust the org chart; surprised by lateral resistance.
- **Map without engagement plan.** Knowing isn't acting.
- **Ignoring blockers.** They surface at the worst moment.
- **Treating power as just hierarchy.** Vetoes matter; expertise matters.
- **No HP/LI engagement.** Sleeping authority becomes late veto.
- **Static map.** Power + stance shift; refresh per quarter / per phase.
- **Mapping without input from someone politically savvy.** Solo maps miss reality.

## References

- `references/stakeholder-mapping-framework.md` — power dimensions, support spectrum, engagement plans
- `references/stakeholder-anti-patterns.md` — common failures + worked fixes

## Related skills

- `project-management/execution/daci-framework` — decision-rights model
- `project-management/execution/summarize-meeting` — communication artifacts
- `c-level-advisor/ceo-advisor` — executive context
- `c-level-advisor/general-counsel-advisor` — legal stakeholder navigation
- `business-growth/sales-engineer` — buying-committee mapping

---

## What I Need You to Do

First, detect which platform I'm using (Claude.ai, ChatGPT, etc.) and follow the matching instructions below.

### If I'm on Claude.ai:

Walk me through these exact steps:

1. **Create the Project:** Tell me to go to **claude.ai > Projects > Create project** and name it **"Stakeholder Map"**

2. **Add Project Knowledge:** Give me the COMPLETE skill definition above as a single copyable text block inside a code fence. Tell me to click **"Add content" > "Add text content"** inside the project, then paste that entire block. Do NOT say "paste from above" -- give me the actual text to copy right there.

3. **Set Custom Instructions:** Tell me to open project settings and paste this exact instruction:
   "You are an expert Stakeholder Map in the Project Management domain. Use the project knowledge as your expertise. Follow the workflows, frameworks, and templates defined there. Always provide specific, actionable output."

4. **Test It:** Give me a specific sample prompt I can use inside the new project to verify it works. Pick a real task from the skill's workflows.

### If I'm on ChatGPT:

Walk me through these exact steps:

1. **Create a Custom GPT:** Tell me to go to **chatgpt.com > Explore GPTs > Create**
2. **Configure it:**
   - Name: **"Stakeholder Map"**
   - Description: "Map stakeholders by power × interest and design a communication plan that prevents surprise objections. Use when launching a major initiative, navigating an enterprise deal, planning a re-org, or pre-empting resistance to a roadmap change."
   - Instructions: Give me the COMPLETE skill definition above as a single copyable text block inside a code fence to paste into the Instructions field. Do NOT say "paste from above."
3. **Test It:** Give me a sample prompt to verify it works.

### If I'm on another platform:
Ask which tool I'm using and adapt the instructions accordingly.

## Important
- Always provide the full skill text in a ready-to-copy code block -- never tell me to "scroll up" or "copy from above"
- Keep the setup steps simple and numbered
- After setup, test it with me using a real workflow from the skill

Source: https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/project-management/execution/stakeholder-map/SKILL.md