Use this template to gain a better understanding of each stakeholder’s role in a given system, and get alignment on areas of expertise, responsibilities, and influence.
By mapping out how each stakeholder relates to a given system, you can improve collaboration through delineating clear roles and spheres of influence, as well as subject matter expertise. Through this exercise, you can also discover areas of overlap or disconnects that can be addressed as needed.
The stakeholder map template helps you:
- Identify and understand each stakeholder’s role
- Identify groups of similar or related stakeholders
- Map relationships between groups of stakeholders, as well as individual stakeholders within those groups
How to use the stakeholder map template
To get the most from the Mural stakeholder map template, follow the below steps.
1. Define the core topic or project
This will form the basis of your analysis and allow your team to assign roles and levels of influence, as all the stakeholders will relate in some way to the central project.
2. Brainstorm a broad list of stakeholders
Bring your team together — in real time or asynchronously — to create an exhaustive list of stakeholders related to your central project.
3. Group critical stakeholders based on similarities
Once you have identified all your stakeholders, have your team select the most critical stakeholders, add a ‘quote’ that helps define their roles within the project, and group them according to their similarities.
4. Map relationships between stakeholders and groups
Next, look for relationships between groups, as well as cross-functional connections between individual stakeholders across groups. Map and label those connections with descriptions.
Tips for running a stakeholder map template workshop
To run a successful stakeholder map template session, you should:
- Ensure that every team member has edit access and a clear understanding of the central topic or project before you begin brainstorming — this will save time and make your session more productive
- Use color coding or tags for sticky notes to help group stakeholders according to their relationships to the project and one another, and connectors to visualize those relationships across groups
- Continuously update your stakeholder map as the project and cross-functional collaboration evolve over time