Project Toolkitby Maxime Lab
Stakeholders and Change · tool 3 of 8

Stakeholders and Change · tool 3 of 8

Stakeholder Engagement Matrix

Stakeholder Engagement Matrix: shows where each stakeholder is today and where you need them to be.

Best for: Planning engagement · Time: 1 hour
Domain: Stakeholders · Focus area: Planning

How it works

For each key person, mark their current level: unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive or leading. Then mark the level you need. The gaps tell you where to spend your time.

  • Not everyone must be a champion.
  • Treat resistance as information.
  • Revisit it monthly.

How to apply it

  1. List key stakeholders.
  2. Mark current and desired levels.
  3. Plan one action per gap.
  4. Keep it private; it’s candid.
In practice

The finance director is neutral, and you need her supportive before the budget review. Action: show her the savings model first.

Pro tip

Keep this one off the shared drive.

Use it

Quick check

What does a gap between current and desired mean?

Sources

  • PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition, and The Standard for Project Management (PMI, 2025)

Last reviewed 2026-11-02 against the PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition · Practitioner review pending · How this guide is made