Project Toolkitby Maxime Lab
Stakeholders and Change · tool 1 of 8

Stakeholders and Change · tool 1 of 8

Power / Interest Grid

Power / Interest Grid: decides how much attention each stakeholder needs, so you invest your time where it counts.

Best for: Start of project, each phase · Time: 45 minutes
Domain: Stakeholders · Focus area: Initiating

Low interest
High interest
High power
Keep satisfiedFinance director, legal
Manage closelySponsor, key client
Low power
MonitorOther departments
Keep informedEnd users, team members

How it works

Each stakeholder is placed on a 2×2 grid by their power (ability to influence the project) and interest (how much they’re affected or care). Each quadrant gets its own engagement strategy.

  • High power, high interest: involve them in decisions, meet regularly.
  • High power, low interest: keep them satisfied with short, focused updates.
  • Low power, high interest: keep them informed — they’re often your future users and allies.

How to apply it

  1. Brainstorm every person or group affected by — or able to affect — the project.
  2. Score each one 1–5 on power and on interest, and plot them.
  3. Write one concrete engagement action per quadrant (e.g. monthly 1:1 with the sponsor).
  4. Feed the result into your communication plan.
  5. Re-map at each phase: people move as the project evolves.
Pro tip

Watch the “keep satisfied” corner: a powerful person who suddenly becomes interested late can stop the project.

Quick check

A stakeholder with high power and low interest should be…

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