Project Toolkit

Stakeholder Register

A central repository for recording and tracking all project stakeholders, their interests, influence, and engagement approach.

Stakeholder Register

The Stakeholder Register is a project document that captures information about all identified stakeholders, including their interests, level of influence, and planned engagement approach.

What is a Stakeholder Register?

Definition: A Stakeholder Register is a living document that records all individuals, groups, or organisations who may affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by the project.

Purpose

The Stakeholder Register helps to:

Document all identified stakeholders
Analyse their interests and influence
Plan appropriate engagement strategies
Track stakeholder engagement over time
Ensure no stakeholders are overlooked

When to Create and Update

flowchart LR A[Identify
Stakeholders] --> B[Create
Register] B --> C[Analyse &
Classify] C --> D[Plan
Engagement] D --> E[Review &
Update] E --> C classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D,E blue

The register should be:

Created during project initiation
Updated throughout the project lifecycle
Reviewed at each stage gate
Revised when stakeholder landscape changes

Register Content

Core Fields

Field	Description
Stakeholder ID	Unique identifier
Name	Individual or group name
Role/Title	Position or function
Organisation	Company or department
Contact Details	Email, phone
Category	Internal/External, type

Analysis Fields

Field	Description
Interest	What they care about
Expectations	What they expect from project
Influence	High/Medium/Low
Impact	High/Medium/Low
Attitude	Supporter/Neutral/Resistant
Engagement Level	Current and desired

Engagement Fields

Field	Description
Engagement Strategy	How to engage them
Communication Needs	What info they need
Frequency	How often to communicate
Owner	Who manages relationship
Notes	Additional information

Power/Interest Grid

Classify stakeholders using the Power/Interest matrix:

flowchart TB subgraph High Power A[Manage Closely
High Power, High Interest] B[Keep Satisfied
High Power, Low Interest] end subgraph Low Power C[Keep Informed
Low Power, High Interest] D[Monitor
Low Power, Low Interest] end classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D blue

Quadrant	Power	Interest	Strategy
Manage Closely	High	High	Engage fully, consult regularly
Keep Satisfied	High	Low	Keep happy, don’t overwhelm
Keep Informed	Low	High	Regular updates, address concerns
Monitor	Low	Low	Minimal effort, watch for changes

Stakeholder Categories

Category	Examples
Internal	Project team, management, employees
External	Customers, suppliers, regulators
Primary	Directly affected by project
Secondary	Indirectly affected
Key	Critical to project success

Assessing Influence and Impact

Influence Assessment

Level	Description
High	Can approve/block project, controls resources
Medium	Can influence decisions, provides expertise
Low	Limited ability to affect project

Impact Assessment

Level	Description
High	Significantly affected by project outcomes
Medium	Moderately affected
Low	Minimally affected

Stakeholder Attitudes

Attitude	Description	Engagement Approach
Champion	Actively supports project	Leverage their support
Supporter	Positive, will help if asked	Keep engaged
Neutral	Neither for nor against	Inform, build support
Critic	Has concerns or objections	Address concerns, involve
Blocker	Actively opposes project	Understand reasons, manage closely

Engagement Levels

Level	Description
Unaware	Not aware of project
Resistant	Aware but resistant
Neutral	Aware but neither supportive nor resistant
Supportive	Supportive of project
Leading	Actively advocates for project

Track both current and desired engagement levels to identify gaps.

Example Register Entry

Field	Value
ID	STK-001
Name	Jane Smith
Role	Finance Director
Organisation	Finance Department
Interest	Budget impact, ROI
Influence	High
Impact	Medium
Attitude	Neutral
Current Engagement	Neutral
Desired Engagement	Supportive
Strategy	Monthly budget updates, involve in business case review
Owner	Project Manager

Maintaining the Register

Activity	Frequency
Review register completeness	Weekly
Update stakeholder status	As changes occur
Reassess influence/interest	Monthly
Review engagement effectiveness	Monthly
Full register review	At stage gates

Confidentiality

Important: The Stakeholder Register may contain sensitive information about attitudes and engagement strategies. Treat it as confidential and limit distribution to the project management team.