17 Examples of Stakeholder Engagement

John Spacey, April 21, 2023

Stakeholder engagement is the process of identifying and communicating to stakeholders to gain acceptance of a program, project, initiative or policy. The examples below capture the real-world process of accomplishing this by being transparent, flexible and open but also not allowing your initiative be be derailed.

Identify Stakeholders List the stakeholders impacted by your program, project, initiative or policy.	Call For Stakeholders A wide communication that asks anyone with an interest in your initiative to step forward before a deadline.
Stakeholder Analysis Analyze the needs, authority and influence of stakeholders.	RACI Matrix Categorize each stakeholder as responsible, accountable, consulted or informed.
Stakeholder Transparency Communicate the list of stakeholders and RACI matrix.	Stakeholder Engagement Plan Document a communication plan that spells out how stakeholders will be engaged.
Engagement Plan Sign-off Require major stakeholders to sign-off on your communication plan.	Engage Stakeholders Hold meetings and other communications with stakeholders to pitch your initiative and collect feedback.
Analyze Feedback Document and communicate feedback.	Requirements Gathering Gather requirements from stakeholders who are responsible for requirements.
Stakeholder Salience Prioritize the feedback of high authority or influential stakeholders not the most vocal stakeholders.	Communicate a Plan Change your plans to incorporate stakeholder feedback and requirements. Communicate this broadly.
Sell the Plan Pitch the plan to stakeholders and handle objections.	Note Objections Note remaining objections to the plan and retain all other stakeholder feedback.
Plan Sign-off Require major stakeholders to approve your plan. This may require a push from sponsors or executive escalation.	Change Management The executive process of building support for change and sidelining resistance to change.
Continued Engagement Stakeholders are kept informed throughout the life of the initiative and given opportunities to give input to processes such as issue resolution and change request prioritization.

Stakeholder feedback is documented but is only incorporated where it is a helpful and good idea or where the stakeholder has much authority or influence and can't be dissuaded. Trying to incorporate all feedback is generally impossible as ideas will conflict and go off on many tangents. Most typically, feedback is captured and prioritized with the full expectation that most of it won't influence your plans.

Avoid secrecy or keeping your stakeholders to a small group. The more people who feel consulted about your initiative, the better things may go.

More about stakeholders:

Accountability Measures

Agents Of Change

Business Stakeholders

Change Management

Community Stakeholders

Corporate Stakeholders

External Stakeholders

Internal Stakeholders

Primary Stakeholders

Public Stakeholders