Stakeholder analysis is a formal way of capturing and documenting the level of engagement of key stakeholders. The scope and complexity of the analysis required depends on the scope and complexity of the change you are trying to implement.

A very simple stakeholder analysis would include at least the following data elements with a High/Medium/Low ranking for each stakeholder:

• Level of support needed
• Level of support demonstrated
• Level of interaction with the project team

The delta between these measurements should drive your change management and communications efforts. For example, a stakeholder who isn’t supportive of your project but from whom you don’t need a high level of support to be successful should not be your highest priority for change management efforts.