Why This Matters - Stakeholder Mapping & Engagement

Stakeholder engagement bridges preliminary research and a community-grounded project design.

Common Pitfalls

Inaccurate Problem Analysis

Your Problem Tree stays built on assumptions, not reality.

Solutions That Miss the Mark

They ignore the real barriers and local culture.

Community Resistance

People resist projects they were never asked about.

Funder Skepticism

Funders doubt projects without community grounding.

Missed Opportunities

You lose partnerships, local knowledge, and allies.

The Stakeholder Mapping Process

flowchart TB
    subgraph Row1["Assumptions to Mapping"]
        direction LR
        START["Preliminary Problem Tree
(A) assumptions"]
        IDENTIFY["Phase 1
Identify Stakeholders
Primary, secondary, tertiary"]
        MAP["Phase 2
Power-Interest Analysis
Four quadrants"]
        START --> IDENTIFY --> MAP
    end

    subgraph Row2["Engagement to Evidence"]
        direction LR
        PLAN["Phase 3
Design Engagement
Strategy per quadrant"]
        ENGAGE["Phase 4
Conduct Conversations
Community input"]
        INTEGRATE["Phase 5
Integrate Insights
(A) becomes (E)"]
        PLAN --> ENGAGE --> INTEGRATE
    end

    Row1 -.-> Row2

    classDef starting fill:#D9F99D,stroke:#72B043,color:#2A2A2A,stroke-width:2px
    classDef mapping fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F8CC1B,color:#2A2A2A,stroke-width:2px
    classDef planning fill:#FED7AA,stroke:#F37324,color:#2A2A2A,stroke-width:2px
    classDef action fill:#F59E0B,stroke:#D97706,color:#1F2937,stroke-width:3px
    classDef evidence fill:#007F4E,stroke:#00b369,color:#fff,stroke-width:3px

    class START starting
    class IDENTIFY,MAP mapping
    class PLAN planning
    class ENGAGE action
    class INTEGRATE evidence
    linkStyle 0,1 stroke:#72B043,stroke-width:2px
    linkStyle 2,3 stroke:#F37324,stroke-width:2px
    linkStyle 4 stroke:#6B7280,stroke-width:2px,stroke-dasharray: 4 4
Lesson 1.2: Stakeholder Mapping 27%
Step 3 of 11 · Why This Matters