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Stakeholder, relationship and interest mapping template

A guide and toolset for identifying actors, relationships, interests, tensions, risks and possibilities for coordination.

Resource details

Type
Template
Audience
Project teams, social organisations, companies, communities, educational institutions and innovation or participation processes.
Format
Matrix
Language
English
Version
1.0
Reviewed
2026-07-15
Date
2026-07-15
Author
Harby Trujillo
Licence
Proposed CC BY 4.0 licence; pending final editorial approval.
SHA-256
82abffc739820bf936348786c08e0a48881f5fde7d6f8d0ee0cbda8ae5ccdcc2
Privacy
Public

Download resource (75 KB)

How to use it

Problem

Projects become disordered when actors are treated as a list rather than as a system of relationships, interests and tensions.

Includes

  • Initial stakeholder map
  • Relationships and influence level
  • Interests, tensions and risks
  • Ethical and privacy review
  • Conversation and coordination strategies

Suggested use

Use it at the beginning of a project, before a sensitive decision or when a team needs to understand its ecosystem better.

Preview

The template separates presence, relationship, interest and risk to avoid rushed readings or improper use of sensitive information.

Relations and sources

Evidence description

Based on the v1.0 package with guide, canvas, matrix and privacy review. Ethical use forbids surveillance, stigmatisation or discriminatory profiling.

Build the relationship map

Ethical use warning

This map must not be used to profile people politically, monitor them, stigmatise them or classify them in a discriminatory way.

Do not record sensitive information unless it is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of the project.

  • Avoid personal data when a role description is enough.
  • Reduce risky information to collective categories where possible.
  • Define who may access the map and for how long.

1. Actors

Name people, groups, institutions or areas that influence the situation or are affected by it. Not every actor has the same level of participation.

  • Main or secondary actor.
  • Role in the process.
  • Reason for including the actor in the map.

2. Relationships

Observe how actors connect: cooperation, dependency, tension, distance, trust, blockage or information exchange.

  • Direct or indirect relationship.
  • Quality of the relationship.
  • Information that circulates or is missing.

3. Interests and expectations

Record what each actor seeks or needs without turning an interpretation into a fixed label. Interests can change when the context changes.

  • Declared interest.
  • Inferred interest that must be checked.
  • Expectation towards the project.

4. Risks and care

Before acting on the map, review risks of exposure, conflict, bias or misuse. A useful map also protects the people represented.

  • Data that should be removed.
  • Versions that should not circulate.
  • People who can correct the interpretation.

5. Coordination strategy

Use the map to decide conversations, minimum agreements, spokesperson roles, safeguards and next steps. The map does not replace dialogue with the actors.

  • Priority conversation.
  • Possible agreement.
  • Follow-up owner.
  • Review date.