Utilizing the Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix in Project Management: A Practical Guide for PMP® Success

Effective stakeholder engagement is the key to project success. That's why utilizing a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix can be so valuable for project managers. This comprehensive guide explains what the matrix is, why it matters, and how to leverage it for PMP® exam and career success.

In this 4000+ word guide, you'll learn:

• What is a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix and why is it useful?

• How to create a stakeholder engagement matrix step-by-step

• Tips for analyzing stakeholders and mapping engagement

• Strategies for managing engagement levels 

• Real-world examples and templates

• Key takeaways for utilizing the matrix for PMP exam and career success

Whether you're prepping for the PMP exam or want to level up your stakeholder management skills, this guide breaks down the essentials. Let's get started!

What is a Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix and Why Use It?

A stakeholder engagement assessment matrix is a grid that maps out relevant stakeholders and their appropriate engagement level across various stages of a project. It compares the current and desired level of engagement for each stakeholder and allows the project manager to develop targeted plans for communication and managing involvement.

There are several key reasons why creating and utilizing a stakeholder engagement matrix is considered a best practice in project management:

• It enables structured stakeholder analysis to clearly identify and document all relevant parties who can impact project success.

• It allows you to categorize stakeholders based on their interest, influence, importance, impact etc. to prioritize management.

• It tracks the current and desired level of engagement needed from each stakeholder group over the course of the project.

• It helps uncover engagement gaps so you can create proactive relationship management plans.

• It serves as an input for your Communications Management Plan.

In short, an effective stakeholder matrix maps out who needs what type of communication and involvement throughout your project—a key element of stakeholder and Communications Management plans.

Now let's walk through how to build one for your next project.

How to Create a Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix Step-By-Step

Follow these steps to develop a practical yet robust Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix for your next project.

Step 1: Identify All Relevant Stakeholders

Your first step is to identify stakeholders—all individuals, groups or organizations impacted by or able to impact your project and its outcomes.

Examples of common project stakeholders include:

• Project manager & project team members

• Sponsoring executives

• Customers/end-users

• Technical support

• Third-party partners, vendors, consultants

• Regulators and oversight groups

• Department heads of impacted groups

The key is to think broadly about all parties who have an interest or role in your work and its results. The more comprehensive your list, the better.

Step 2: Analyze and Categorize Stakeholders

With your full list of stakeholders, now classify them into groups or categories based on their role, impact, interest, influence etc. Common ways to segment them include:

• Internal vs. External

• Impact (high vs. low)  

• Influence (high vs. low)

• Interest/engagement level (high vs. medium vs. low)

• Attitude (supportive vs. neutral vs. resistant)

• Power (decision makers vs. influencers vs. recipients)

Get creative with your categories—there are no set rules. The goal is to end up with meaningful clusters to inform how you manage engagement.

Step 3: Map Current and Desired Engagement Levels

For each stakeholder group, mark the appropriate current and desired engagement level across your project timeline. Example engagement types include:

• Unaware: Stakeholder has no knowledge of the project

• Resistant: Stakeholder is unwilling to support the project

• Neutral: Stakeholder has no positive or negative engagement

• Supportive: Stakeholder voices approval for the project 

• Leading: Stakeholder actively engaged driving project forward

You can use these terms or develop your own scale. Track engagement levels milestone-by-milestone or phase-by-phase.

Step 4: Analyze Gaps and Define Action Plans

Compare current vs. desired engagement for each stakeholder group per phase. If gaps exist, define specific action plans to bump engagement to target levels. Example actions include:

• Send regular project status updates

• Invite key stakeholders to planning sessions

• Meet 1:1 to discuss concerns and gather feedback

• Develop FAQ documents to share externally

Get creative with communications and involvement strategies. The goal is to land on effective, feasible tactics to support engagement goals per group.

Tips for Stakeholder Analysis Mapping and Engagement

Beyond the step-by-step guide, here are some proven tips for extracting maximum value from your Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix:

Leverage a Power/Interest Grid - Plot stakeholders on a 2x2 grid with axes of high/low power and high/low interest. Key groups like high power/interest demand full engagement, while low power/interest warrant just monitoring.

Identify Information Needs - Note what information each stakeholder group needs, how often communications should take place, and in what format(s) like email, meetings, status reports and more.

Use a Phased Timeline - Map engagement levels not just current/desired but per project phase like planning, execution, monitoring etc. Needs often change over time.

Update Regularly - Revisit your matrix and action plans regularly throughout your project rather than just at inception. Adjust as needed.

Focus on Relationship Building - At its core, stakeholder management is about relationship building. Use this tool not just once for planning but as an ongoing framework for alignment.

Real-World Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix Templates and Examples

To make these concepts more concrete, below find a sample Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix template as well as a realistic completed example.

Template

Stakeholder GroupCurrent EngagementDesired EngagementAction PlansPhase 1Phase 2Phase 3Phase 1Phase 2Phase 3Phase 1Phase 2Phase 3

Example

Stakeholder GroupCurrent EngagementDesired EngagementAction PlansLeadership TeamSupportiveLeadingLeadingSend bi-weekly updates on progress; invite to planning meetingsSchedule check-in before delivery phaseInvite to post-project review sessionCustomer ServiceUnawareSupportiveLeadingShare Phase 1 requirements doc for inputInclude rep in UAT; Send FAQ sheetProvide orientation enablement module

Use these templates to create your own Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix, analyzing groups, mapping engagement levels, and defining targeted action plans milestone-by-milestone.

Key Takeaways for PMP® Exam Success

Managing stakeholder engagement is essential for project management success and a key topic across the PMP® exam. This guide reviewed a core tool—the Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix—to help you:

• Identify and categorize stakeholders

• Map current and desired engagement levels by group 

• Surface gaps in involvement per phase

• Define targeted action plans to manage engagement

With a comprehensive stakeholder matrix, you have an actionable plan to communicate with stakeholders, manage expectations, and ultimately drive better project outcomes by keeping stakeholders engaged.

So be sure to memorize this tool and practice creating sample matrices on your own as you prepare for the big exam! Confidently navigating questions on stakeholder management will help you pass with flying colors and uphold success throughout your project management career leveraging best practices like these.