methodatlas
Method guideFacilitation

Power Interest Grid

A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.

ComplexityLow
Time30-60 min
Participants2-8
FormatWorkshop
MaturityCanonical
Plan Power-Interest Grid
01

Prerequisite

What needs to be finished first

Complete firstConcrete outcome

Decision, change, and map horizon are named.

Without an outcome, power and interest change meaning arbitrarily.
Complete firstDiverse stakeholder knowledge

Formal authority, informal relationships, and direct impact can be assessed.

Without a broad view, vulnerable or informally influential groups disappear.
02

Preparation

What needs to be ready before start

Materials

Stakeholder list, governance view, 10×10 power-interest workspace, evidence notes, rights overview, and engagement calendar.

People / roles

Facilitator · project/policy owner · stakeholder experts · engagement owners

Pre-read

Set outcome and horizon; gather decision makers, deliverers, users, affected groups, and potential blockers.

Time needed

45–60 minutes

Setup

Anchor power and interest criteria with examples; capture rights and coalitions outside the quadrants as well.

03

Core question

The one question this method answers

Who can affect the specific outcome, who is affected by it, and what form of engagement is appropriate?

04

Flow

Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall

The grid separates power, the ability to affect decisions or delivery, from interest, the degree of concern, involvement, or impact. Positions are contextual, time-bound hypotheses. The quadrants guide contact strategy but must not hide rights, legitimacy, or vulnerable groups.

Power-Interest Grid

Fictional worked example

Preserve the rationale behind placement and connect it to a concrete engagement strategy.

Power-Interest Grid
StakeholderStakeholder and contextPower 1–10Interest 1–10Quadrant and uncertaintyEngagement plan
Works councilShift-planning rolloutWorks council representing employees in a shift-planning system rollout.8/10: co-determination and delay ability, evidenced by the works-agreement process.9/10: working-time rules and transparency directly affect employees.Manage closely; high-confidence placement. Co-determination rights remain binding regardless of quadrant.Fortnightly co-design; papers 5 days ahead; owner Change Lead; review after draft agreement.

  1. 1. Stakeholder and context

    Works council
    Works council representing employees in a shift-planning system rollout.

  2. 2. Power 1–10

    Works council
    8/10: co-determination and delay ability, evidenced by the works-agreement process.

  3. 3. Interest 1–10

    Works council
    9/10: working-time rules and transparency directly affect employees.

  4. 4. Quadrant and uncertainty

    Works council
    Manage closely; high-confidence placement. Co-determination rights remain binding regardless of quadrant.

  5. 5. Engagement plan

    Works council
    Fortnightly co-design; papers 5 days ahead; owner Change Lead; review after draft agreement.

Quadrants structure attention. Rights, legitimacy, impact, and relationships remain visible.

UK Government Analysis Function: Stakeholder Mapping

  1. 1

    Scope

    Bound the decision and stakeholder field

    Goal

    Define the specific outcome, horizon, and affected groups that anchor the map.

    Inputs for this step

    • Decision or change
    • Objectives and affected outcomes
    • Known internal and external groups

    Actions

    • Name the outcome to influence and its horizon.
    • List concrete people, roles, or well-bounded groups.
    • Actively add directly affected and less visible groups.

    Output

    Stakeholder list

    Scope · stakeholder · impact

    Quality check

    Are affected groups without formal power visible?

    Pitfall

    Only the org chart and leadership circle are captured, while users and affected groups disappear. Ask from the outcome who decides, delivers, uses, loses, or bears consequences.

    Timing: 10–15 minutes

  2. 2

    Assess

    Justify power and interest

    Goal

    Assess both dimensions with observable criteria and evidence.

    Inputs for this step

    • Stakeholder list
    • Governance and relationship context
    • Observations and conversations

    Actions

    • Assess power through authority, resources, blocking ability, and coalition influence.
    • Assess interest through impact, objective relevance, activity, and motivation.
    • Record rating, source, uncertainty, and dissent.

    Output

    Justified positions

    Power · interest · evidence · uncertainty

    Quality check

    Are power as ability and interest as concern kept separate?

    Pitfall

    Sympathy, seniority, or contact frequency is mistaken for power or interest. Return to decisions, resources, blocking ability, and consequences.

    Timing: 15–20 minutes

  3. 3

    Map

    Review quadrants and relationships

    Goal

    Place stakeholders while preserving boundary cases, coalitions, and rights.

    Inputs for this step

    • Justified assessments
    • 10×10 workspace
    • Relationship and rights knowledge

    Actions

    • Place stakeholders on both axes.
    • Mark boundary cases and uncertain positions.
    • Add coalitions, legal rights, and potential power shifts.

    Output

    Power-interest map

    Position · quadrant · uncertainty · relationship

    Quality check

    Does the quadrant hide any rights or dependencies?

    Pitfall

    The four quadrants are treated as final truth and individual relationships disappear. Treat positions as dated hypotheses and document relationships and rights beside them.

    Timing: 10–15 minutes

  4. 4

    Act

    Derive engagement plan

    Goal

    Set contact objective, channel, cadence, owner, and success criterion for priority stakeholders.

    Inputs for this step

    • Power-interest map
    • Project and communication rhythm
    • Decision and participation rights

    Actions

    • Use manage closely, keep satisfied, consult with, or keep informed as a starting point.
    • State the engagement objective and contribution needed.
    • Set owner, channel, cadence, next interaction, and review trigger.

    Output

    Engagement plan

    Objective · approach · owner · cadence · next interaction · review

    Quality check

    Is engagement proportionate and mutually useful?

    Pitfall

    Quadrant labels become one-way communication plans without listening, decision points, or success criteria. Add the contribution sought, feedback channel, and next verifiable interaction.

    Timing: 10–15 minutes

05

Artifact

What comes out at the end

Sketch: what the artifact looks like

Power Interest Grid · Einfluss und InteresseStakeholder nach Power und Interest in vier Quadranten positionieren und daraus passende Kommunikations- und Engagement-Strategien ableiten
Power Interest GridDas Visual zeigt Stakeholder auf einer Power-Interest-Matrix mit vier Engagement-Strategien und einem abgeleiteten Kommunikationsplan.Stakeholder nach Einfluss und Interesse differenziert führenDie Matrix macht sichtbar, wer eng geführt, informiert, zufriedengestellt oder nur beobachtet werden sollte.Stakeholder-ListePersonen und Gruppen sammeln,vertraulich bewertenPower × InterestKeep Satisfiedhohe Power, geringes InteresseManage Closelyhohe Power, hohes InteresseMonitorgeringe Power, geringes InteresseKeep Informedgeringe Power, hohes InteresseSponsorLegalSupportRandgruppeEngagement-PlanKommunikation, Kadenz und nächsteGespräche pro Quadrant festlegenRegelmäßig prüfenRollen, Mandate und Interesseverändern sichPowerInterestnicht alle gleich intensiv einbindenStrategie jeQuadrant ableiten
Form

Dated Power-Interest Map with rationale and linked engagement plan.

Versioning / ownership

Retain date, author, source state, and decision status for each revision; do not overwrite earlier results.

Tool alternatives
  • 10×10 stakeholder map
  • Stakeholder register with evidence and rights
  • Engagement and contact plan

power-interest-grid-working-template.md

Plan Power-Interest Grid with real scope, suitable roles, and a clear decision objective.

Power Interest Grid: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Plan the full workshop Time: 45–60 minutes

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

  • Materials: Stakeholder list, governance view, 10×10 power-interest workspace, evidence notes, rights overview, and engagement calendar.
  • Roles: Facilitator · project/policy owner · stakeholder experts · engagement owners
  • Advance information: Set outcome and horizon; gather decision makers, deliverers, users, affected groups, and potential blockers.
  • Overall time needed: 45–60 minutes
  • Setup: Anchor power and interest criteria with examples; capture rights and coalitions outside the quadrants as well.

Prepare for the work steps

Scope: Bound the decision and stakeholder field

  • Decision or change
  • Objectives and affected outcomes
  • Known internal and external groups

Assess: Justify power and interest

  • Stakeholder list
  • Governance and relationship context
  • Observations and conversations

Map: Review quadrants and relationships

  • Justified assessments
  • 10×10 workspace
  • Relationship and rights knowledge

Act: Derive engagement plan

  • Power-interest map
  • Project and communication rhythm
  • Decision and participation rights

Power-Interest Grid

StakeholderPerson/group · contextscore · criteria · evidencescore · impact · evidencequadrant · uncertainty · rightsobjective · channel · cadence · owner · review
Works council
  • Works council: Shift-planning rollout

Ground scores in criteria and connect every position to an engagement plan.

UK Government Analysis Function: Stakeholder Mapping

Scope: Bound the decision and stakeholder field

Expected artifact: Stakeholder list

Scope · stakeholder · impact

Entry:

...

  • Are affected groups without formal power visible?

Assess: Justify power and interest

Expected artifact: Justified positions

Power · interest · evidence · uncertainty

Entry:

...

  • Are power as ability and interest as concern kept separate?

Map: Review quadrants and relationships

Expected artifact: Power-interest map

Position · quadrant · uncertainty · relationship

Entry:

...

  • Does the quadrant hide any rights or dependencies?

Act: Derive engagement plan

Expected artifact: Engagement plan

Objective · approach · owner · cadence · next interaction · review

Entry:

...

  • Is engagement proportionate and mutually useful?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/power-interest-grid/run-sheet

06

Example output

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.

power-interest-grid-beispiel.md

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example: works council in a shift-planning system rollout. Power 8/10 because co-determination and delay are possible. Interest 9/10 because working-time rules are directly affected. Quadrant: Manage closely. Engagement: fortnightly co-design, papers five days in advance, owner Change Lead. Review after draft works agreement.

07

Pitfalls

Recognize symptoms and steer against them

Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow

  1. Bound the decision and stakeholder fieldOnly the org chart and leadership circle are captured, while users and affected groups disappear.View in phase
  2. Justify power and interestSympathy, seniority, or contact frequency is mistaken for power or interest.View in phase
  3. Review quadrants and relationshipsThe four quadrants are treated as final truth and individual relationships disappear.View in phase
  4. Derive engagement planQuadrant labels become one-way communication plans without listening, decision points, or success criteria.View in phase
08

Stop criteria

When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach

Every entry follows the method and links to evidence or explicitly marked uncertainty.
The next decision, owner, and review date are visible where required.

Method after Praxisgemeinschaft. The method emerged as a widespread practice and is not clearly attributed to a single originator or organization. Curated with 1 sources.

Sources: UK Government Analysis Function: Stakeholder Mapping

Flow, timeboxes, and pitfalls are editorially curated practice recommendations based on the listed sources.

Where to go next?

Paper illustration for Communication Plan
Delivery
Communication Plan

Translates the engagement strategy into concrete channels, cadence and owners.

Paper illustration for Expectation Mapping.
Facilitation
Expectation Mapping

Clarifies concrete expectations and conflicts with manage-closely stakeholders.

View in playbookPlan Stakeholder and ChangeMove from an unclear stakeholder landscape to influence strategy, communication, and adoption actions.

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