Every project has people who care about it, whether they’ve signed up for it or not. The trick is figuring out who they are before they start caring loudly.
I keep a simple stakeholder list document open from day one. It’s not fancy — six columns, thirty-six rows, nothing more. But it stops you from being surprised when someone you never considered shows up at a steering group demanding answers.
What’s in it
| Column | What goes here |
|---|---|
| Name | The person |
| Title | Their role in the organisation |
| Role | What they do on this project |
| External Agent | Anyone outside the organisation with a stake — vendors, regulators, partners |
| Sign-off Authority | Who actually gets to say yes or no |
| Notes | Anything useful — their style, what they care about, how they like to be consulted |
Why the columns matter
The external agent column catches people you’d otherwise forget. A data protection officer, a client’s procurement team, someone in legal who hasn’t said a word yet but will when it’s too late.
Sign-off authority is its own column because the person whose title sounds important isn’t always the one who signs the cheque. I’ve seen projects derailed by someone with a fancy title who turned out to have no real power, while the actually-accountable person sat in the back of the room nodding along.
Notes is where you put the human stuff. How does this person prefer to receive information? Do they want a one-page summary or a thirty-slide deck? Are they technical enough to understand the trade-offs, or do they need it translated? You learn this over time, but it’s worth writing it down while it’s fresh.
When to use it
Start filling it in during project initiation. Add people as they appear — a new sponsor, a vendor brought in mid-project, someone from compliance who suddenly matters. Don’t wait until the end.
Review it before any major decision point. If someone’s name isn’t on the list and they’re about to be asked for something, they need to be on the list first.
Download
Stakeholder List Document (docx)
It’s blank. That’s the point. Fill it with your project’s reality.