Each stakeholder is sorted into four groups based on thei degree of 

• Power, eg the authority to influsnce the decision or outcome

• Interest, eg the expectation or the involvment in the decision or outcome

Stakeholder are then plotted in the Power / Interest grid.

• High power – High interest:these stakeholders are likely to be decision makers and have the biggest impact on what you want to achieve. You need to keep these stakeholders close, to manage their expectations.

• High power – Low Interest: these stakeholders need to be kept in the loop with what is happening. Even though they may not be interested in the outcome, they yield power. These type of stakeholders should be dealt with cautiously because they could use their power in a negative way if they become unsatisfied.

• Low power – High interest: keep these people adequately informed, and talk to them to ensure that no major issues are arising. These people can often be very helpful with the detail of your project.

• Low power – low interest:monitor these people, but do not spend time and energy with excessive communication.