Stakeholder Impact Assessment Calculator
Score power, interest, impact and support for every stakeholder. See who controls the outcome, who resists it, and exactly where to spend your engagement time first.
What this calculator does
Every improvement project lives or dies on the people around it. This tool turns your stakeholder observations into numbers so you can see who controls the outcome, who resists it, and where to spend your engagement time first.
You score each stakeholder on four factors. The calculator works out an influence score, sorts each person into an engagement category, and measures the share of project influence sitting with people who currently oppose the work.
Core calculation. Influence Score equals Power plus Interest plus Impact, divided by three. Support is scored separately, because a powerful supporter and a powerful blocker need very different plans.
How to score the four factors
Power. Ability to influence
- Position and authority on the org chart
- Can they approve or reject the change
- Do they control budget, people or equipment
- Did they have the final say on similar past projects
Ask. Can this person stop the project or force a redesign.
Interest. Level of engagement
- Meeting attendance and participation
- Speed and depth of email replies
- Questions asked and updates requested
- Does the project serve their own targets
Ask. How important is this project to you on a one to ten scale.
Impact. Effect of the project on them
- Number of their processes that change
- Team members directly affected
- Workload and responsibility shifts
- Budget or headcount consequences
Ask. How will your day to day work change once this lands.
Support. Current attitude
- Interview and survey responses
- What they say and signal in meetings
- Behaviour. Are they helping or blocking
- Feedback given on the last change
Scale. 1 to 2 opposes, 5 to 6 neutral, 9 to 10 actively supports.
How to use it
- Open the Calculator tab and load a sample dataset to see the scoring in action.
- Clear the sample and list your own stakeholders. Include anyone who can approve, fund, staff, or block the work.
- Score each person on the four sliders. Use evidence, not gut feel.
- Select Calculate to build the engagement plan.
- Read the Results tab, then download the branded Excel report for your project file.
Reading the categories
| Category | Trigger | Engagement approach |
|---|---|---|
| Key Supporter | Score 8 or above and support 7 or above | Recruit as a project champion and give them a visible workstream |
| High Risk | Score 8 or above and support below 5 | Meet one to one this week and design their concern out of the problem |
| Manage Closely | Score 8 or above, support 5 to 6.9 | Weekly contact and formal sign off on requirements |
| Keep Informed | Score 5 to 7.9 | Fortnightly progress notes and milestone reviews |
| Monitor | Score below 5 | Monthly team briefing. Rescore if their role changes |
Pro tips
- Score with three sources. Interview, survey and direct observation. One source produces flattering numbers.
- Rescore at every phase gate. Support moves once people see the real design.
- Never score the sponsor at ten across the board out of politeness. An inflated sponsor score hides the real blocker.
- Watch the resistance exposure figure more closely than the headcount. Two blockers with high influence beat ten quiet supporters.
- Score groups, not just individuals. Frontline operators often carry high impact and low power, and they decide whether the change sticks.
Common mistakes to avoid. Leaving out the people who maintain the process after handover. Scoring interest from job title instead of behaviour. Building the plan once and never updating it. Treating silence as agreement.
Build your stakeholder register
Rate each stakeholder from 1 to 10 on all four factors. Add a row for every person or group that touches the process.
Load a sample dataset to see how the scoring behaves across supportive and hostile groups.