pm-stakeholder-communication

Stakeholder Communications (Pragmatic Framework: Planning → Stakeholder Communications)

Executives communicate in spreadsheets, not screenshots. Track trends, not absolute numbers. Manage proactive communications from strategy through execution.

See ../pm-copilot/references/framework.md for the primitives.

Three steps

Identify → Analyze → Communicate.

1. Identify every stakeholder or group affected by or influencing the work.
2. Analyze each on two axes and place them on the matrix.
3. Communicate on a plan tuned to each quadrant.

Influence = informal authority — the power to facilitate or impede an objective; the ability to persuade or coerce others toward a course of action. Importance = formal authority — the priority given to satisfying that stakeholder's needs; their power to drive, change, or cancel the work.

Stakeholder Management Matrix (2×2)

Y = Influence (informal authority), X = Importance (formal authority):

	Low Importance	High Importance
High Influence	Keep Satisfied	Manage Closely
Low Influence	Monitor	Keep Informed

Communication plan — When / How

• When? How often · what stages · what depth.
• How? What format · what channel.
• Common errors to avoid: surprising stakeholders with bad news (ignore/delay/surprise); relying solely on email/electronic comms; delivering disparate status to different stakeholders.

Metric categories (pick what's meaningful per stakeholder)

• Value — LTV; LTV:CAC.
• Quality — defects; % test coverage; fix-to-feature ratio; return rate.
• Progress — lead & cycle time; velocity/burndown; % dependencies.
• Satisfaction — NPS; CSAT; renewal rate; time-to-value; customer effort (CES).

Interview the user (batch questions)

1. Who are the stakeholders (people/groups) touched by this work?
2. For each — how much influence (informal) and importance (formal) do they have?
3. What outcome/metric does each one actually care about?
4. What cadence and channel fits each (weekly meeting, email digest, dashboard)?
5. What's the current status and any risks to surface?

Artifact templates

Stakeholder Communication Plan

# Stakeholder Communication Plan — <Project/Product>

**Company:** <company>  ·  **Feature / Product:** <feature / product name>
**Author:** <author>  ·  **Date created:** <date>

| Stakeholder | Category | Communicator | Channel | Artifact | Frequency | Metric Category | Specific Metrics |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Angela (SVP Sales) | Manage Closely | Jeff (PM) | Weekly meeting (+ email) | Initiative status template | Weekly, Thursday | Value | LTV |
| <name/role> | Keep Informed | | | | | | |
| <name/role> | Keep Satisfied | | | | | | |
| <name/role> | Monitor | | | | | | |

Status Update (Initiative-based)

# Status Update — <Product/Release> — <date>

**Company:** <company>  ·  **Feature / Product:** <feature / product name>
**Author:** <author>  ·  **Date created:** <date>

| Initiative | Description | Delivery | Status | Path to Green | Update | What's Next |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| <name> | <goal of this work> | <date/quarter> | 🟢 On track | — | <latest since last report> | <planned work> |
| <name> | <goal> | <date> | 🟡 Elevated risk | <steps to recover> | <milestones met / risks / scope changes> | <next> |

**Status legend:** 🟢 On track · 🟡 Elevated risk · 🔴 High risk · 🔵 Completed · ⚪ Not started · ⚫ On hold.

(For an exec audience, offer a metric-based variant: Business Objective | Metric Category | Metric to Move | Goal State | Current State | Initiative | Outcome [Measuring / Positive / Negative / Uncertain].)

Deliver the artifact

Follow ../pm-copilot/references/artifact-output.md: confirm inputs, ask Markdown or .docx, write the .md, convert to .docx on request via your environment's native document-creation capability. Deliver the plan and a first status update. Then offer the next stage: pm-launch-plan as the release nears its market window.