1.3 Stakeholder Mapping

Time: ~15 minutes

What You'll Learn

• How to identify all the stakeholders in a messy situation
• How to map what each stakeholder wants (and why they want it)
• How to spot contradictions and conflicts between stakeholders
• How to find common ground that enables alignment

Key Concepts

Operational problems are rarely just technical or process problems. They are people problems. Different stakeholders see the situation differently, want different outcomes, and often actively disagree about what should happen next.

Stakeholder mapping teaches you to:

1. Identify everyone who matters — Not just the obvious people, but the ones with quiet influence
2. Map their interests — What each person actually wants, not just what they say they want
3. Find the contradictions — Where interests collide and why progress has stalled
4. Build toward alignment — Identify shared goals that can bridge the gaps

Why This Matters

The best action plan in the world fails if the people involved are pulling in different directions. Before you can propose solutions, you need to understand the human landscape. Who has power? Who has information? Who is blocking progress and why?

This lesson gives you the map you need to navigate the politics of any operational rescue.

How to Start

Open Claude Desktop and say:

start lesson 1.3

Claude will help you map the stakeholders in your scenario, uncover their competing interests, and identify paths to alignment.

Skills You'll Use Later

• Stakeholder awareness (essential for action planning)
• Conflict identification (feeds into root cause analysis)
• Alignment strategies (critical for the leadership update)