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Stakeholder maps

Visualize the relationship between the people and groups involved in your project using stakeholder mapping. Design and share your work instantly with Canva’s free stakeholder map maker online.

Create a stakeholder map(opens in a new tab or window)

Stakeholder map maker features

Involve the right people and successfully launch your project or product with Canva’s online stakeholder mapping tool. Our intuitive editor and extensive elements library make it easy to map out stakeholders and organize their needs to drive your project forward. Start from scratch or choose from our pre-built templates, then customize away.

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How to make a stakeholder map

Start of list: How to make a stakeholder map

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Open Canva

Launch Canva and search “Stakeholder Map” to use our stakeholder mapping tool.

Choose a stakeholder map template

Browse our collection of ready-made, fully customizable stakeholder mapping templates. Filter your search by style, theme, or color. Or, start from a blank layout to have total freedom in creating your design.

Add components and elements

Build your stakeholder map by filling in the relevant information. Identify the key players in your project and their roles, organize them in terms of involvement, and link them to each other. Use rectangles, circles, and different shapes to represent each element, then demonstrate their relationships through lines and arrows.

Personalize your stakeholder map

Customize your stakeholder map in any way you want. Adjust the placement of elements. Categorize individuals and groups by color. Change the styling of the placeholder text. You can also find suitable icons, illustrations, and vectors from our library to visually represent your ideas. Need more room to share your thoughts? Expand to a whiteboard and be inspired as you collaborate with your team in real-time.

Download and share

Save your stakeholder map design to your device as a high-resolution PNG, JPG, or PDF file. Make a printed copy or embed it on your Canva docs, presentations, and reports. Alternatively, you can share your design via email or publish it on your website or social media platforms.

Skip to start of “How to make a stakeholder map” list

End of list: How to make a stakeholder map

Create a stakeholder map(opens in a new tab or window)

Launch Canva and search “Stakeholder Map” to use our stakeholder mapping tool.

Browse our collection of ready-made, fully customizable stakeholder mapping templates. Filter your search by style, theme, or color. Or, start from a blank layout to have total freedom in creating your design.

Build your stakeholder map by filling in the relevant information. Identify the key players in your project and their roles, organize them in terms of involvement, and link them to each other. Use rectangles, circles, and different shapes to represent each element, then demonstrate their relationships through lines and arrows.

Customize your stakeholder map in any way you want. Adjust the placement of elements. Categorize individuals and groups by color. Change the styling of the placeholder text. You can also find suitable icons, illustrations, and vectors from our library to visually represent your ideas. Need more room to share your thoughts? Expand to a whiteboard and be inspired as you collaborate with your team in real-time.

Save your stakeholder map design to your device as a high-resolution PNG, JPG, or PDF file. Make a printed copy or embed it on your Canva docs, presentations, and reports. Alternatively, you can share your design via email or publish it on your website or social media platforms.

Create a stakeholder map(opens in a new tab or window)

What is a stakeholder map?

A stakeholder map is a visual representation of the people and organizations impacted by your project and their relationship with each other. It lays out who needs to be involved, their function, and what they require or expect from you. Stakeholder maps can be applied in various industries, from technology and healthcare to tourism. They’re an essential part of stakeholder management since they help you understand the needs of each stakeholder throughout every stage of your project.

Create a stakeholder map(opens in a new tab or window)

Visualize stakeholder relationships

Align effectively with stakeholders through every phase of your project with a stakeholder map. Use the best stakeholder mapping tool from Canva to identify key players and establish relationships. List down everyone who needs to be involved, categorize them in terms of their impact, then craft an action plan⁠(opens in a new tab or window) to drive things forward. With our user-friendly platform and powerful features, you can easily keep your project on track from start to finish.

Map out every detail

Entering a new market or launching a new product? It can be overwhelming, with so many people involved and not knowing where to start. When you make a stakeholder map on Canva, you have all the tools you need to draw a clear picture of your project or product. Define suppliers from customers with icons, show the flow of communication with connecting arrows, or rearrange elements to sort your stakeholders by hierarchy. You can also play with colors and fonts to bring the message you want across.

Get your team on board

Collaborating is a breeze with Canva’s stakeholder map creator. Give users access to your design via email or generate a shareable link. Get the team involved as you toss ideas around and deliver real-time insights. Outline an engagement strategy, list resources, or vote on priorities. No more unnecessary meetings to communicate—Canva’s easy collaborative features help you save time, enhance productivity, and build a more efficient workflow.

Work with an infinite canvas

With Canva, there’s no limit to the space where you can grow your ideas. Work together with your team to map key stakeholders, discover opportunities, and navigate potential roadblocks. Simply click ‘Expand to whiteboard,’ then weave your magic. Use sticky notes to highlight important areas, add comments and feedback, or set a timer to track your brainstorming sessions. Get more out of your design with Canva Whiteboards⁠(opens in a new tab or window), and freely explore your ideas in one shared virtual space.

Stakeholder map templates

Organize your stakeholders and start your project inspired with free stakeholder map templates. Personalize pre-designed stakeholder mapping examples from Canva’s collection below and use colors, fonts, symbols, and various design elements to style your map in any way you need.

Stakeholder Mapping Whiteboard In Blue Pink Basic Style

"Create great graphs and diagrams even as a non-designer."

Matylda

Frequently Asked Questions

Stakeholder mapping is the process of visualizing stakeholders on a map before beginning a project. It categorizes stakeholders in terms of interest, influence, power, legitimacy, and urgency, among others. Many stakeholder mapping models, such as the salience model and power/interest grid, use graphs to show each stakeholder’s needs, motivations, and relationships at a glance.

Stakeholders can be classified as internal or external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders are employees involved in building your product or project, all with some influence. Some examples include the CEO, product managers, and designers. Meanwhile, external stakeholders, such as customers or media, are outside your organization but are still impacted by your project. Identifying internal and external stakeholders is crucial since they both play a role in the success of your project.

It’s important to map stakeholders before beginning a project to help you identify key players and know who to notify, monitor, and prioritize at each stage. As you develop your project or product, you’ll be able to anticipate each stakeholder’s needs, make better decisions, spot potential areas of conflict, and swiftly address them before they turn into more significant issues. Stakeholder mapping is essential in stakeholder management because it helps ensure your project runs smoothly and aligns with stakeholder interests.

Stakeholder mapping involves four steps: identifying, analyzing, mapping, and finalizing.

Start by identifying people and organizations impacted by your project. List as many names as you think are necessary. You can always revise the number of stakeholders as your project goes along.
Analyze their level of influence or interest in the project. Determine which stakeholder needs to be involved in each stage and how to meet their needs.
Map stakeholders on a grid or matrix, depending on your chosen stakeholder map model. This way, you can know who to prioritize, keep informed, or monitor.
Once you’ve gathered all relevant information, finalize your work. Design your stakeholder map to fit your structure and share it in a virtual workspace to make it accessible to all stakeholders.

Stakeholder mapping may look different for each situation, but they all help to understand who is involved and what to do next. Keep these best practices in mind when conducting stakeholder mapping:

Be inclusive. Understand the different perspectives of your stakeholders and how they might be affected by your project.
Communicate openly. Clarity and transparency are vital in stakeholder mapping because it allows you to understand how each stakeholder feels about what you’re trying to develop.
Be as detailed as possible. The more detail you include in your stakeholder mapping, the better you can deliver your stakeholders’ needs.
Stay in touch. Maintain open channels of communication throughout your project’s duration to show you care about their thoughts and involvement.

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Create a stakeholder map(opens in a new tab or window)

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