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For consultants mapping who can help or block a client engagement. Plot power and interest — see who to manage closely, keep satisfied, keep informed, or monitor.
A spreadsheet can hold the first grid: name, role, power, interest, and a note. A scatter chart will even plot it. It stops being the map once those scores move month to month.
Interest →
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Describe the people on a client account to your assistant and it builds this map for you. Add this server as a custom connector in Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor (no login, nothing stored). It includes all five Retainer tools:
https://useretainer.com/mcp/claude mcp add --transport http retainer https://useretainer.com/mcp/How this works
Stakeholder mapping is the practice of identifying everyone with an interest in a project or engagement, then plotting them by how much power they have to affect the outcome and how much interest they have in it. It turns a flat list of names into a clear picture of who needs your attention and how.
The power/interest matrix — also known as Mendelow's matrix, after academic Aubrey Mendelow — is a 2x2 grid that sorts stakeholders into four groups: manage closely (high power, high interest), keep satisfied (high power, low interest), keep informed (low power, high interest), and monitor (low power, low interest). Each quadrant implies a different communication strategy.
Power is their ability to help or block the outcome — budget authority, veto power, organizational influence. Interest is how much the outcome actually affects them or how closely they're paying attention. Neither needs to be precise; the value is in the relative position between stakeholders, not the exact number.
High power, high interest stakeholders need direct, frequent engagement — they can significantly help or hurt the outcome and are already paying attention. Don't let communication with this group lapse; they're usually the people whose support determines whether the work succeeds.
"Keep satisfied" is for high-power, low-interest stakeholders (like procurement or legal) — give them enough to stay comfortable without overwhelming them, since they're not deeply engaged but could block you if unhappy. "Keep informed" is for low-power, high-interest stakeholders (like end users) — they care a lot but can't unilaterally change the outcome, so regular updates keep them supportive without requiring heavy engagement.
Yes. The same power/interest logic applies to consulting client accounts — sponsors, champions, economic buyers, and end users all sit in different quadrants, and the strategy for each is the same. A map is a snapshot; Retainer's Today queue is what keeps the relationship from going quiet after.
Yes. Add https://useretainer.com/mcp/ as a custom connector (an MCP server) in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any assistant that supports remote MCP. Then describe the people on the account and ask it to map them. It sorts everyone into the four groups, says what to do with each, and gives you a link that opens the same map here so you can adjust it. No login, and nothing you send is stored.
A power/interest grid is a snapshot. Retainer's Today queue ranks quiet relationships so the account doesn't drift after kickoff.
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