Stakeholder Mapping Examples for Artwork Approval Projects

Stakeholder organization is key in artwork approval projects. However, keeping everyone aligned can be tough, especially with so many people involved, from designers to project managers.

This is where stakeholder mapping comes in.

In this guide, we introduce you to stakeholder mapping, a process that helps you visualize relationships and understand each stakeholder's influence over your project. Plus, we give you practical stakeholder mapping examples and templates to simplify the process.

Ready to bring more clarity and efficiency to your artwork approval projects? Let's get started.

Table of Contents

• What Is Stakeholder Mapping?
• Why Stakeholder Mapping Is Important for Artwork Approval
• 5 Stakeholder Mapping Examples & Templates
• How to Create a Stakeholder Map
• How Mox Simplifies Stakeholder Collaboration

What Is Stakeholder Mapping?

Stakeholder mapping entails creating a visual depiction of the essential individuals or groups engaged in your project. The result is a diagram that outlines everyone who can affect or be affected by your project.

Think of this map as a snapshot of your project universe. It includes all relevant stakeholders, including clients, suppliers, developers, designers, and beyond. The map helps you track all these individuals and their needs, supporting you in managing expectations.

Understanding the Types of Stakeholders 

You'll find two primary groups on a stakeholder map: internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders are the individuals or groups actively contributing their skills and resources to a project.

Here are some examples of internal stakeholders:

• Employees: They run the show, from everyday operations to strategic planning. For example, in artwork approval, the designers create the work and the project managers oversee it.
• Owners: The business belongs to them, or in a corporation, to the shareholders. Their interest lies in the company's profits and growth.
• Board of Directors: These elected folks voice the shareholders' interests and make big decisions about the company's direction.

External stakeholders, like investors or attorneys, are not directly involved but are still affected by the project's outcome. Here are some examples of external stakeholders:

• Customers: They're the ones buying your products or services.
• Suppliers: They furnish the materials or services your company needs. They could be the company supplying design software or printing services in artwork approval.
• Regulators: They're the watchdogs, ensuring compliance with laws and standards. In artwork approval, a regulator could be a copyright agency checking for intellectual property infringements.
• Agencies: They may partner with you to design artwork assets.
• Contractors/freelancers: They may cover as-needed work or come in as temporary expertise for special projects.

Knowing each stakeholder's role and expectations is vital for clear communication and successful project completion.

Why Stakeholder Mapping Is Important for Artwork Approval

Stakeholder mapping is critical in any project’s strategy and planning stages, including artwork approval. Whether starting a new project, launching a product, or crafting a communication plan, understanding the range and scope of your stakeholders' influence can lead to improved project roadmaps and more streamlined decision-making processes.

Here are a few ways it helps:

• Project management: Mapping clarifies stakeholders and their responsibilities. As a result, everyone is on the same page and understands exactly what they must do to move projects forward.
• Clarity on power and influence: It's like a cheat sheet showing who has the power, influence, and interest in your project. For instance, a regulator may have a say without being highly involved, while end-users might have less power but a ton of interest.
• Communication: Mapping fine-tunes your communication, preventing misunderstandings, and fostering collaboration—just what you need in artwork approval.
• Improved engagement: Stakeholder mapping boosts buy-in through clear communication, leading to more project commitment.
• Conflict spotting: Conflicts are inevitable, especially when aesthetic tastes, rules, and business goals collide. A stakeholder map helps flag them early, allowing you to mitigate them.

5 Stakeholder Mapping Examples & Templates

In this section, we'll dive into various stakeholder mapping examples and templates. Each map type serves a unique purpose, offering a different lens to view your project's stakeholder landscape.

#1. Grid Stakeholder Map

A Grid Stakeholder Map is a visual tool used in project management that organizes stakeholders based on their level of influence and their support in the project's outcomes.

How It Works

1. Identify all key stakeholders.
2. Evaluate each stakeholder's influence and support levels.
3. Place each stakeholder on the grid according to their ratings.

Benefits

This map provides a clear view of each stakeholder's potential impact, helping you tailor your communication and engagement strategies, ensuring effective stakeholder management, and the successful execution of your project.

Get the template: Grid Stakeholder Chart by Smartsheet

#2. Stakeholder Analysis Matrix

The Stakeholder Analysis Matrix is a detailed table for identifying and understanding project stakeholders. It categorizes stakeholders and outlines their interests, influence, impact, and engagement strategies.

How It Works

1. List all people or groups affected by or having influence over the project.
2. Describe what aspects of the project might impact or be of interest to each stakeholder.
3. Evaluate and record the power each stakeholder has over the project and the potential effect the project can have on them.
4. Based on the analysis, propose strategies for effectively communicating and collaborating with each stakeholder.

Benefits

This matrix aids in comprehensive stakeholder management, ensuring everyone's needs and concerns are considered, leading to smoother project execution.

Get the template: Individual Employee Stakeholder Analysis Template by Edrawmax

#3. Stakeholder Onion Diagram

The Stakeholder Onion Diagram is a visual representation that positions stakeholders in concentric circles based on their influence and involvement in a project.

How It Works

• Identify your stakeholders.
• Place those with more influence closer to the center and those with less in the outer layers.

Benefits

The tool is dynamic and allows for adjustments as stakeholder roles influence change throughout the project's lifecycle.

Get the template: Stakeholder Onion Diagram Template by Edrawmax

#4. Stakeholder Map

The Stakeholder Map is a visual tool that illustrates the stakeholders' relationships to the project and each other. 

How It Works

1. List all relevant individuals, groups, or organizations involved in or affected by the project.
2. Determine and depict the relationships between stakeholders and the project and amongst stakeholders themselves.
3. Using a graphical layout, like a spider diagram or a network diagram, illustrate the different stakeholders and the interconnections between them.

Benefits

This map gives a clear overview of the project's stakeholder environment, aiding in understanding stakeholder dynamics, managing potential conflicts, and facilitating effective communication.

Get the template: Stakeholder Map Template by Edrawmax

#5. Influence/Impact Grid

The Influence/Impact Grid, also known as the Power/Interest Grid, is a strategic tool used to visualize stakeholders' influence over the project and the potential impact it could bear on its success.

How It Works

1. Identify all individuals with a vested interest in the project.
2. Evaluate each stakeholder's power (ability to influence the project) and interest (the degree to which they are affected by the project's outcome).
3. On a two-dimensional grid, plot stakeholders based on their influence and impact. The x-axis represents “Influence,” and the y-axis represents “Impact.”

Benefits

By providing a visual representation, the Influence/Impact Grid allows project managers to see who they should focus on, enabling them to strategize stakeholder management effectively.

Get the template: Career Stakeholder Analysis by Edrawmax

How to Create a Stakeholder Map

Now that you’ve looked at some stakeholder mapping examples, it’s time to create your own map. Here are the steps necessary to do so.

#1. Define Internal & External Stakeholders

Start by jotting down everyone involved in your project. Consider your team members, clients, and anyone else who can impact or be affected by the project.

#2. Organize Stakeholders to Create Your Map

After compiling a thorough roster of stakeholders, sort them according to their projected impact and level of engagement in the project.

For instance, using the power/interest grid, you can group stakeholders into four categories:

• High power, high interest: These stakeholders should be managed closely, as they significantly impact the project. This might be the client or the regulatory team for an artwork approval project.
• High power, low interest: These stakeholders need to be kept satisfied. They may not be highly interested in day-to-day activities but still wield considerable influence. An executive sponsor might fall into this category.
• Low power, high interest: These stakeholders need to be adequately informed. They may not have significant power but are highly interested in the project's outcome. Here, an end user or a junior designer might be relevant.
• Low power, low interest: These stakeholders are to be monitored. Regular updates at major milestones should suffice. For instance, a supplier of raw materials may fit here.

The way you organize your stakeholders may vary based on the type of map you're creating. However, understanding their influence and interest is key to any stakeholder map.

#3. Communicate Stakeholder Responsibilities

Once your stakeholders have been organized, the final step is to communicate their responsibilities and expectations. Understanding why stakeholders are invested in a project is crucial because their reactions can vary across different project stages. Discuss these factors directly with stakeholders before the project begins, if possible.

One way to communicate responsibilities effectively is by using a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), such as the RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed). 

For an artwork approval project, a designer might be “Responsible” for creating the artwork, the project manager “Accountable” for overseeing the project, the client “Consulted” for feedback, and the regulatory team “Informed” of progress.

Last, but not least, ensure that everyone can access your stakeholder map once it has been completed. This critical document can be stored in a shared workspace or project management platform. It's also a great practice to hold regular stakeholder meetings to keep everyone involved on the same page.

How Mox Simplifies Stakeholder Collaboration

Navigating the complexities of stakeholder collaboration can often be daunting, but with tools like Mox, this process can be significantly simplified.

Mox's features are designed to enhance transparency, foster communication, and streamline stakeholder collaboration, making it an indispensable software for project management.

Visualizing Workflows

One of the standout features of Mox is its ability to visualize workflows. With Mox, stakeholders can easily map out their project timelines and highlight each step involved in the process. This clarity allows everyone to understand the project journey and where each task fits the bigger picture.

Every stakeholder can see who's responsible for what task at any given moment. This feature reduces confusion and overlap while enhancing accountability. 

For instance, an artwork approval project can clearly show when the designer's task ends, and the project manager's task begins. This understanding of roles and responsibilities can reduce friction and accelerate project completion.

Stakeholder Organization Features

Mox also includes a “Groups” feature, enabling users to organize stakeholders into specific groups. This capability is instrumental in streamlining communication and collaboration. Stakeholders can be grouped based on their roles, departments, or any other categorization that makes sense for the project.

For instance, in an artwork approval process, the design, the client, and regulatory teams can all be defined and managed separately.

Tasks can be assigned to groups and any user within the group can complete the task on behalf of the group. This is a great way to share responsibilities when only one person in that group is needed to upload a file or approve an asset.

Why our customers love Mox: Many Mox customers have complex approval processes that require the support of different groups. Using the "Groups" feature, tasks can easily be assigned to individual groups and any user can complete those tasks. Teams love this feature as it disperses responsibility and prevents the need to reassign tasks when users are away or busy.

Streamline Artwork Approval With Mox

Collaboration can present challenges, particularly when multiple stakeholders are participating. However, Mox simplifies this process significantly.

With Mox, you can visualize your workflows, acquire a comprehensive grasp of task responsibility, and monitor the advancement of any specific project.

So whether it's artwork approval or any other project, Mox ensures everyone is on the same page, making stakeholder management a breeze. It's all about clarity, cohesion, and making your project run like clockwork. Discover how Mox can enhance your project's efficiency by starting your free trial today!