What is a stakeholder? (No Jargon)

What Is a Stakeholder? (No Jargon) - Part 1

A stakeholder is anyone who has a reason to care about your project.

That’s it. No buzzwords. No fancy diagrams.

If someone can influence your project’s direction, success, or failure—even if it’s just by having an opinion—they’re a stakeholder.

Here’s the easiest way to spot one:

👉 Can they block progress?
👉 Will they be affected by the result?
👉 Are they putting money, time, or reputation into this?

If the answer’s yes to any of those, they’re in.

And stakeholders aren’t just “senior people.” They might be:

• Your boss (obviously)
• Another team who depends on your output
• A customer you’re building something for
• A legal or compliance person who needs to sign off
• Even someone on your team who’s doing the actual work

The problem? Most people only think about stakeholders after they’ve hit a wall. Someone speaks up late, the goalposts move, or the feedback blindsides the team—and then the scramble begins.

Stakeholders aren’t there to ruin your project (even if it feels like it). They just want to make sure their part of the puzzle is handled. Your job is to know who they are before they start shouting—or worse, quietly pulling strings behind the scenes.

How to Identify Your Stakeholders Fast

You don’t need a workshop or a whiteboard. You just need to ask yourself one question:

“Who can help or hurt this project?”

Grab a piece of paper (or open a blank doc) and go through these three steps. It’ll take five minutes, tops.

1. Think Up, Down, and Sideways

Start by looking at your project from all angles:

Up – Who’s above you that cares about the outcome? Your manager? A director?

Down – Who’s doing the actual work? Developers, designers, support staff?

Sideways – Who else is affected by what you’re building? Sales? Marketing? Legal? Another team?

If you’re not sure—ask around. One quick Slack message can save you from big headaches later.

2. Look Outside the Team

Stakeholders aren’t always inside your organisation. Think:

 >Clients or customers

 >Investors

 >Partners

 >Vendors or suppliers

Anyone whose goals, money, or job are impacted by what you’re doing should be on your radar.

3. Spot the Gatekeepers

These are the people who can say “no.” They might not be involved in the day-to-day, but they can shut it all down if something doesn’t fit:

 >Compliance or legal

 >Finance approvers

 >C-suite decision-makers

Even if they’re not actively watching, they still count.