Concept · under Stakeholder engagement and expectations
The stakeholder engagement assessment matrix on the PMP® exam
The stakeholder engagement assessment matrix lists each stakeholder against five engagement levels (unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, leading) and marks where they are today with C and where the project needs them with D. The distance between the two letters is the useful part: it shows whose engagement needs work, and in which direction.
- Exam
- PMP
- Domain
- People
- Domain weight
- 33%
- Packages
- 9
- Updated
- Oct 13, 2026
01The five levels
The matrix belongs to the parent topic stakeholder engagement and expectations, where it supports the ECO (Examination Content Outline) task Engage stakeholders (PMI®, PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026). Each level describes what the stakeholder knows and how they act on it:
- Unaware: does not know about the project or how it affects them.
- Resistant: knows about it and opposes the project or the change it brings.
- Neutral: knows about it and is neither for nor against.
- Supportive: knows about it and backs it.
- Leading: works actively for the project's success and brings others along.
D does not have to be Leading. Someone who only has to accept a new report format may need to be no more than neutral, and pushing every stakeholder toward the top rung spends engagement effort where it returns little. D also moves with the phase, so the matrix is revisited as the project goes on, like the stakeholder register.
02A matrix, read row by row
| Stakeholder | Current (C) | Desired (D) | What the gap says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head of nursing | Neutral | Leading | A two-level gap upward, the largest piece of engagement work on the sheet |
| Payroll manager | Neutral | Neutral | No gap: keep doing what already works |
| Front-desk team lead | Resistant | Neutral | Neutral is enough for go-live; the first job is learning what the objection actually is |
| Records auditor | Leading | Supportive | C sits above D: someone reaching deeper into decisions than their role needs. Agree the role and keep the contact |
On a real matrix the five levels run across as columns and each row carries a C and a D in the cells; the reading is the same.
03Matrix, power/interest grid or salience model
| Point | Engagement assessment matrix | Power/interest grid | Salience model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How engaged is each stakeholder now, compared with what the project needs? | How much attention should each stakeholder get? | Whose claims come first, and why? |
| Inputs | Current and desired engagement level | Power (or influence) and interest | Power, legitimacy and urgency |
| Output | A gap for each stakeholder | Four quadrants: manage closely, keep satisfied, keep informed, monitor | Stakeholder classes, from dormant to definitive |
| Typical use | Planning engagement and checking it phase by phase | Early analysis, right after identifying stakeholders | Large or politically complicated stakeholder groups |
None of the three replaces talking to people. Each one summarizes judgment formed in conversations and recorded in the stakeholder register.
04Reading engagement and influence
Where a scenario includes a matrix exhibit, C and D sit in the level columns, as on a real matrix.
Work packages 9
WP 01A project is transitioning into the deployment phase after a major milestone. A compliance officer, previously identified as having high power but low interest during the design phase, now demonstrates intense interest due to new regulatory changes impacting the deployment schedule. What is the project manager's most appropriate action?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- ACorrect: Stakeholder positions change; high power combined with newly high interest puts the officer in manage-closely, and the engagement plan should reflect that.
- BMoving a newly engaged, high-power stakeholder to monitor goes in the wrong direction.
- CEscalating to keep the schedule unaffected ignores a regulatory change that has to be handled.
- DTitle is not what changed; interest has risen, so the strategy has to change with it.
WP 02A project manager is conducting a stakeholder analysis. The matrix identifies a senior executive with a prominent formal title but minimal influence over project constraints, alongside a junior regulatory specialist whose approval is strictly required to prevent catastrophic schedule delays. How should the project manager prioritize engagement?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AManaging everyone closely spreads limited attention thin and is not prioritization.
- BRank alone does not determine influence over this project's constraints.
- CCutting an executive out entirely goes too far; light, appropriate updates still matter.
- DCorrect: Prioritize by actual influence on the project; the specialist's approval is critical, so manage them closely and keep the executive informed.
WP 03A stakeholder in the low-influence, low-interest quadrant has shown no recent engagement. What monitoring approach is appropriate?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- ALow-priority stakeholders stay in the register; the monitor quadrant still means watching them.
- BWeekly detailed reports are far too much for a monitor-level stakeholder.
- CCorrect: Monitor-quadrant stakeholders need light-touch contact, such as periodic bulletins and opt-in updates, while you watch for changes in their position.
- DFull participation in meetings and reviews is the manage-closely treatment, not monitoring.
WP 04High-influence, low-interest stakeholders need updates. What executive summary approach is most effective?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AQuarterly briefings on every deliverable are both too detailed and too infrequent.
- BCorrect: Keep-satisfied stakeholders want short, decision-focused updates; impacts and escalation paths respect their time and keep their support.
- CRaw technical updates without decision summaries leave busy executives to do the analysis.
- DLeaving out escalation paths removes the information executives most need in order to act.
WP 05A project manager reviews the stakeholder engagement assessment matrix for a plant relocation project. For the union representative, C is marked under Resistant and D is marked under Supportive. What should the project manager do next?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AThat is power/interest grid vocabulary; the matrix shows an engagement gap, and reclassifying does nothing to close it.
- BEscalating before any engagement attempt skips the project manager's own responsibility and is likely to harden the resistance.
- CCorrect: C is current and D is desired engagement; a gap calls for specific actions to move the stakeholder, documented in the engagement plan.
- DLowering the target hides the gap without addressing the support the project actually needs from this stakeholder.
WP 06During a system rollout, a regional director volunteers to chair the user steering group, removes obstacles for the team, and persuades peer directors to adopt the new process. In a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix, which engagement level best describes this director?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AUnaware stakeholders do not know about the project or its impacts; this director is clearly involved.
- BNeutral stakeholders know about the project but neither support nor resist it.
- CSupportive stakeholders favor the change, but this director goes further and actively drives the project's success.
- DCorrect: Leading stakeholders are aware and actively engaged in making the project succeed, such as by championing it and removing obstacles.
WP 07Lucy is managing an enterprise software upgrade project and encounters significant resistance from the technical support team. The team shows hesitance in adapting to the new system, causing delays in the project timeline. How could this situation have been avoided during the planning phase?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- ATeam-building helps cohesion inside the team but does not reveal which stakeholders resist the new system.
- BCorrect: the matrix compares current and desired engagement during planning, so the support team's resistance would have shown up early with actions planned.
- CMore status meetings share information but do not analyze engagement gaps or plan how to close them.
- DCommunication preferences shape how to send messages, not where stakeholders stand on the change.
WP 08In an environmental restoration project, a community leader is reluctant to incorporate data-driven suggestions from environmental agencies, causing friction with government agencies involved. What is the current level of stakeholder engagement for this community leader?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AA neutral stakeholder is aware but neither supports nor opposes; this leader actively pushes back.
- BCorrect: the leader knows about the work and opposes the suggested changes, which is the resistant level.
- CUnaware means the stakeholder does not know about the project; this leader is clearly engaged with it.
- DNegative is not one of the five levels: unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive and leading.
WP 09Two weeks before a warehouse system go-live, the project manager reviews the stakeholder engagement assessment matrix below (C = current level, D = desired level). What should the project manager do first for the shift supervisor?
Stakeholder Unaware Resistant Neutral Supportive Leading Shift supervisor C D IT security lead C D Finance controller C, D Debrief answer to open the notes
- AThe C sits under Unaware, not Resistant: the supervisor is not opposed, just uninformed, so escalating treats a knowledge gap as a conflict.
- BCorrect: Unaware to Supportive starts with awareness; explaining the change, its impact on the shift and the input needed is the first engagement action.
- CWaiting leaves a three-level gap open at go-live, when the shift has to work with the system from day one.
- DThe IT security lead starts at Resistant and needs concerns addressed; the same actions do not fit someone who is still unaware.
Open a row to answer. Keys: 1–4 or A–D answer, N opens the next row.
05Edge cases on the matrix
Does every stakeholder need a row of their own?
Only those whose engagement the project has to plan for. A large group with the same interest, such as all clinic patients, can share one row or be handled through the communications plan.
What does the salience model add that the grid lacks?
Legitimacy and urgency. Two stakeholders with equal power can rank very differently when only one has a legitimate claim on the outcome or a deadline that cannot slip.
Do agile projects use the matrix?
The tool works with any delivery approach. On an agile project the product owner and frequent reviews carry much of the engagement, and the matrix stays useful for the people outside that loop, such as regulators or affected departments.