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Initiative Features
Managing Audiences on an Initiative (Add & Remove Stakeholders)

Managing Audiences on an Initiative (Add & Remove Stakeholders)

Stakeholder management is at the heart of every change initiative. In ChangePlan, you can add or remove groups, individuals, or custom teams to ensure your activities, impacts, and risks are always tied to the right audiences.

🔍 Adding Stakeholders to an Initiative

Stakeholders can be added from three sources:
  • Org Chart Groups (e.g., departments, teams)
  • Individuals (manually selected people)
  • Custom Groups (cross-functional teams or external stakeholders)

Steps to Add Stakeholders:

  1. Open the Initiative Dashboard and navigate to the Audiences tab.
  1. Choose a tab:
      • Org Chart: Select departments or teams from the hierarchy.
      • Individuals: Pick people by name (must already exist in your system).
      • Custom Groups: Add pre-created cross-functional or external groups.
  1. Click the checkboxes to select.
  1. Hit Add to Initiative.
Pro Tip: Use the Import Audience option for large groups. Ensure individuals are already in the system with matching (lowercase) emails for best results.

🧠 Stakeholder Engagement Best Practices

Once your audience is added:
  • Assign Influence and Support levels.
    • Influence: The group’s ability to affect initiative success.
    • Support: Their attitude toward the change.
  • These values drive insights in the Audience Matrix and heatmaps.

🗑 Removing Stakeholders from an Initiative

Need to update your stakeholder list? You can remove org groups, individuals, or custom groups.

Remove Org Chart Groups:

  1. Go to Audiences > Org Chart tab.
  1. Select the group(s).
  1. Click Actions > Remove from Initiative.
  1. Confirm the change.

Remove Individuals:

  1. Go to the Individuals tab.
  1. Select names via checkbox.
  1. Click Actions > Remove from Initiative.
  1. Confirm the change.

Remove Custom Groups:

  1. Head to the Custom Groups tab.
  1. Select the group(s).
  1. Click Actions > Remove from Initiative.
  1. Confirm to complete.
Reminder: This only removes them from the initiative, not from the entire system.

⚙️ Admin-Only Permissions

Admins can:
  • Remove individuals completely from ChangePlan (not just an initiative).
  • Edit or update custom groups and stakeholder metadata.
Non-admins:
  • Can only manage stakeholder assignments at the initiative level.

🧩 Use Case Example

For a finance system rollout:
  • Add the “Finance Department” from the org chart.
  • Include individual stakeholders from “Procurement” using the Individuals tab.
  • Add a “Steering Committee” via Custom Groups.
  • Assign influence/support levels to prioritize communications and activities.

✅ Final Notes

  • Use audience tags (influence & support) to guide engagement strategy.
  • Regularly review your stakeholder list to ensure it's still relevant.
  • Keep custom groups updated for accuracy across initiatives.
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