HKSM

The agreed list of individuals and groups with a business interest or influence in the product and its outcomes, documented early and refined throughout the project. It is produced during initiation and used as input for stakeholder engagement, backlog work, planning, and reviews.

Key Points

• Output of identifying stakeholders during initiation and an input to many Scrum processes.
• Covers customers, users, sponsor, operations, compliance, vendors, and other impacted parties.
• Recorded with attributes such as interest, influence, role, and communication preferences.
• Guides who to consult, inform, invite, and seek approval from in Scrum events.
• Continuously updated as new stakeholders emerge or influence shifts.
• Feeds prioritization, risk identification, acceptance criteria, and release planning.

Purpose

The primary aim is to make transparent who has skin in the game, who can affect outcomes, and who needs to be engaged at the right time. A clear, current list prevents missed voices, reduces rework, and supports timely decisions and approvals.

It ensures the Product Owner knows whose input matters for epics and user stories, and the Scrum Master can plan communication and invitations for Sprint Reviews and key discussions.

Key Terms & Clauses

• Stakeholder register: the artifact where the list and attributes are recorded.
• Interest-influence rating: qualitative assessment used to plan engagement depth.
• Decision rights: who can approve funding, scope, acceptance, or policy changes.
• Communication cadence: agreed frequency and channels for updates and feedback.
• Constraints and compliance tags: notes for legal, regulatory, or contractual needs.
• Primary contact: designated person for each stakeholder group to streamline communication.

How to Develop/Evaluate

• Review business case, product vision, contracts, org charts, and past project records to seed the list.
• Interview sponsor, Product Owner, and domain leads to discover customers, users, and enabling functions.
• Perform a quick stakeholder analysis to rate interest, influence, expectations, and potential impact.
• Validate the draft with the sponsor and Product Owner and resolve overlaps or gaps.
• Evaluate completeness using a lifecycle sweep: initiation, build, test, deploy, operate, and support.
• Baseline the list, then set a review trigger each release or major roadmap change.

How to Use

Use the list to plan who to involve in creating and refining epics and user stories, setting acceptance criteria, and prioritizing the product backlog. Invite the right stakeholders to Release Planning and Sprint Reviews for timely feedback and decisions.

Apply the interest-influence ratings to tailor communication plans and mitigate risks, especially for high-influence or compliance stakeholders. Reference decision rights to streamline approvals and reduce bottlenecks.

Example Snippet

• Executive sponsor — approves funding and major scope changes; high influence, high interest.
• Key user group lead — provides workflow input and acceptance feedback; medium influence, high interest.
• Compliance officer — ensures regulatory adherence; high influence, medium interest.
• Operations manager — owns deployment and support readiness; medium influence, medium interest.
• Vendor account manager — supplies integrated components; medium influence, medium interest.

Risks & Tips

• Risk of missed requirements and late rework if critical stakeholders are overlooked.
• Decision delays if approval rights are unclear or recorded in the wrong place.
• Scope noise if too many low-influence voices dominate without prioritization.
• Tip: map interest and influence to choose consult vs. inform strategies.
• Tip: update the list at each release boundary and when roadmap pivots occur.
• Tip: capture communication preferences early to improve engagement and attendance.

PMP/SCRUM Example Question

During the Initiate phase, the Scrum Master facilitates stakeholder discovery for a new product. Which output ensures the right people are engaged in Release Planning and Sprint Reviews?

1. Identified Business Stakeholder(s)
2. Product Roadmap
3. Team Working Agreement
4. Definition of Done

Correct Answer: A — Identified Business Stakeholder(s)

Explanation: The identified business stakeholders list is the output of stakeholder identification and is used to plan engagement and invitations. The other options are useful artifacts but do not specify who must be engaged.