What is the purpose of stakeholder analysis in program planning?

• A. Identify stakeholders, their interests, influence, and engagement strategies to support success.
• B. To determine the program budget and resource allocation.
• C. To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of interventions.
• D. To set regulatory compliance requirements.

Answer: (A)

In program planning, stakeholder analysis focuses on identifying who is affected by the program, understanding their interests and how much influence they have, and planning how to engage them to support success. By mapping stakeholders—such as community members, funders, policymakers, and frontline staff—you learn who might help or hinder implementation, what outcomes they care about, and the best ways to communicate and involve them. This helps tailor engagement strategies, build buy-in, anticipate and address concerns, and allocate time and resources for collaboration, governance, and decision-making. Without this analysis, you risk misreading priorities, facing resistance, or missing critical support that sustains the program. The other options touch on budgeting, evaluating interventions, or regulatory needs, which are separate aspects of planning and evaluation rather than the engagement-focused purpose of stakeholder analysis.