About network map
Stakeholder relationships can be complex. The network map gives you a visual representation of how a stakeholder is connected to organisations, other individuals, and your project — making it easy to see the full picture at a glance.
You can access a stakeholder's network map from the Relationships tab in their record.
Why use network map?
A network map makes relationships easy to understand, and helps you to see:
Where the stakeholder sits within an organisation.
What relationships the stakeholder has with other individuals and organisations.
Identifying who has influence over a stakeholder, spotting indirect connections you can approach first, and deciding the right sequence of outreach across their network.
Network map terminology
Internal contacts are individual stakeholders this person has a relationship with within their primary organisation — for example, direct reports, colleagues, and teammates.
Organisations are other organisations this person has a role or relationship with, beyond their primary organisation.
Other relationships are individual stakeholders this person has a relationship with who are not associated with any organisation — for example, a consultant or an independent contact.
Relationship Manager is a user within your Simply Stakeholders account who is assigned to manage the relationship for this stakeholder.
Position is the stakeholder's role within their associated organisations.
Relationship defines how the stakeholder is connected with other individuals — for example, direct report, colleague, or teammate.
How to access a network map
Navigate to your chosen stakeholder record.
Click the Relationships tab near the top of the page.
Click the network map view icon next to the list view toggle.
The network map will open, showing the stakeholder's relationships organised into three groups: internal contacts, organisations, and other relationships.
Understanding the network map layout
The primary stakeholder appears at the centre of the map. The surrounding sections show their connections, grouped by type.
Primary organisation — displayed near the centre. This section also shows the reporting hierarchy within the primary organisation: who the stakeholder reports to, their direct reports, colleagues, and teammates.
Other organisations — shown on the left side. These are additional organisations the stakeholder has a role or relationship with, along with any relevant reporting lines.
Other relationships — shown on the right side. These are individuals who have a relationship with the stakeholder but are not associated with any organisation.
Connected organisations — shown at the bottom. These are organisations that the stakeholder's direct connections are linked to, even if the primary stakeholder has no direct relationship with that organisation.
The example above shows the network map for Oliver Ashford, a Stakeholder Engagement Manager. Each section of the map reflects a different type of relationship:
Primary organisation — NatureBridge Collaborative:
Emily Foster (Executive Director) appears in Oliver's reporting line — Oliver reports to her.
Hannah Collins and Ryan Mitchell are listed as colleagues within the same organisation.
Internal Contacts:
Adam is shown as Oliver's Relationship Manager — the Simply Stakeholders user assigned to manage this relationship.
Other organisations Oliver works at (left side):
Oliver also has a role at Horizon Habitat Network, where he is listed as an Environmental Consultant.
Sarah Smith (Habitat Engagement Officer) appears as a colleague within that organisation.
Other relationships (right side):
John Smith appears as an individual with a direct relationship to Oliver who is not associated with any organisation.
Other organisations Oliver has a relationship with (bottom):
EverLeaf Solutions and ClearCurrent Environmental Partners appear here because Oliver's existing connections — Mason Calloway and Zoe Kensington — are linked to those organisations as former colleagues. Oliver has no direct relationship with these organisations, but the map surfaces them as part of his wider network.
Under each stakeholder name, their role and division are shown where available. Hover over a stakeholder name or card to see more detail — including their stakeholder mapping and relationship health score. The tooltip appears after a brief pause to avoid interrupting your view as you navigate the map.
How to update a relationship from the network map
Change a relationship type
Hover over the stakeholder card you want to update.
Click Change relationship.
Select the new relationship type — for example, changing Direct report to Teammate.
Remove a relationship
Hover over the stakeholder card you want to remove.
Click the delete icon.
Confirm the removal when prompted.
Note:
Relationship type and removal can be managed directly from the network map. To update a stakeholder's role, division, or other record details, go to the list view.
Confidential stakeholder records are shown with a lock icon. Hovering over a confidential record will show a message indicating you do not have access to view that stakeholder's details.
How to add a relationship from the network map
Use the Add button in the network map view to add a relationship to an existing stakeholder, or to add a new stakeholder. This works the same way as adding relationships in the list view.
Use the Current projects only filter to narrow the map to relationships relevant to your active projects.
Go to Relationships for more information.
For more help
For more information please contact the Customer Success team or email [email protected].