Not doing a Stakeholder Analysis?

What Happens if a Stakeholder Analysis is not Done?
S K, India
What will suffer mostly is EXECUTION. What would be theoretically best cannot be executed, because one of the key stakeholders (for example the employees) don't want it to happen.
The "power equation" of the management with employees may be such that the plan cannot be enforced (suppose the employees are underpaid and/or they may easily find jobs outside).

No Stakeholder Analysis is like Having no Map
Lucie, Vybiralova
Starting a change project without stakeholder analysis is like going to a dark mountain forest WITHOUT A MAP or a flashlight. Maybe you will be lucky and not step into the mud, fall into a canyon or bump into a tree, but chances are you will not be so lucky and you will learn the need of the map by your direct experience. It is up to you. What happens depends on your preparation OR just good luck.

Why Stakeholder Analysis is Important
thet hsu wai, Business Consultant, Myanmar
Stakeholder analysis is important.. This includes both the external and internal environment and must always be connected with the whole organization.
If we don't care enough about the stakeholders, we simply WILL NOT STAND...

Consequence of not Doing a Stakeholder Analysis
Michael Nestor, Management Consultant, United States
Stakeholder analysis has three (maybe more) purposes. All of which, if not addressed, may negatively impact the project or change initiative:
1. First, it allows the leaders of the project to IDENTIFY ANY POTENTIAL RESISTANCE so that it can be managed. A resistant stakeholder can derail a project.
2. Second is that by conducting the analysis you are demonstrating that you value what your stakeholders think, this INVOLVES them in the process and is more likely to make them supportive.
3. And thirdly - - you may discover or LEARN something from your stakeholders that reflects a legitimate problem with the project and this give you the opportunity to fix it.
In every case.. The likelihood of project success is much greater! So the answer basically is... because it increases the likelihood of project success!

Consequences of NOT Doing Stakeholder Analysis
Alfa Sefland, CEO, Norway
This is not a dumb question! Too many project managers do not do good stakeholder analysis, and, as result of that, 70% of projects fail in one way or another, see this article on How Projects are Designed to Fail by Jack Bergstrand.
A good example of a project that completely ignored its stakeholders is installing new power cables in Hardanger, Norway. They have lost money on law suits, compensations, contracts that had to be delayd, loss of internal focus and momentum. Loss of credibility with regulator and government and loss of reputation in the public.
But it will not necessarily be so extreme. Think of the benefits you can achieve by doing stakeholder analysis: smoother delivery, reduced risk of derailment/delays, increased productivity, increased reputation and greater involvement. This is why PMI (Project Management Institute) has taken Stakeholder Management into their new PMBOK Guide for project management.