Project management ABC: C for communication plan

More structure and less stress through communication plans

What is a communication plan and why is it important?

A communication plan is a structured strategy that defines how, when and with whom information about a project is exchanged. It regulates the processes, tools, roles, responsibilities and authorizations for passing on, receiving and archiving information within a project. PRINCE2 uses the term communication management strategy instead of communication plan, while the PMBOK Guide refers to it as a communication management plan.

The purpose of a communication plan

Most projects are complex and require precise coordination between different stakeholders. A communication plan should therefore ensure that everyone involved in the project receives the information they need to carry out their tasks clearly, efficiently, in good time and in full. In this way, a communication plan helps to create transparency, prevent misunderstandings and keep everyone involved up to date.
Without clearly defined communication channels, misunderstandings can have fatal consequences, e.g:

• Delays due to unclear requirements or missing information.
• Incorrect implementation of the specifications.
• Frustration in the team due to lack of information transparency.
• Lack of stakeholder trust in the project due to poor communication.

A communication plan therefore not only ensures order, but also trust and smooth collaboration. The communication plan should be adapted to the respective project. For less extensive projects, a simple communication matrix may be sufficient, while very complex projects with numerous stakeholders and high confidentiality requirements often require a very comprehensive communication plan.

Update project statusCreation of a communication plan

To ensure that communication within a project is well aligned from the outset, it is important that the communication plan is drawn up as early as possible during project planning. It should also be adapted to any changes in requirements during the implementation of the project.
The following steps are important for creating an optimal communication plan:

1. Analyze stakeholders:
   Most projects have a large number of stakeholders who have different interests and influence on the project. These can be the project team, customers, suppliers or the client, for example. These stakeholders all need information about the project, but not necessarily the same information and at different times. It is therefore important to identify all stakeholders and their information requirements as a basis for the communication plan. A stakeholder matrix can help to understand the needs and influence of all stakeholders so that the right communication strategy can be defined for each group in the subsequent steps.
2. Define communication goals and content:
   Clearly defined goals are the basis of a good communication plan, as this is the only way to clearly define the content to be communicated. You should therefore first set SMART objectives and use these as a basis for determining the content of the communication and which stakeholders should receive the information. Content can include the project status, technical details or risks, for example.
3. Select suitable methods and communication rhythm:
   Based on the previous steps, you can now determine the appropriate methods of communication. To do this, you should consider which form of communication is best suited to the respective stakeholders and the information to be communicated. From a regular short update by email to weekly check-ins, face-to-face meetings, status reports, presentations or to-do lists, through to sophisticated project reports, there are numerous ways to keep the various interest groups informed. Also consider the information rhythm or specific times at which information should be passed on. For example, in most projects there is probably no need to meet all stakeholders every week for a personal exchange. However, weekly status updates by email and face-to-face meetings when an important milestone has been reached could be very useful. You should also take care to avoid too much information overload. This means that you should only communicate what is important for the respective interested party and only when it is necessary.
4. Define responsibilities:
   Once you have defined what information is to be communicated, how and when, all that remains is to determine who is responsible for it. For example, the project manager may be responsible for sending status reports to the client, while team leaders may, for example, communicate the status of activities to the project manager.
   You can then finalize the information plan, which can be presented in a table, for example:
   

   Description Information	Frequency / Time	Method	Recipient	Person responsible
   What kind of information should be conveyed?	How often or at what time do you communicate?	How is the information communicated?	Who receives the information?	Who is responsible for communicating the information?
   Project status update	Weekly	Project status report from myPARM	Client and project team	Project manager

5. Share and regularly review the communication plan:
   Once the communication plan is complete, it should be shared with the stakeholders and the project team. In particular, if confidential information will be included, it is advisable to present each stakeholder with only the part of the plan that concerns them. It is also important to store the communication plan in a central information source and to review it regularly. For example, stakeholders may change during the course of the project or new project requirements may result in changes to the communication plan.

Conclusion

A well-thought-out communication plan is an essential tool for every project manager. It forms the backbone of effective collaboration and helps to successfully manage even very demanding projects.

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