Project Management ABC: K 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 shared. It governs the processes, tools, roles, responsibilities, and authorities for sharing, 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 caused by unclear requirements or missing information.
• Incorrect implementation of specifications.
• Frustration within the team due to a lack of transparency in information.
• Lack of stakeholder confidence 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.

Creating a Communication Plan

To ensure effective communication within a project from the very beginning, it is important to develop the communication plan as early as possible during the project planning phase. Additionally, it should be adapted to any changes in requirements that may arise during the project’s implementation.
The following steps are essential for creating an optimal communication plan:

1. Analyzing Stakeholders:
   Most projects involve a large number of stakeholders who have different interests and levels of influence on the project. These may include, for example, the project team, customers, suppliers, or the client. All of these stakeholders need information about the project, but not necessarily the same information, and they need it at different times. As a foundation for the communication plan, it is therefore important to identify all stakeholders and their information needs. A stakeholder matrix can help clarify the needs and influence of all parties involved, so that the appropriate communication strategy for each group can be determined in 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. Choose appropriate methods and a communication schedule:
   Based on the previous steps, you can now determine the appropriate communication methods. To do this, you should consider which form of communication best suits the respective stakeholders and the information to be conveyed. From regular brief email updates to weekly check-ins, in-person meetings, status reports, presentations, to-do lists, and even detailed project reports, there are numerous ways to keep the various stakeholder groups informed. Also consider the frequency of communication and specific times when information should be shared. For example, in most projects, there’s likely no need to meet with all stakeholders in person every week. However, weekly status updates via email and in-person meetings when an important milestone is reached could be very useful. In addition, you should take care to avoid an excessive flood of information. Therefore, you should only communicate what is important to the respective stakeholder—and only when it is necessary.
4. Defining Responsibilities:
   Once it has been determined what information should be communicated, how, and when, the only thing left to do is to assign responsibility for doing so. For example, it may be the project manager’s responsibility to provide status reports to the client, while team leaders, for instance, report the status of their tasks to the project manager.
   You can then finalize the communication plan, which can be presented in tabular form, for example:
   

   Description Information	Frequency / Timing	Method	Recipient	Data Controller
   What kind of information should be conveyed?	How often or at what time is communication taking place?	How will the information be conveyed?	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 has been fully developed, it should be shared with the stakeholders and the project team. Especially if the plan contains confidential information, it is advisable to share with each stakeholder only the portion of the plan that is relevant to them. It is also important to store the communication plan in a central repository and review it regularly. For example, stakeholders may change over the course of the project, or new project requirements may necessitate 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 ensure the successful management of even the most challenging projects.

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