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Creating a communication plan that delivers the right messages, to the right audiences, at the right time is a critical component of your project’s change management. The plan should be a living document; a robust roadmap of your messaging throughout the project’s lifecycle.
Every project has a change element, and taking the time and effort to create a thoughtful plan will help ensure you reach your target audiences and properly prepare them for any changes.
Your plan is customizable. If a visual timeline is not appropriate for your communication plan, then replace it with a column labeled:
Plan framework
The easiest way to start creating a plan is to start with the initial framework to answer the following questions:- What do I need to communicate?
- Who do I need to communicate to?
- What medium should I use?
- When should the communications be sent?
- Content creator (who is responsible for creating the message, email, PowerPoint presentation)
- Responsibility (who will deliver the message. example: sponsor, training manager, team director)
- Notes section
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Exhibit A
| Communication | Audience | Method of Communication | 15-Oct | 16-Oct | 17-Oct | 18-Oct | 19-Oct | 20-Oct | 21-Oct | 22-Oct | 23-Oct | |
| 1 | New Process Introduction | Supply Chain Leadership Team | Face-to-Face Meeting | |||||||||
| 2 | PMO Call – New Process Introduction | Supply Chain | Call/WebEx | |||||||||
| 3 | Deep-Dive: New Process Discussion | Area Procurement Liaisons | Call/WebEx | |||||||||
| 4 | Area Controllers Process Introduction – Focus Group | Area Finance Controllers – Focus Group | Call/WebEx | |||||||||
| 5 | Area Controllers New Process Communication | Area Finance Controllers | Call/WebEx | |||||||||
| 6 | Pre-UAT Briefing Call | UAT Testers | Call/WebEx | |||||||||
| 7 | Change Email 1 – Overview of Change – Coming Soon | Supply Chain/Area Controllers/Liaisons/Admins | ||||||||||
| 8 | Change Email 2 – Overview of Change – More on Change | Supply Chain/Area Controllers/Liaisons/Admins |
- Frequency of communication
- Target date for distribution
Communications tracking
While having a communication plan is critical, just creating the plan doesn’t fulfill all its requirements. You’ll still need to make sure you track progress against your original set goals, like any project plan, and communicate progress to your team and stakeholders. I picked this up from a boss/mentor years ago, and it has stuck with me – BRAG status. Blue, Red, Amber, Green. The project management standard is RAG, and I have seen RAG+B in some places where B means something completely different, so use them however you choose. This is one way you can share progress against your plan and delays if any:Exhibit B
| BRAG Status | |||
| B | R | A | G |
| Complete | Risk of Delay | Potential Delay | On-time |
Exhibit C
| Communication | Audience | Method of Communication | 15-Oct | 16-Oct | 17-Oct | 18-Oct | 19-Oct |
BRAG |
|
| 1 | New Process Introduction | Supply Chain Leadership Team | Face-to-Face Meeting | ||||||
| 2 | PMO Call – New Process Introduction | Supply Chain | Call/WebEx |
Communications post-go live
Just because you went live with your project, doesn’t mean the communications end there. Make sure you build in follow-up communications, pulse surveys, etc. to keep your audiences engaged and embracing the change. Example post-go-live communications:- Post-go-live reminders
- Post-go-live training (a catch-all for those who missed pre-go live training)
- Post-go-live tips
- Post-go-live best practices
- Pulse survey, how are we doing?
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