On the Communication Plan

Posted on 11 December, 2007 by duardo
Project Management is 80% communication, 20% perspiration which is why the Communication Planis one of the most important sections of your PRINCE2 Project Initiation Document (PID).The following series of posts will take you through the communication planning process and provide you with a professional communication plan template for either inclusion into your Project Initiation Document or for delivery as a standalone document.
Comms Plan Series
  1. On the Communications Plan
  2. On Identifying Stakeholders
  3. On Understanding Stakeholders
  4. On Prioritising Stakeholders
  5. On SH Info Requirements
  6. On Communication Planning
Tool Downloads
  > Communication Plan (Blank)
  > Stakeholder Register

We’ve broken out the communications plan product into its own template for large scale projects but this is easily condensed into your PID for smaller projects.

Note: You can download a blank above.  The value added template will be posted at the end of this series.

Two monologues do not make a dialogue  

What is Communication Planning

Communication planning involves identifying and meeting the information needs of the project stakeholders.  Specifically, identifying which people need what information, when the information is needed, and how the information is collected and communicated.  Communication planning strives to simplify and document effective communication within the project organisation.

The culmination of this planning is the Communications Plan and should include:

  • Identification of stakeholders with information needs
  • Stakeholder information requirements
  • Time frame or period the stakeholder needs the information
  • Detailed description of the information need
  • Description of when and how information is collected and who collects it
  • Description of document distribution methods and frequency of distribution
  • Definition of the handling procedures for temporary storage and final disposition of project documents

Successful Communication Planning: It’s all about Execution… 

The best laid communication plan is useless without follow-through and without follow-through your Project will be diminished in eyes of your stakeholders.  So many problems in managing projects can be overcome with regular and honest communication with your stakeholders.

So let’s begin the communication planning process… Step 1: Identifying your stakeholders

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

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« DIY Monitor Strip Calendar On Identifying Your Stakeholders »

2 Responses to “On the Communication Plan”

  1. Thomas Panzer, on April 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm Said:

    I cannot download the stakeholder register document.

  2. duardo, on April 10th, 2008 at 8:47 am Said:

    Hi Thomas, sorry about the outage. there might have been an issue at my file hosting site but seems to be fine now. I’ve also emailed you the document. all the best

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