« Key Success Factors in Program Management Governance
Best Practices for Managing a Software Development Project »

Planning Phase - Project Communication Plan

September 27, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Communications Management, Communications Planning, Project Plan Development

Planning Phase - Project Communication Plan (#5 in the series Planning Phase)
By Michele Berrie, Queensland University of Technology

A separate communication plan may be provided, using the Communication Plan template1, as appropriate. The template comprises tables for training strategies, and marketing and communication strategies. A well-developed and comprehensive Communication Plan using both tables meets the change management needs for most projects. Keep in mind that managing change is required in all projects to some degree because change is embedded in all projects.

Communication is a critical component of every project plan because it provides the vital link between the project, the client and success. When developing a communication plan it is essential to answer the following questions:

  • Who will be impacted by this project?
  • What type of change does this project represent, is it only going to affect one department, or the entire organization?
  • When is this change scheduled to occur?
  • Where will this change occur?
  • How will those impacted by this change be notified?

By answering these questions it will help you to identify the most appropriate target audience to be communicating with and this will in turn determine the most effective communication mechanisms you need to use in order to convey your message. A communication plan is not static, but rather will develop as the project progresses therefore it is imperative to continually revisit the communication plan and update it as needed.

Project managers should contact their Marketing and/or Communications Officers if available for advice on communication requirements for the project.

1The Communication Plan Template will be provided in a separate article on PM Hut.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a highly successful Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in the city of Brisbane with a global outlook, it has 40,000 students, including 6000 from overseas, (QUT Statistics) and an annual budget of more than AU$500 million. Courses are in high demand and its graduate employment rate is well above the national average for Australian universities.

Share this article:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • blogmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz

Related Articles

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 27th, 2008 and is filed under Communications Management, Communications Planning, Project Plan Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 person has left a comment

[...] your project communication plan with the team. This should include details of report templates, frequency of reporting and [...]

Managing Your Website Development: Eight Easy Steps to Project Management - PM Hut wrote on September 5, 2009 - 9:06 am | Visit Link

feel free to leave a comment

Comment Guidelines: Basic XHTML is allowed (a href, strong, em, code). All line breaks and paragraphs are automatically generated. Off-topic or inappropriate comments will be edited or deleted. Email addresses will never be published. Keep it PG-13 people!

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

All fields marked with " * " are required.

Project Management Categories