Successful projects run on effective communications within the team and to the broader audience of direct and indirect stakeholders. Having a communications plan essentially provided you with a documented plan that everyone involved can be across. It identifies your key messages, your target audiences and your methods of communication right off the bat. By having this in place you’re ensuring that your stakeholders are all on the same page. Engaging the right people who will be involved in bringing your comms to life, at the start of the project gives them the context they’ll need to make the comms as effective input as possible.
How to get started?
Mapping out your project plan with the Who What Where When Why is the easiest way to start, and you can do it just using an excel spreadsheet! Here’s some of the helpful information we include for our projects:
- How the communication will be shared (the communication channel)
- Meetings
- Company Newsletter
- Intranet
- Corporate TVs
- Status reports
- Collaboration application
- Who’s responsible for sending each communication?
- Who needs to be involved in the approval process?
- Who the audience are for each communication?
- What is their understanding of the situation already?
- When is the best time for them to have exposure of the communication?
- What is the key message.
- Why are we making this change?
- What is this project about?
- How does it affect the reader?
- Keep the reader fully informed, but keep it simple:
- Where is this happening?
- When is this happening?
- Why is this change occurring?
If you need support for your next project get in touch today, Starboard IT can help.
If you’re looking for consultancy services to help design your own IT business processes, contact Starboard IT to find out what we can do for you.
