Project Management: Communication Plan

The purpose of a Communications Plan is to document the key elements of a communications strategy, including:

· Frequency (Schedule)

· Method of Delivery

· Recipients

· Format

· Owner

Effective communication can be:

· Formal or Informal

· Verbal or Written

· Periodic or As Needed

Elements to Include in the Communication Plan

The format of a Communication plan can vary, but they should include the following types of information:

VERBAL COMMUNICATION
WHAT	WHEN	WHERE	OWNER	ATTENDEES
Type of Meeting	Frequency Day Time	Meeting Location	Meeting Owner	Project Team Members (it is good to identify them by role or title if possible)

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
WHAT	WHEN	METHOD OF DELIVERY	SENDER	RECEIVER
Type of Communication	Frequency Day (if applicable)	Electronic? Paper?	Person or Group responsible for sending	Person or Group who receives the information

Example Of A Communication Plan:

This document outlines the plan of communication for the XYZ Project Team.

WHAT	WHEN	WHERE	OWNER	ATTENDEES
Status Meeting	Every 2 weeks Monday 10-noon	28G1	Project Manager	Project Team
Called Meetings	As Needed	TBD	Person who calls & leads meeting	To Be Determined

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
WHAT	DUE WHEN	METHOD OF DELIVERY	SENDER	RECEIVER
Meeting Minutes	2 days after the meeting	EMAIL	Note Taker	All participants
Action Item Log	4 days after the PMO Status meeting	EMAIL	Note Taker	All participants
Meeting Agenda	2 days before a meeting	EMAIL	Meeting Facilitator	All meeting participants
Status Reports to Project Manager	Weekly Tuesday By noon	Paper Copy	Team Members	Project Manager
Status Reports to Strategic Alignment Team
Project Schedule Updates	Every 2 weeks Tuesday By COB	Update Project Schedule then EMAIL	Team Members	Implementation Schedule Owner