Insert Company Logo
Insert Project Title
Communications Plan
Document Status
Version Number: 1.0
Date: insert date
Status: Draft
Page 1 of 18
Insert Company Logo
Preface
For more information on this document, contact:
Insert name
Insert “Job Title”
Insert “Project Name”
Insert Telephone number
Insert e-mail address
Document Location
Insert document location / file path
Document Revision History
Date Version Author Comments
Page 2 of 18
Insert Company Logo
Document Approval
Insert Name Insert Job Title
Signature Date
Insert Name Insert Job Title
Signature Date
Insert Name Insert Job Title
Signature Date
Insert Name Insert Job Title
Signature Date
Document Endorsement
Insert Name Insert Job Title
Signature Date
Insert Name Insert Job Title
Signature Date
Page 3 of 18
Insert Company Logo
Document Review
The following people have been consulted in the compilation of this document:
Business Area Name Role
Insert name of Insert Name Insert Job title / role
Business Area
Page 4 of 18
Insert Company Logo
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 6
1.1 Purpose of this document ................................................................................................................. 6
1.2 Intended Audience ............................................................................................................................ 6
1.3 Approach ........................................................................................................................................... 6
1.4 Document Scope .............................................................................................................................. 6
1.5 Definitions ......................................................................................................................................... 7
1.6 References ........................................................................................................................................ 7
2 COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT.................................................................. 8
3 GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY ................... 9
3.1 Communicate Timely ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.2 Communicate Clearly........................................................................................................................ 9
3.3 Communicate Appropriately.............................................................................................................. 9
3.4 Communicate Business Necessity ................................................................................................... 9
3.5 Communicate Personally .................................................................................................................. 9
4 WHO – THE STAKEHOLDERS .......................................................................... 10
4.1 References ...................................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Key Stakeholder List ....................................................................................................................... 10
5 HOW – COMMUNICATIONS DELIVERY MECHANISMS .................................. 11
5.1 Meetings .......................................................................................................................................... 11
5.2 Documents ...................................................................................................................................... 12
5.3 Electronic Media ............................................................................................................................. 13
5.4 Training ........................................................................................................................................... 13
6 WHAT – THE MESSAGE ................................................................................... 14
7 WHEN – THE SCHEDULE ................................................................................. 15
8 HOW – THE MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS ................................................... 16
9 COMMUNICATIONS APPROVAL PROCESS ................................................... 17
10 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................... 18
Page 5 of 18
Insert Company Logo
1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose of this document
The purpose of this document is to outline the for the Project xxx. This document will detail:
• Who the project is going to communicate with (the stakeholders)
• How the project team will correspond with all the stakeholders (the mechanisms)
• What will be communicated (the message)
• When the project is planning to communicate (the schedule)
• How the project will determine if the communications have worked (the success)
All Project xxx communication initiatives will strive to:
• Raise and maintain awareness, create understanding, develop commitment and promote active support for the
Project xxx amongst its stakeholders;
• Provide stakeholders with credible information to help them inform and educate their staff on the Project xxx
and its relevance to them;
• Ensure that expectations are aligned with what will be delivered by the Project xxx
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
1.2 Intended Audience
In this section describe whom this document has been written for. Often this consists of both a primary audience, and a
group of other stakeholders whom it may be of interest to but is not vital that they read in detail.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
1.3 Approach
In this section describe the steps taken in developing this document. Describe any investigations carried out, research
methodology used and consultation carried out to date.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
1.4 Document Scope
1.4.1 In Scope
This defines exactly what this document will cover and where the boundaries lie. List all items that are included in the
scope.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
1.4.2 Out of Scope
List identified items that will not be covered in this document.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
Page 6 of 18
Insert Company Logo
1.5 Definitions
In the table below define any terms which this document’s audience may not understand, including specific terms,
abbreviations and acronyms.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
Term / Acronym Definition
1.6 References
This item lists any documents to which this document refers including any previous investigations carried out. Include all
previous documents prepared as part of this project.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
This document has used the following documents as points of reference:
[1] Insert reference to other documents / sources of information
[2] Insert reference to other documents / sources of information
[3] Insert reference to other documents / sources of information
Etc…
Page 7 of 18
Insert Company Logo
2 Communications Management
Introduce the strategy for managing communications in this project. For example:
The Communications Plan provides a framework for delivering communication to the business, key stakeholders,
Process Owners and impacted staff (user groups) which leverage existing communication networks, resources and
infrastructure; to ensure alignment with other organisational or change initiatives communicated at the site. Relevant
information must be conveyed and targeted to the right audience at the right time.
The more time that is available to communicate change, the greater the opportunity to raise awareness and engender
commitment to each project in all target audience groups. Resistance to change can be minimised or negated by
communicating with certainty the reasons for change, the vision for the future and the translated impact on Business
Units, roles and individuals. Expectations will be managed by delivering timely, targeted, consistent and relevant
messages through agreed communication channels. Employees recognise individual and company values from the
behaviours (actions) being demonstrated and rewarded.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
Page 8 of 18
Insert Company Logo
3 Guiding Principles of the Communications Strategy
The guiding principles, detailed approach, approvals, delivery methods for project communication and stakeholder
management are contained in the Communication & Stakeholder Management plans.
In summary, project communications should be:
Timely - planned in advance
Clear - precise and concise
Appropriate - tailored to suit the group
Business Necessity - explain why the change is required
Personal - identify how changes will affect individuals
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
3.1 Communicate Timely
• Prepare well in advance
• Anticipate when communications will be required
• Act promptly to negate any negative messages or information
• Communicate all news (positive and negative) in a straightforward and timely manner
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
3.2 Communicate Clearly
• Keep communications precise and concise (where possible)
• Ensure that the key messages of the communication are being transferred to the recipient
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
3.3 Communicate Appropriately
• Ensure all communications are approved to be delivered prior to distribution
• Segment audience into logical ‘groups’ for targeted messages – based on Stakeholder Segmentation
• Tailor communications where necessary to suit the group constitution taking into consideration level within the
organisation, purpose of the communication, required impact (action / information / buy-in / support / response
required)
• Use multiple communications delivery mechanism to ensure all people receive the desired message e.g. road-
shows followed up with presentation pack and published on Project xxx intranet page
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
3.4 Communicate Business Necessity
• Employees need to understand ‘why’ an organisation is facing a period of change - it is essential for employees
to buy-in to the organisational change management effort
• Communicate the ‘People’ implications of impending change
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
3.5 Communicate Personally
• Communications with a ‘People’ based content to be delivered identifying how changes will affect employees
personally – “what does it mean for me?”
• Individual concerns should be addressed where appropriate and using the appropriate delivery mechanism
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
Page 9 of 18
Insert Company Logo
4 Who – the Stakeholders
Over the life of a project, there are many individuals or groups with an interest or involvement with the project, or who
are affected by the project’s activities and outcomes. These are the project’s stakeholders. They include those
managing and working within the project and those who are directly or indirectly contributing to, or affected by, the
project or its outcomes.
Understanding stakeholders’ interests in the project, and the impact that the project will have on them, and then
implementing a strategy to address their issues and needs is essential.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin then press delete.
4.1 References
Documents that have provided input to this Communications Plan are listed in the table below:
Document Name, File Path, Version Date
4.2 Key Stakeholder List
Key Stakeholder Group Title Level of Engagement
Required (H/M/L)
Executive Sponsors Managing Director M
etc
Project Board Director, IT H
etc
Guests (as invited) Project Manager xxx H
etc
Project Management Team Project Manager xxx H
etc
Page 10 of 18
Insert Company Logo
5 How – Communications Delivery Mechanisms
A number of delivery mechanisms will be used by the project to ensure that the communication effort supports the project effectively and contributes to the overall successful
delivery of the project.
The delivery mechanism has been divided into four channels:
• Meetings – including project status updates, demonstrations / walkthroughs, conference calls and informal information transfer
• Documents – including newsletters, project status reports, issue / risk registers, minutes, action logs
• Electronic Media - Intranet – project xxx home page & email – used as a delivery mechanism and as a feedback option
• Training – training interventions as detailed in the Training Plan (e.g. on-line, classroom, coaching, on-the-job, etc)
The tables on the following pages depict the communication mechanisms that will be deployed during the project and the target audience, segmented by group, as described in
the stakeholder list outlined previously.
Responsibility for the management of these activities lies with the project’s Business Change & Training Management team. The delivery of the communications however, may
reside with other people associated with the project. For example, the road show presentations to communicate the project’s solution may need to be delivered by the Project
Director, Project Manager, Process Owners or Business Representatives.
There are also a number of meetings that functional and technical project team members should hold on a regular basis that are not under the direct influence of the Business
Change & Training Management team and therefore not explicitly detailed here.
To delete this guidance text box, double click mouse in the left margin t