A typical objective of many professionals who collaborate in teams is to improve communication. Making a thorough communication management strategy that specifies how, when, and why everyone may speak with one another is one method to do this.
Learning to make an efficient communication management strategy will increase your teamwork and productivity whether you’re a leader or project manager.
In this article, we define communication management plans, discuss their significance, and list free communication management plan templates.
A communication management plan outlines the best ways for everyone involved in a project to communicate.
The plan might specify what each team member’s role is in terms of communication and the most effective methods of communication. It is often essential for project planning as well as project management. It also outlines who will get the communication, how they will do so when they will do so, and how often they may expect to do so.
Importance Of Communication Management Plan
The communication management plan is crucial since they increase comprehension and productivity. They establish communication best practices, standards, and how information flows among the stakeholders. Every stakeholder has access to an efficient communication management plan, allowing them to discover the best ways to get in touch with team members and with whom to speak for certain goals.
An appropriate project management communication plan will maintain the direction of your project since it:
- Increases productivity in meetings
- Establishes expectations for when stakeholders will get updates.
- Gives stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback, which may help the team detect issues early and save unnecessary work.
- Enhances stakeholders’ awareness of the project’s status.
Consequently, if you want your project to be completed effectively and on time, make sure to understand how to build an effective communication plan.
Communication Management Plan Template Guide
Every aspect of communication within a project is covered by a thorough communication management plan. Because it enables your team to work more productively together, this plan is a crucial component of project management. Here are some steps that you can follow to establish a communication management plan:
Choose a method
Select a method that makes it simple to post or save your communication plan for your stakeholders and team to access and collect feedback on. Many project managers begin with a template for a project communication plan and create their communication plan on a word document or spreadsheet, but you might also consider using something more aesthetically pleasing, like a timeline or flowchart, to precisely define the communication frequency or the best method to use depending on the stakeholder. Some of the communication management plan examples are given following.
Set goals for communication
After deciding on a method for your communication plan, think about setting communication objectives with the team. Prior to including information in your plan, come up with objectives and build them. When using the information in your communication plan, use your objectives to direct the process.
Determine the roles
Define the exact role for each team member type in your project. Include the kinds of tasks they work on, how you may contact them when you should, and why. For instance, if you have a person in charge of responding to emails from customers with questions, you may put this description along with a phone number or email address to get in touch with them. You might specify the following responsibilities in your plan:
Customers and clients
Key stakeholders
Portfolio Manager
Project Manager
IT support
Other team members
Identify methods of communication
Your communication plan should include a list of your stakeholders as well as information on how you intend to communicate with them. This is the main goal of your communication plan is to ensure that the correct people see the right information. Depending on the events or activities your stakeholders are most likely to notice or attend, take into account the following methods:
Organize technology
Include details about which technologies team members may access in the communication plan. You may describe which applications are crucial to the plan or explain how to access common resources. For instance, use group chat software, and provide directions and information. You might use the following technologies as examples to communicate:
Word processing software
Project management tools
Email software
Group chat software
Text messaging
Determine who provides communication updates
The project manager will often be responsible for this role, but if not, your communications plan has to explicitly identify who is responsible for each update.
Communication Plan Template Google Doc
Communication management plan template
Important Factors
Depending on your team and objectives, your communication management plan’s components may change. Here are some other factors to think about:
Format and standards for communications
Establish a standard or framework for each sort of communication to make project communications more understandable. For instance, having all daily work lists in the same format reduces misunderstanding among team members, particularly when integrating new recruits or assigning specific project tasks. Wherever feasible, provide templates and samples of how you intend certain messages to be presented.
Communication Plan Template Word
Ways to handle sensitive information
Specify how the stakeholders may handle sensitive or secret information if a project requires it. This should include who has access to the information and how it is communicated. You might also mention the kind of encryption or other security protocols that are utilized to safeguard such information. Establishing guidelines for handling sensitive information will assist to guarantee that your crucial information doesn’t get out.
Communication Plan Template Online
Process for implementing changes
Scope creep may occur in even the most well-organized enterprises, in which case the communication plan will also need to modify. If revisions are necessary, go through your project overview again, and then modify your communications strategy to meet the updated project. A communication plan will act as your compass when problems start to occur.
PMP Questions
Q1: As a project manager, where would you document the escalation process to resolve issues that cannot be resolved at a lower staff level?
a) Scope management plan
b) Stakeholder management plan
c) Staffing management plan
d)
Communications Management Plan
Correct Answer: D
Q2: You are planning out the communications methods to use as part of stakeholder engagement. The most effective means for communicating and resolving issues with stakeholders are:
a) Status reports
b) Electronic mail
c) Telephone calls
d) Face-to-face meetings
Correct Answer: D
Q3: John is the project manager of a large highway expansion project. He has a number of stakeholders with competing priorities and agendas and often has to resolve conflicts between stakeholders. Which knowledge area manages communications with the project stakeholders?
a) Project Quality Management
b) Project Stakeholder Management
c) Project Communications Management
d) Project Resource Management
Correct Answer: C
Q4: Which of the following is a tool or technique of the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process?
a) Communication technology
b) Communication models
c) Communication standard
d) Communication skills
Correct Answer: D
Q5: Who is responsible for the project communication plan?
d) Project Manager
b) Customer & Clients
c) External Stakeholders
d) Project Owner
Correct Answer: A
What are the main components of a communication management plan?
The main components of the communication management plan include:
- Communication purpose
- Medium
- Frequency
- Audience
What are the five steps to a project management communications plan?
The five steps of the project communication plan include:
- Identifying key messages
- Defining key audiences
- Establishing goals
- Specify timeline
- Creating a tactical outreach plan
What should a project communication plan include?
A project communication plan includes:
- Purpose
- Medium
- Frequency
- Audience
What are the 3 processes of project communication management?
There are three primary methods for managing project communications, which include:
- Plan communication
- Manage communication
- Control communication
What is a communication matrix?
A document that describes the project’s communication management approach is called a communication matrix. A communication matrix offers significant advantages like improved departmental communication, more efficient project resource usage, and quicker project-related decision-making.