Running head: COMMUNICATION PLAN

Communication Plan
AJ Caiola
AET/560
May 5, 2014
Charity Jennings

COMMUNICATION PLAN

2
Communication Plan

In this paper the purpose of a communication plan is discussed. Among the points
discussed is the purpose of a communication plan and who should be included in the plan.
Building a Communication Plan
The purpose of the communication plan is to delineate guidelines for when the Project
Manager, sponsors, stakeholders, and team members meet to discuss how the project is
proceeding (Gray & Larson, 2011). These meetings cover project progress, potential issues,
solutions for actual issues, and change requests. An additional purpose of the communication
plan is to determine what information is collected, how the information is collected, where the
information is stored, how the information is communicated, who the information is
communicated to, and who communicates the information (Gray & Larson, 2011). Above all, the
use of an effective communication plan ensures that problems are addressed close to when they
are identified, meaning the change project is less likely to fail because the problem went
unreported.
The table below provides an example of a communication plan matrix. The table outlines
what type of meeting needs to be conducted, who should attend, the purpose of the meeting, how
often that type of meeting should take place, and how the meeting is conducted. There are
several different types of ways to hold meetings, but not all are effective in every situation
(Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2012, p). Using face to face meetings, virtual meetings, electronic
communication, or a combination of communication methods at the appropriate times is vital to
the success of the communication plan and the change project.

COMMUNICATION PLAN

What

Who

Purpose

Frequency

Type

Initial Meeting

All stakeholders

Gather information about project scope

Before project start date

Face to face meeting

Distribute Project Plan

All stakeholders

Distribute communications plan

Before project start

Document distributed
electronically

Project Start

All stakeholders

Inform stakeholders of responsibilities

Near project start date

Face to face meeting

Status Reports

All stakeholders and

Update stakeholders on progress

Monthly

Electronic distribution

team members

Team Meetings

All team members

Review plans, tasks, and progress

Weekly

Face to face meeting

Project Advisory Group

Project Advisory Group

Update group on status and discuss

Monthly

Face to face meeting

Meeting

and PM

critical issues, solve problems before

Monthly or as needed

Face to face meeting

elevating to sponsor

Sponsor Meeting

Sponsor and PM

Update sponsor on project, seek approval

for changes to project plan

Using a Communication Plan

In an ideal environment, conducting the meetings included in the communication plan
enable the change team to form a comprehensive plan where all, or at least most, contingencies
will be addressed. Additionally, the plan ensures that team members are aware of meetings that
serve the purpose of providing updates and feedback on the change progress.
Often a stakeholder will desire updates more often than the regularly scheduled meetings.
This puts undue burden on the project manager who must take time away from overseeing the
project to fend off the stakeholder or provide the extra updates the stakeholder is requesting. It is

COMMUNICATION PLAN

common for the stakeholders and team members to have additional duties unrelated to the
change initiative, a good plan allows the members to schedule around updates and be less
concerned that they are missing information. If the communication plan is properly used the
stakeholder will be regularly informed about the appropriate information on a regular schedule.

Conclusion
The key to an effective communication plan is in the team's ability, and willingness, to
follow the plan. In this paper the purpose of a plan and its benefits were discussed. How the plan
helps to form a plan, ensures that the team members give and are given updates, and how often
the major stakeholders are given updates on the effectiveness of the project implementation.

COMMUNICATION PLAN

Reference
Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G., Ingols, C. (2012). Organizational change: an action-oriented toolkit
(2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Gray, C. F., & Larson, E. W. (2011). Project management: The managerial process (5th ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill.