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COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT PLAN

<PROJECT NAME>

COMPANY NAME STREET ADDRESS CITY, STATE ZIP CODE

DATE

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TA(LE O) CONTENTS
ntroduction......................................................................................................................................! Communications Management "pproach........................................................................................! Communications Management Constraints.....................................................................................# $ta%eholder Communication &e'uirements....................................................................................# &oles................................................................................................................................................( Project Team Directory....................................................................................................................) Communication Methods and Technologies...................................................................................) Communications Matri*..................................................................................................................+ Communication ,lowchart................................................................................................................uidelines for Meetings...................................................................................................................Communication $tandards............................................................................................................./0 Communication 1scalation Process...............................................................................................// .lossary of Communication Terminology..................................................................................../!

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INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the Communications Management Plan is to define the communication re'uirements for the project and how information will be distributed. The Communications Management Plan defines the following: What information will be communicated2to include the le3el of detail and format 4ow the information will be communicated2in meetings5 email5 telephone5 web portal5 etc. When information will be distributed2the fre'uency of project communications both formal and informal Who is responsible for communicating project information Communication re'uirements for all project sta%eholders What resources the project allocates for communication 4ow any sensiti3e or confidential information is communicated and who must authorize this 4ow changes in communication or the communication process are managed The flow of project communications "ny constraints5 internal or e*ternal5 which affect project communications "ny standard templates5 formats5 or documents the project must use for communicating "n escalation process for resol3ing any communication6based conflicts or issues This Communications Management Plan sets the communications framewor% for this project. t will ser3e as a guide for communications throughout the life of the project and will be updated as communication needs change. This plan identifies and defines the roles of persons in3ol3ed in this project. t also includes a communications matri* which maps the communication re'uirements of this project. "n in6depth guide for conducting meetings details both the communications rules and how the meetings will be conducted5 ensuring successful meetings. " project team directory is included to pro3ide contact information for all sta%eholders directly in3ol3ed in the project.

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT APPROAC*

"ppro*imately +07 of a Project Manager8s time is spent communicating. Thin% about it 9 as a Project Manager you are spending most of your time measuring and reporting on the performance of the project5 composing and reading emails5 conducting meetings5 writing the project plan5 meeting with team members5 o3erseeing wor% being performed5 meeting with clients o3er lunch and many more acti3ities related to your projects. :ou should gi3e considerable thought to how you want to manage communications on this project. ;y ha3ing a solid communications management approach you8ll find that many project management problems can be a3oided. n this section gi3e an o3er3iew of your communications management approach. The Project Manager will ta%e a proacti3e role in ensuring effecti3e communications on this project. The communications re'uirements are documented in the Communications Matri* presented in this document. The Communications Matri* will be used as the guide for what
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information to communicate5 who is to do the communicating5 when to communicate it and to whom to communicate. "s with most project plans5 updates or changes may be re'uired as the project progresses or changes are appro3ed. Changes or updates may be re'uired due to changes in personnel5 scope5 budget5 or other reasons. "dditionally5 updates may be re'uired as the project matures and additional re'uirements are needed. The project manager is responsible for managing all proposed and appro3ed changes to the communications management plan. <nce the change is appro3ed5 the project manager will update the plan and supporting documentation and will distribute the updates to the project team and all sta%eholders. This methodology is consistent with the project8s Change Management Plan and ensures that all project sta%eholders remain aware and informed of any changes to communications management.

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT CONSTRAINTS

"ll projects are subject to limitations and constraints as they must be within scope and adhere to budget5 scheduling5 and resource re'uirements. Project planning and documentation are no e*ception to this rule. There may also be legislati3e5 regulatory5 technology5 or organizational policy re'uirements which must be followed as part of communications management. These constraints must be clearly understood and communicated to all sta%eholders. While communications management is arguably one of the most important aspects of project management5 it must be done in an effecti3e manner and within the constraints of the allocated budget5 time5 and resources. "ll project communication acti3ities will occur within the project8s appro3ed budget5 schedule5 and resource allocations. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that communication acti3ities are performed by the project team and without e*ternal resources which will result in e*ceeding the authorized budget. Communication acti3ities will occur in accordance with the fre'uencies detailed in the Communication Matri* in order to ensure the project adheres to schedule constraints. "ny de3iation of these timelines may result in e*cessi3e costs or schedule delays and must be appro3ed by the project sponsor. ";C Corp. organizational policy states that where applicable5 standardized formats and templates must be used for all formal project communications. The details of these policy re'uirements are pro3ided in the section titled =$tandardization of Communication> in this document. ";C Corp. organizational policy also states that only a ?ice President or higher le3el employee may authorize the distribution of confidential information. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that appro3al is re'uested and obtained prior to the distribution of any confidential information regarding this project.

STA+E*OLDER COMMUNICATION RE,UIREMENTS

Most projects consist of a broad range of sta%eholders all of whom may ha3e differing interests and influence on the project. "s such5 it is important for project teams to determine the communication re'uirements of these sta%eholders in order to more effecti3ely communicate

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project information. There are a number of methods for determining sta%eholder communication re'uirements@ howe3er5 it is imperati3e that they are completely understood in order to effecti3ely manage their interest5 e*pectations5 and influence and ensure a successful project. "s part of identifying all project sta%eholders5 the project manager will communicate with each sta%eholder in order to determine their preferred fre'uency and method of communication. This feedbac% will be maintained by the project manager in the project8s $ta%eholder &egister. $tandard project communications will occur in accordance with the Communication Matri*@ howe3er5 depending on the identified sta%eholder communication re'uirements5 indi3idual communication is acceptable and within the constraints outlined for this project. n addition to identifying communication preferences5 sta%eholder communication re'uirements must identify the project8s communication channels and ensure that sta%eholders ha3e access to these channels. f project information is communicated 3ia secure means or through internal company resources5 all sta%eholders5 internal and e*ternal5 must ha3e the necessary access to recei3e project communications. <nce all sta%eholders ha3e been identified and communication re'uirements are established5 the project team will maintain this information in the project8s $ta%eholder &egister and use this5 along with the project communication matri* as the basis for all communications.

ROLES
P&o'!ct S#onso& The project sponsor is the champion of the project and has authorized the project by signing the project charter. This person is responsible for the funding of the project and is ultimately responsible for its success. $ince the Project $ponsor is at the e*ecuti3e le3el communications should be presented in summary format unless the Project $ponsor re'uests more detailed communications. P&o &am Mana !& The Program Manager o3ersees the project at the portfolio le3el and owns most of the resources assigned to the project. The Program Manager is responsible for o3erall program costs and profitability as such they re'uire more detailed communications than the Project $ponsor. +!- Sta.!/o"0!&s Aormally $ta%eholders includes all indi3iduals and organizations who are impacted by the project. ,or this project we are defining a subset of the sta%eholders as Bey $ta%eholders. These are the sta%eholders with whom we need to communicate with and are not included in the other roles defined in this section. The Bey $ta%eholders includes e*ecuti3e management with an interest in the project and %ey users identified for participation in the project. C/an ! Cont&o" (oa&0

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The Change Control ;oard is a designated group which is re3iews technical specifications and authorizes changes within the organizations infrastructure. Technical design documents5 user impact analysis and implementation strategies are typical of the types of communication this group re'uires. Custom!& :ou should identify the customer if the project is the result of a solicitation. n such a case5 the customer will be in3ol3ed in re3iewing prototypes5 appro3al of designs and implementation stages and acceptance of the final project the project generates. The customer for this project is CCustomer AameD. "s the customer who will be accepting the final deli3erable of this project they will be informed of the project status including potential impacts to the schedule for the final deli3erable or the product itself. P&o'!ct Mana !& The Project Manager has o3erall responsibility for the e*ecution of the project. The Project Manager manages day to day resources5 pro3ides project guidance and monitors and reports on the projects metrics as defined in the Project Management Plan. "s the person responsible for the e*ecution of the project5 the Project Manager is the primary communicator for the project distributing information according to this Communications Management Plan. P&o'!ct T!am The Project Team is comprised of all persons who ha3e a role performing wor% on the project. The project team needs to ha3e a clear understanding of the wor% to be completed and the framewor% in which the project is to be e*ecuted. $ince the Project Team is responsible for completing the wor% for the project they played a %ey role in creating the Project Plan including defining its schedule and wor% pac%ages. The Project Team re'uires a detailed le3el of communications which is achie3ed through day to day interactions with the Project Manager and other team members along with wee%ly team meetings. St!!&in Committ!! The $teering Committee includes management representing the departments which ma%e up the organization. The $teering Committee pro3ides strategic o3ersight for changes which impact the o3erall organization. The purpose of the $teering Committee is to ensure that changes within the organization are effected in such a way that it benefits the organization as a whole. The $teering Committee re'uires communication on matters which will change the scope of the project and its deli3erables. T!c/nica" L!a0 The Technical Eead is a person on the Project Team who is designated to be responsible for ensuring that all technical aspects of the project are addressed and that the project is implemented in a technically sound manner. The Technical Eead is responsible for all technical designs5 o3erseeing the implementation of the designs and de3eloping as6build documentation. The Technical Eead re'uires close communications with the Project Manager and the Project Team.

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PROJECT TEAM DIRECTORY

The following table presents contact information for all persons identified in this communications management plan. The email addresses and phone numbers in this table will be used to communicate with these people.
Ro"! P&o'!ct S#onso& P&o &am Mana !& P&o'!ct Mana !& P&o'!ct Sta.!/o"0!&s Custom!& P&o'!ct T!am T!c/nica" L!a0 Nam! ". White ;. ;rown C. ;lac% $ee $ta%eholder &egister J. Doe K:L Corp Tit"! ?P of Technology PM< Manager Project Manager $ee $ta%eholder &egister Manager O& ani1ation2 D!#a&tm!nt T PM< PM< $ee $ta%eholder &egister T Emai" a.whiteGabc.com b.brownGabc.com c.blac%Gabc.com $ee $ta%eholder &egister J.DoeG*yz.com P/on! HFFFI FFF6 /!/! HFFFI FFF6 /#/# HFFFI FFF6 /(/( $ee $ta%eholder &egister H)/FI FFF6 +/!/

COMMUNICATION MET*ODS AND TEC*NOLOGIES

Many times5 the methods and technologies used to communicate are just as important of a consideration as the information being communicated. magine a large project with many sta%eholders who all ha3e different technological capabilities. $ome may ha3e access to a share dri3e while others do not. $ome may ha3e access to 3ideo teleconferencing and others only ha3e telephone and email capabilities. n order to be effecti3e5 project information must be communicated to e3eryone in3ol3ed by some method using a3ailable technology. Determining communication methods and what technologies are a3ailable should be part of determining sta%eholder communication re'uirements. The project team will determine5 in accordance with ";C Corp. organizational policy5 the communication methods and technologies based on se3eral factors to include: sta%eholder communication re'uirements5 a3ailable technologies Hinternal and e*ternalI5 and organizational policies and standards. ";C Corp. maintains a $harePoint platform within the PM< which all projects use to pro3ide updates5 archi3e 3arious reports5 and conduct project communications. This platform enables senior management5 as well as sta%eholders with compatible technology5 to access project data and communications at any point in time. $harePoint also pro3ides the ability for sta%eholders and project team members to collaborate on project wor% and communication.

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,or sta%eholders who do not ha3e the ability to access $harePoint5 a web site will also be established for the project. "ccess to the website will be controlled with a username and password. "ny sta%eholders identified who are not able to access $harePoint will be issued a uni'ue username and password in order to access the web site. The project manager is responsible for ensuring all project communications and documentation are copied to the web site and that the content mirrors what is contained on the $harePoint platform. ";C Corp. maintains software licenses for M$ Project software. "ll project teams are responsible for de3eloping5 maintaining5 and communicating schedules using this software. P1&T Charts are the preferred format for communicating schedules to sta%eholders. The project schedule will be maintained on both the $harePoint platform and the project website. "ll project communication and documentation5 in addition to being maintained on the $harePoint platform and project website5 will be archi3ed on the internal ";C Corp. shared dri3e which resides in the PM< program directory. <rganizational naming con3entions for files and folder will be applied to all archi3ed wor%.

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COMMUNICATIONS MATRI3
The following table identifies the communications re'uirements for this project.
Communication T-#! Bic%off Meeting O4'!cti5! o6 Communication ntroduce the project team and the project. &e3iew project objecti3es and management approach. &e3iew status of the project with the team. M!0ium ,ace to ,ace )&!7u!nc<nce Au0i!nc! Project $ponsor Project Team $ta%eholders Project Team O$n!& Project Manager D!"i5!&a4"! "genda Meeting Minutes )o&mat $oft copy archi3ed on project $harePoint site and project web site $oft copy archi3ed on project $harePoint site and project web site $oft copy archi3ed on project $harePoint site and project web site $oft copy archi3ed on project $harePoint site and project web site $oft copy archi3ed on project $harePoint site and project web site

Project Team Meetings

,ace to ,ace Conference Call

Wee%ly

Project Manager

"genda Meeting Minutes Project schedule "genda Meeting Minutes

Technical Design Meetings

Discuss and de3elop technical design solutions for the project.

,ace to ,ace

"s Aeeded

Project Technical $taff

Technical Eead

Monthly Project $tatus Meetings

&eport on the status of the project to management.

,ace to ,ace Conference Call

Monthly

PM<

Project Manager

$lide updates Project schedule

Project $tatus &eports

&eport the status of the project including acti3ities5 progress5 costs and issues.

1mail

Monthly

Project $ponsor Project Team $ta%eholders PM<

Project Manager

Project $tatus &eport Project schedule

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COMMUNICATION )LO8C*ART
,lowcharts pro3ide a 3isual representation of a process or processes which often allow a better understanding of how the process is intended to wor%. Project communications may be e*tremely comple* depending on the size and scope of the project and the number of sta%eholders. " flowchart pro3ides all sta%eholders with a better understanding of the steps in3ol3ed with the distribution of all project communications. The communication flowchart below was created to aid in project communication. This flowchart pro3ides a framewor% for the project team to follow for this project. 4owe3er5 there may be occasions or situations which fall outside of the communication flowchart where additional clarification is necessary. n these situations the Project Manager is responsible for discussing the communication with the Project $ponsor and ma%ing a determination on how to proceed.

GUIDELINES )OR MEETINGS

M!!tin A !n0a Meeting "genda will be distributed F business days in ad3ance of the meeting. The "genda should identify the presenter for each topic along with a time limit for that topic. The first item in the agenda should be a re3iew of action items from the pre3ious meeting. M!!tin Minut!s

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Meeting minutes will be distributed within ! business days following the meeting. Meeting minutes will include the status of all items from the agenda along with new action items and the Par%ing Eot list. Action It!ms "ction tems are recorded in both the meeting agenda and minutes. "ction items will include both the action item along with the owner of the action item. Meetings will start with a re3iew of the status of all action items from pre3ious meetings and end with a re3iew of all new action items resulting from the meeting. The re3iew of the new action items will include identifying the owner for each action item. M!!tin C/ai& P!&son The Chair Person is responsible for distributing the meeting agenda5 facilitating the meeting and distributing the meeting minutes. The Chair Person will ensure that the meeting starts and ends on time and that all presenters adhere to their allocated time frames. Not! Ta.!& The Aote Ta%er is responsible for documenting the status of all meeting items5 maintaining a Par%ing Eot item list and ta%ing notes of anything else of importance during the meeting. The Aote Ta%er will gi3e a copy of their notes to the Chair Person at the end of the meeting as the Chair Person will use the notes to create the Meeting Minutes. Tim! +!!#!& The Time Beeper is responsible for helping the facilitator adhere to the time limits set in the meeting agenda. The Time Beeper will let the presenter %now when they are approaching the end of their allocated time. Typically a 'uic% hand signal to the presenter indicating how many minutes remain for the topic is sufficient. Pa&.in Lot The Par%ing Eot is a tool used by the facilitator to record and defer items which aren8t on the meeting agenda@ howe3er5 merit further discussion at a later time or through another forum. " par%ing lot record should identify an owner for the item as that person will be responsible for ensuring follow6up. The Par%ing Eot list is to be included in the meeting minutes.

COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
$tandardization is a pro3en way to simplify the comple*ities of project management communications. Many organizations de3elop and use standard templates or formats for the 3arious communication tools used throughout projects. $tandard templates and formats may be applied to certain types of project meetings or specific types of communication Hi.e. emails5 status reports5 etc.I. ;y using standardization5 organizations can help ensure that its project teams and sta%eholders ha3e a thorough understanding of what is e*pected and achie3e consistent and effecti3e communications. n addition to standard templates andNor formats5 organizations may standardize file naming or sharing con3entions. "n organization may use $harePoint or some other type of Web

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PortalNAetwor% tool Hblogs5 message boards5 etc.I as a standard platform from which to share information and communicate. "dditionally5 an organization may ha3e standard file naming con3entions for their stored data on their internal share dri3es. Many of these tools and new technologies are used in today8s projects with team members and sta%eholders often spread o3er wide geographic areas. $tandardization pro3ides a le3el of simplicity to an organization8s communication platforms and impro3es effecti3eness and efficiency. ,or this project5 ";C Corp. will utilize standard organizational formats and templates for all formal project communications. ,ormal project communications are detailed in the project8s communication matri* and include: Bic%off Meeting 9 project team will utilize ";C Corp. standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. "dditionally5 any slides presented will use the ";C Corp. standard slideshow template. Project Team Meetings 9 project team will utilize ";C Corp. standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. "dditionally5 any slides presented will use the ";C Corp. standard slideshow template. Technical Design Meetings 6 project team will utilize ";C Corp. standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. "dditionally5 any slides presented will use the ";C Corp. standard slideshow template. Monthly Project $tatus Meetings 6 project team will utilize ";C Corp. standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. "dditionally5 any slides presented will use the ";C Corp. standard slideshow template. Project $tatus &eports 9 project team will utilize ";C Corp. standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. "dditionally the standard project status report document5 a3ailable on the share dri3e5 will be used to pro3ide project status. nformal project communications should be professional and effecti3e but there is no standard template or format that must be used.

COMMUNICATION ESCALATION PROCESS

"s issues or complications arise with regards to project communications it may become necessary to escalate the issue if a resolution cannot be achie3ed within the project team. Project sta%eholders may ha3e many different conflicting interests in a gi3en project. While escalations are a normal part of project management5 there must be a documented process that defines how those escalations will ta%e place. 1fficient and timely communication is the %ey to successful project completion. "s such5 it is imperati3e that any disputes5 conflicts5 or discrepancies regarding project communications are resol3ed in a way that is conduci3e to maintaining the project schedule5 ensuring the correct

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communications are distributed5 and pre3enting any ongoing difficulties. n order to ensure projects stay on schedule and issues are resol3ed5 ";C Corp. will use its standard escalation model to pro3ide a framewor% for escalating communication issues. The table below defines the priority le3els5 decision authorities5 and timeframes for resolution. P&io&itPriority / D!6inition Major impact to project or business operations. f not resol3ed 'uic%ly there will be a significant ad3erse impact to re3enue andNor schedule. Medium impact to project or business operations which may result in some ad3erse impact to re3enue andNor schedule. $light impact which may cause some minor scheduling difficulties with the project but no impact to business operations or re3enue. nsignificant impact to project but there may be a better solution. D!cision Aut/o&it?ice President or higher Tim!6&am! 6o& R!so"ution Within ( hours

Priority !

Project $ponsor Project Manager

Within one business day

Priority #

Within two business days

Wor% continues and any recommendations are submitted 3ia the project change control process OO A<T1: "ny communication including sensiti3e andNor confidential information will re'uire escalation to ?P le3el or higher for appro3al prior to e*ternal distribution.

Priority (

Project Manager

GLOSSARY O) COMMUNICATION TERMINOLOGY

Term Communication $ta%eholder Communications Management Plan 1scalation Definition The effecti3e sending and recei3ing of information. deally5 the information recei3ed should match the information sent. t is the responsibility of the sender to ensure this ta%es place. ndi3iduals or groups in3ol3ed in the project or whose interests may be affected by the project8s e*ecution or outcome. Portion of the o3erall Project Management Plan which details how project communications will be conducted5 who will participate in communications5 fre'uency of communications5 and methods of communications. The process which details how conflicts and issues will be passed up the management chain for resolution as well as the timeframe to achie3e resolution.

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