Department Or Program Name

Department or Program Name

[System/Application Name]

Communications
Plan

Communications Plan

Template Guideline

To aid in the completion of a Communications Plan, please adhere to the following guidelines. For specific information regarding project deliverables, please refer to the University Services Program Management Office. Remove these guidelines from the completed document.

Purpose / A Communication Plan outlines how communication will be done to stakeholders and team members throughout the project. A Communication Plan is a proactive way to communicate effectively. Projects offer multiple opportunities for communication to key stakeholders. Both regular and on-going communications, as well as one-time event-driven communications should be defined in your communication plan.
Ownership / The project manager works with the project team to create the Communications Plan.
When
SDLC Phase: Define / The Communications Plan is done in the Design Phase of the Solution Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This plan should be reviewed throughout the project life cycle to make sure you are taking advantage of all communication opportunities.
Template Completion
Note: Text within < > brackets need to be replaced with project-specific information. / 1. Do not include the Template Guidelines in your final document. Enter the project information in the page header and footer, title page, and document contributors and version control.
2. Complete the document utilizing suggested text where applicable and entering text/fields where shown within <blue text> brackets. Note that the blue text is NOT to be included in your final document. Its purpose is to either provide guidance for completing the document, or to show where text/fields should be entered.
3. Once changes are made to your document and you’re ready to finalize, ensure that you update your Table of Contents (TOC) section.
4. If changes are to be made, update the Revision History information accordingly.
5. The Communications Plan is to be retained with other project-related documentation and maintained in accordance with the business line’s records retention policy.
Empowerment & Scalability / This template is provided as a guideline to follow in producing the minimum basic information needed to successfully complete a Communications Plan. The amount of detail included in the template will depend on the size and complexity of the project.
Important Notices / This template may change without advanced notice. It is highly recommended that you access a blank template from the U Services PMO website at:
www.uservices.umn.edu/pmo

Document Information and Approvals

Version History
Version # / Date / Revised By / Reason for change
1.0 / 9/17/09 / Aaron Demenge / PMO Review
Document Approvals
Approver Name / Project Role / Signature/Electronic Approval / Date

Project Name Communications Plan

Table of Contents

Project Communication Plan Overview 1

Stakeholder Analysis 1

Stakeholder Identification 1

Stakeholder Participation Planning Matrix 1

Regular or Ongoing Communications 2

General Communications Matrix 2

Key Messages and Themes 3

One-Time or Event-Driven Project Communication 3

Appendix 4

Project Kick-Off Meeting Invitation List 4

Project Name Communications Plan

Project Communication Plan Overview

This Project Communication Plan describes the approach for providing cohesive communication about the [Project Name] goals and objectives to the key stakeholders and to the project team. This plan addresses both regular and ongoing project communication as well as one-time and event-driven communication opportunities.

Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholders are the people that are likely to be affected by the activities and outcomes of a project. A stakeholder analysis determines how those stakeholders are likely to be impacted by the project.

Stakeholder Identification

The following identifies the project stakeholders:

Name / Role / Title / Comments

Stakeholder Participation Planning Matrix

Depending on the strategic function or activity to be communicated, there could be different communication approaches used for different stakeholders. For example, some stakeholders will have more decision authority than others.

Strategic Management Function or Activity / Stakeholders to Approach by Which Means /
Inform / Consult / Involve / Collaborate / Empower
Promise: We will keep you informed / Promise: We will keep you informed, listen to you, and provide feedback on how your input influenced the decision / Promise: We will work with you to ensure your concerns are considered and reflected in the alternatives considered, and provide feedback on how your input influenced the decision / Promise: We will incorporate your advice and recommendations to the maximum extent possible / Promise: We will implement what you decide
Organizing participation / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role
Building support around proposal / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role
Monitoring and Evaluating Progress / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role
Provide strategic interventions / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role
Promoting and enabling organization change with new solution / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role
Purchasing decisions / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role / Name and/or role

Regular or Ongoing Communications

Regular or ongoing communications include those opportunities that you have to communicate to your project team members, sponsors, steering committee members, and other key stakeholders on a regular basis. These types of communications could include your regular status reports, scheduled project team meetings, monthly updates with the steering committee, or regularly scheduled updates on a project.

This chart lists the type of communications to consider for your regular and ongoing communications.

General Communications Matrix

Communication / Purpose / Audience / Author / Communication
Location / Frequency /
Web Site / Location for key project documents and information / Stakeholders
Sponsors
Project Steering Committee
Project Team Members / Project Manager / Web Site Address / As needed
Monthly Project Status Reports / To keep project leadership informed of the project’s progress. / Sponsors
Project Steering Committee
Project Team Members / Project Manager / Posted on project web site / Monthly
Project Team Calendar / Keep project team participants aware of key project dates. / Project Manager / Posted on project web site. / Updated as needed
Steering Committee Meeting / Provide project direction and feedback / Steering Committee / Executive Sponsor-ship / Meeting Minutes posted on project web site / Monthly
Project Team Meeting / Project Team Members / Project Manager

Key Messages and Themes

This section lists any key messages or themes to be used in current and future communication based on the stakeholder analysis. Following is a list of possible communication themes for regular and ongoing communication:

· What the project is and is not

· How the project benefits the organization

One-Time or Event-Driven Project Communication

During the life of any project, opportunities arise for one-time or event driven communications. Review this portion of your communication plan every month with your project team. Review the past month, and then look forward at least 6 months to ensure that as your project plan changes, you can capitalize on every communication opportunity.

This chart lists the type of communications to consider for your one-time and event driven communications.

Opportunity / Date / Vehicles(s)
Method(s) of Communication / Audience / Message / Responsible Party /
Kickoff Meeting(s)
RFI Release
RFI Response Recommendations
RFP Release
RFP Response Recommendations
Contract Award(s)
Training Dates
Milestone completion dates
Go live dates

Appendix

Project Kick-Off Meeting Invitation List

Kick-Off Meeting Email List /
Name / Department
General Distribution Lists
DDD List (Deans, Directors, Department Heads) / All
Geospatial listserv /
Steering Committee
Stakeholders