(upbeat music)
- Hey,
welcome back to coffee with Brett.
I'm Brett Harned,
And I'm the director
of education at "Team gap".
And I gotta say,
today I am totally caffeinated.
This is actually my second cup
of "red roosters Nicaragua dark roast".
And it's absolutely delicious,
and I'm buzzing.
It's actually making one to talk more
about talking or emailing,
or texting or calling,
or maybe even meeting.
You're probably already overwhelmed
and a little confused.
There are so many ways
that our teams and stakeholders
can communicate about projects these days.
And let's not forget about the fact
that those communications
can be poorly timed,
misdirected, or even completely ignored.
And communications are so important in project management.
But it often be overwhelming and kind of frustrating.
That's why you need a communication plan.
A well crafted communication plan
really does serve as your go to resource
for making sure all project messages are delivered
to the right audience, at the right time
using the right mode of communication.
So think about it.
When you're stressed out,
or you're in a rush,
you kind of just do what feels right.
That might mean sending a quick email
or making a call and you can do that.
But when you do,
are you sure that you're communicating
in the best way
that's inclusive of your team and stakeholders?
Well, probably not if you're stressed out
or if you're stretched for time.
So I think you should use a communication plan
to make sure that you, your teams and your stakeholders,
send clear specific messages that get the results
that you actually need.
Before I jump in how to make a communication plan,
I do just wanna say this.
I talk a lot about how plans are not optional
because they serve as the backbone to your project,
and they do really help you to get things done.
Now usually I'm talking about project plans
or Gantt charts,
and that still stands.
So don't skip those plans.
But as far as I'm concerned,
communication plans make the better part
of project management.
And sometimes, you need to put some plans in place
to make sure that your project communications are clear,
timely, inclusive,
and actually land with the right people.
You need to set clear expectations
for how you'll communicate.
And pulling together a communication plan,
can be really a helpful approach to take,
especially when you're dealing
with larger teams,
and larger stakeholder groups.
I mean, as the project lead,
you've already mapped out your tasks,
milestones, deliverables,
to get you across the finish line
in your project plan.
So why not do the same thing for project communications?
After all, I really do think a project plan
does need a steady stream of communication
in order for it to stay on track.
Plus, the communication plan isn't about you.
Well, I mean,
You are a "PM"
You know that It's never about you, right?
Well, anyway,
the communication plan can play an important role
by providing a place for everyone
to check in
and if they're unsure about how to communicate,
or get updates.
Or even which tools or modes of communication to use.
Giving your communication expectations,
that kind of visibility
will not only create expectations for some communications,
it'll also help with teamwork, morale, productivity,
and even on time deliverables.
I know that's a lot
and a lot of PMs are searching for ways
to make team members more accountable,
I do think this is one way to help.
Alright, let me jump into the how.
Writing a project management communication plan
is as simple as following the five steps on screen here.
First, list your projects communication needs.
Let's face it,
not all projects share the same requirements
and that goes for communication as well.
Every project is different.
So take the size of the project,
the nature of the work being done,
and even your team and stakeholders
unique preferences into account.
As you determine which types of communication
your project needs to succeed.
Think about it.
Do you need team Gantt discussions,
slack channels, email, phone calls meetings,
sort that out first.
Next, define the purpose of your communications.
No bombarding people with too many emails
or unnecessary meetings
can definitely interfere with their ability
to get work done.
And it can cause them to overlook important updates.
So be purposeful in your plan
and ensure that every communication included
has a reason for being.
If you're feeling really ambitious,
go ahead and outline a basic agenda for the topics
that will be covered in each meeting,
or any report,
those details matter.
Then choose a communication method.
Do you really need a meeting
to share weekly update,
or is your project discussion board enough?
Think through how your team works best.
so they can stay in the loop
while being productive at the same time.
If your stakeholder prefers the personal touch
of a phone call or a meeting,
you can build that into your plan as well.
Then set a cadence for your communication.
Establishing a regular frequency for communications
streamlines the process by setting clear expectations
from the get go.
This not only frees you
from fielding random requests for status updates,
It also enables project members
to carve out space for important meetings
and reports ahead of time.
Finally, identify the owner and the stakeholders
related to each communication.
Assigning ownership creates accountability
so your carefully crafted plan
can reach its full potential.
As the project manager,
you'll probably be most responsible
for a lot of communications,
But there may be some you want to delegate to others.
While you're naming names,
list the audience or stakeholders
for each communication type as well.
That way key players come prepared
to provide updates when needed,
or they at least know
that there's a certain communication
they should be thinking about or looking for.
Those quick five steps should help you out.
They should help you
to get your communications plan started.
But if you wanna create one
and want a little more information and direction,
I've got you.
Check out our blog post.
It's called
"How to Create Project Communication Plan"
and download our free template
which actually is three templates in one.
It offers three versions of the same template.
Just like everything else in project management,
there's no single way of doing this.
So check out the templates,
think through the steps I talked through
and create a communication plan
that works for your team and your stakeholders,
and you'll be set up for project success.
All right, folks.
That's all for this episode.
And I think for this cup of coffee too,
I'm done.
Grab that template,
test your communication planning skills today
and get on with it.
In the meantime,
feel free to like
and subscribe below,
or share your "PM" and coffee recommendations with me.
I'd love to hear more from you.
Thanks
(upbeat music)