You must have a precisely prepared communication plan whether you work for an agency, a nonprofit or a corporation. Setting expectations, measuring outcomes and gaining insights are all made easier with a comprehensive plan and timeframe.
A project communication strategy is a coordinated effort by all project participants, from the project manager to the most junior personnel. The way it is presented and the message that is given are the responsibility of all members.
A project communication plan answers a few basic questions, such as who will be getting project information, what information needs to be delivered, how and when the information will be distributed and who will be accountable for providing all communications.
A communication strategy for a small project, according to project management principles, can be basic. However, when the project grows in complexity and size, it gets more difficult. Project communication can be prepared ahead of time to ensure that the appropriate project information is communicated to the appropriate individuals at the appropriate time.
Key Components of a Project Communication Plan
- A process - This is quite important. It won't work if you merely scribble some goals on a whiteboard and call it a day. Implementing a step-by-step procedure will require you to tackle obstacles and inconsistencies that could stymie your development. Make a plan for how and when you'll attain your objectives.
- The Objective - Your communication goal should be to improve conversions if you want to see genuine business results. Determine how many new clients you want to attract.
Also, explain how much revenue can be generated from existing consumers. After all, keeping existing consumers is significantly easier than gaining new ones. Your projections should be grounded in reality. Setting a target of $1 trillion in new sales isn't going to help you.
- Goals - Setting clear, consistent goals is a challenge for many communicators. Concentrate on a few concrete, doable objectives. How?, for example, would you achieve your goal of increasing conversions? Start from the end and work your way backwards:
- Increase the number of visitors to your website from XX to XX.
- From XX through XX, create an email database.
- Increase the number of marketing qualified leads from XX to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- Increase the number of qualified sales leads from XX to XX.
- XX% of sales qualifying leads should be converted to customers.
Set benchmarks if you don't have the numbers you need right away. To set benchmarks, develop a 60- or 75-day plan, then go back and define the targets.
- Strategy - Your plan aids you in achieving your goal. If your goal is to improve your reputation in order to attract more clients, your strategy should include a concise description of how you plan to accomplish so.
This is your communication strategy's vision. What will success look like in a year? Make a note of it.
- The Plan - To finish this phase, you'll need input from your customer or executive team. What do your leaders intend to accomplish? You can't bring about change in your company until you know where it's heading and how you can help it get there.
- Executive Summary - Make a one-page summary of your entire strategy. It should include the following:
- Core Values Mission Vision
- Business objectives for the current fiscal year
- Differentiators
- Key Takeaways
- Any unresolved concerns or challenges that arose during the initial planning meetings should be included in the list of communication techniques.
- If resources become available, make a list of activities you'd like to undertake.
- Key Challenges - What are the most difficult challenges you face? Anything from a slacker salesperson to a commoditized business could be the culprit. Perhaps your company's reputation isn't great, or perhaps your main competitor has a monopoly on a market you want.
Whatever it is, provide a description of the items or services you wish to promote, as well as any obstacles you could face. Make a list of every potential stumbling block.
- Situation Analysis - This clarifies important industry figures. This is something that one of my clients does on a quarterly basis. He discusses the state of the economy on a worldwide scale, as well as industry measurements.
Your general goals and emphasis, your culture, your perceived strengths and weaknesses and your market share position should all be included in your situation analysis.
- Customer Analysis - What are the three or four categories of customers you'd like to attract? How many customers do you hope to have by the end of the year? What are the values of your target market? Include a description of how those prospects go about hiring a company like yours (or your client's).
- Competitor Analysis - Clarify your own marketing stance, as well as your nearest competitors' strengths and limitations. Examine your competitors' domain authority to discover where they rank for your most important keywords.
For instance, If you have $99 to invest per month, both Moz and SEMRush will allow you to accomplish this automatically. Keep an eye out for any flaws that may limit your ability to compete.
- Implementation Summary - To ensure accountability, this examination of how you will use the above facts to achieve your goals should be as detailed as feasible. What tasks must be completed by whom and when must they be completed? Do you require assistance from other departments? (answer is Yes)
Summarize the major events—product launches, events, speaking engagements, board meetings—and determine who should assist and how they should assist.
- Positioning Statements - These are the essential messages you'll employ in your marketing materials to distinguish yourself apart from the competition; they should emphasize your key service mission and qualitative skill sets.
- Cost Strategy - It may seem strange to include a cost strategy in your communication strategy, but it's critical to consider the whole picture. Isn't it true that costs have an impact on your ability to generate results?
Include a summary of the company's pricing structure, as well as a comparison of your rates to those of key competitors. Consider including pricing information on your website.
- Changing Market Analysis - Forecasting fiscal developments in your target sectors over the next few years is critical. What impact will these changes have on you?
For example, no one could have forecast the "polar vortex" of 2014, which brought business to a halt. Chaos and crises are always present. Even if you can't forecast precise scenarios, be prepared for external influences that may affect your communication plan.
- Metrics - Include pertinent metrics last, but certainly not least. Return to the "Goals" section by scrolling up. Do you see those XXs? Those should be real numbers and your measurements should be based on them. When designing your communications plan, make sure it follows the SMART structure: are they specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound?
The most important aspect to consider while creating a good communication plan.
Incorporating Feedback into Communication: When it comes to delivering a successful project, stakeholders and their perspectives are critical in determining success. Each stakeholder may have a different metric for determining success, which you should consider when drafting the communication.
For example, one stakeholder may consider a project successful if it meets the predetermined budget, while another may consider on-time completion a significant component and a third stakeholder may view identifying and implementing adjustments at the appropriate time as a major success indicator.
As you construct the communication plan, make sure to include the perspectives of all stakeholders. Some stakeholders may offer remedies to problems in their feedback report, while others may want to talk about it.Input from stakeholders is an important part of a project's communication plan in both directions.
Here are some ideas for getting relevant feedback from stakeholders:
- All Stakeholders Must Be Involved: It is critical to include the views of all stakeholders involved in your project. By failing to do so, you are reducing the options for advice and, as a result, your project's prospects of success.
- Providing Required Information: You should deliver all necessary information to your stakeholders. Excessive information should be avoided. Otherwise, because they are as busy as you are, your stakeholders may overlook your reports in the future. Make sure you give them information in a way that they can change easily. Others may prefer graphs or pie charts, while others may supply an excel file to play with the numbers.
- Providing Action Plans: It is critical to provide status reports. However, limiting your communication strategy to reports is not the ideal strategy. It hinders stakeholders' ability to provide feedback. Stakeholders will be able to provide input at an early stage if action plans are in place, which you can easily implement later.
Conclusion
A project management must include communication as a key component. It provides you with critical feedback and allows you to keep everyone in the organization informed about your activities.
Choose the ideal media for your audience and the type of content you want to share to communicate with everyone. Catchy and well-framed communication attracts attention and is less likely to be overlooked or ignored.
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