Building the Communication Plan

Kenneth has 14 years of healthcare experience in government and private industry. Over eight years of experience managing healthcare IT projects, operations, contracts, and personnel. His work experience includes project management, contracts and procurements, data analysis, claims adjudication, business writing, and business process modeling. Kenneth was certified in 2006 as a Project Management Professional.

  Communications Management   Stakeholder Management  

The communication plan will be a guide throughout the project. If it is crafted correctly, it will help long after the project is finished. The plan helps everyone know who the different parties are on the project--and how the web of communications will work during the project lifecycle.

In addition, while it may seem like a simple tool, it can carry quite a bit of weight in that it tells the project manager how to succeed through communicating and collaborating with the appropriate parties related to the project--whether they are stakeholders, decision makers or just influencers.

Who Are the Parties?
One of the basic questions that the communication plan must answer directly is: Who are the parties related to the project? There are stakeholders who have a vested interest in the success of the project. There are decision makers who will have the authority and responsibility to make decisions related to executing the project. There are influencers who can impact the outcome of a multitude of events. There are project team members who are directly involved in the project execution. All of these parties (and more) should be identified and explained in the communication plan.

Where Are the Lines Drawn?
All of the parties involved in a project have lines drawn between them. While the organizational chart might belong in the resource management plan, a view of it also …

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