SC QUALITY GUILDCommunication plan
SCQUALITYGUILD.COM/TOOLS/COMMUNICATION-PLAN.HTML
Who hears what, how, how often and from whom, with checks that the method suits the purpose.
ON THE EXAM · CSSYB II.B.2, I.D.4 · FREE · NOTHING YOU TYPE LEAVES YOUR BROWSER
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What it is for
Most projects that fail on people rather than on analysis fail because someone important was surprised. A communication plan lists every audience, what they need to hear, how and how often, and who sends it, so nobody is left out by accident. It is built from the stakeholder analysis: everyone in "manage closely" needs a row.
Match the method to the purpose
Informing someone can be one-way: an email, a report, a board on the wall. Getting their input, a decision or their support needs a way for them to answer back: a meeting, a conversation, a call. The tool flags rows where the purpose is two-way and the method is not.
Building support is the hardest purpose and the one email does worst. Face to face is slower and works better.
Communication methods
The Yellow Belt Body of Knowledge asks about communication methods in teams as well as in projects. Formal communication goes through set channels (reports, reviews, minutes); informal goes through conversation. Verbal, written and visual methods each suit different messages: a visual board shows status at a glance; a written report records decisions; a conversation deals with concerns.
Close the loop
The last column asks how you will know the message landed. A message sent is not a message understood. For important ones, the answer should be something you can see: a question asked, a decision recorded, a sign-off.
On the Yellow Belt exam
The communication plan is topic II.B.2 of the 2022 CSSYB Body of Knowledge, and communication methods are I.D.4.