The effective stakeholder communication plan is a tool that helps project managers to better connect with its stakeholders and access their feedback regarding the projects. So, in this article, we’ll explain what a stakeholder communication plan is, why it is important, and the steps of creating a stakeholder engagement plan.
Table of Contents
What Is a Stakeholder Communication Plan?
Effective stakeholder communication is crucial because it allows project managers to receive feedback from their organization’s stakeholders regarding any decision that may affect them. Therefore, they can create a stakeholder communication plan to better connect with their stakeholders and access their feedback regarding major projects on the organization’s agenda. Typically, this plan may outline these elements including identifying appropriate stakeholders, defining communication objectives, planning communication activities, and selecting communication methods. However, the following are the primary goals of a stakeholder communication plan.
- To help the organization meet its goals and objectives
- To enhance the effectiveness of the company’s operations
- To improve or maintain effective relationships with the people who can influence the company’s success
Read more: Stakeholder management in project management
Why Are Stakeholder Communication Plan Important?
The stakeholder communication plan can be used as a strategy because it helps the organization manage clients and other stakeholders. Furthermore, this plan helps maintain effective communication and constantly informs them about the project’s evolution, which can significantly enhance the company’s relationship with them. Moreover, this plan helps project managers specify how important information is delivered at any project phase and what frequency can help different stakeholders be well-informed about deadlines, goals, budgets, and other project elements.
Steps for Creating a Stakeholder Communication Plan in Project Management
The following are the important steps for creating a stakeholder communication plan in project management.
Identify Project Stakeholders
The first step of creating a stakeholder communication plan is to identify who are your stakeholders and what are their roles, interests, and power level. To do that, you can use a stakeholder map or stakeholder analysis matrix to effectively categorize them according to their interest and level of influence in your decision. Furthermore, this will help project managers prioritize their communication efforts and tailor their messages to their needs and preferences.
Important💡The project stakeholders are the people who can directly or indirectly interest in the project or who can directly or indirectly influence it. Accordingly, the project stakeholders can be categorized as internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders responsible for managing, executing, and completing the project, such as the project manager, project team members, and project sponsor. External stakeholders are unrelated to the organization, but they may be interested in the project, such as contractors, clients, regulatory government bodies, and contractors.
Clearly Define Communication Objectives
The second step of creating a stakeholder communication plan is to define communication objectives. Clearly defining all communication objectives will help the company meet its goals. When defining communication objectives, the project manager can focus on these key areas to get a better understanding.
- What are the main goals and outcomes of your decisions?
- How do you want your stakeholders to feel, think, and act due to communication?
- How will you measure the success of your communication plan?
As a project manager, you should have clear and specific communication objectives. As well as that should be aligned with your decision objectives and stakeholder analysis. A clear measure of success is when all of your stakeholders are happy. On the other hand, if there is friction or a message that a stakeholder might be unhappy or misaligned, adapt your stakeholder plan.
Select Appropriate Communication Methods
The third step of a stakeholder communication plan is to select appropriate communication methods to reach your stakeholders. So, once you’ve determined what the organization needs to communicate and who it needs to send its messages to, it’s time to decide the appropriate methods that you would use to develop your plan. When selecting communication methods or channels, you should consider the frequency, format, and tone of your communication, as well as the availability and accessibility of your stakeholders.
Read more: Types of communication in project management
As a project manager, you can use various communication methods, such as surveys, meetings, emails, presentations, reports, newsletters, or social media. However, these communication methods should depend on your audience and purpose. Furthermore, you should also decide who will be responsible for delivering and managing the communication.
Important💡 Before you start communicating, ask your stakeholders what way they prefer because they may have personal preferences. Some like to receive chat messages, and others prefer to talk directly over the phone.
Plan Communication Activities
The fourth step of a stakeholder communication plan is to plan the details of your communication activities, such as the timing, content, and feedback mechanisms. Furthermore, the project manager should create a communication schedule to show when and how you will communicate with each stakeholder. Moreover, you will need to define your key messages and then put them on repeat on many different channels, such as email, working groups, internal social media, etc.
Execute and Monitor the Communication Plan
The last step of a stakeholder communication plan is to execute and monitor the communication plan and make adjustments as needed. Furthermore, you should follow your communication schedule and deliver your messages as planned to ensure its success. It’s important to monitor the productiveness and impact of your communication, by measuring indicators, collecting and analyzing feedback, and evaluating outcomes. On the other hand, you should report on your communication results and progress, and seek input from your stakeholders on how to improve your communication plan.
Conclusion
The effective stakeholder communication plan is a tool that will help project managers maintain better relationships with stakeholders. Identifying project stakeholders, defining communication objectives, selecting appropriate communication methods, planning communication activities, and executing and monitoring the communication plan are steps for creating an effective stakeholder communication plan.
