Plan Communications Management

Develops an approach for project communications based on stakeholder needs and available assets, producing the communications management plan. It decides who needs what information, when, and how.

Process Group Planning Knowledge Area Project Communications Management

Plan Communications Management designs how information will flow: what each stakeholder needs, in what format, through which channel, how often, and who is responsible. It produces the communications management plan, grounded in the stakeholder register and engagement plan.

Plan Communications Management: key inputs and outputs — The key inputs feeding Plan Communications Management and the deliverables it produces — full ITTOs are listed below.

Good planning matches the method to the need — push, pull, or interactive — and accounts for technology, culture, and urgency. Communication is the activity PMs spend most of their time on, so designing it deliberately pays off.

Common pitfalls. One-size-fits-all status reports; planning channels without confirming what stakeholders actually need; ignoring cultural and technological factors; and no feedback loop to confirm messages landed.

Inputs, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs

Inputs

Project charter
Project management plan
Project documents
Enterprise environmental factors
Organizational process assets

Tools & Techniques

Expert judgment
Communication requirements analysis
Communication technology
Communication models
Communication methods
Interpersonal and team skills
Data representation
Meetings

Outputs

Communications management plan
Project management plan updates
Project documents updates