Communications Plan Gaining Support Gaining Support for Your Projects Leslie Martinich Sr Member,...
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Transcript of Communications Plan Gaining Support Gaining Support for Your Projects Leslie Martinich Sr Member,...
Com
munications P
lanG
aining Support
Gaining Support for Your Projects
Leslie Martinich
Sr Member, IEEE
Founder, Competitive Focus
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Com
munications P
lanG
aining Support
Overview
• Identify stakeholders
• Assess interests
• Plan for effective communications
• Get your ducks in a row!
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Com
munications P
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aining Support
Why
• Increase chances of project completion
• Increase chances of project success
• Without support, projects often fail
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Com
munications P
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aining Support
Direction
Executive Staff
Project Team
CustomersColleagues
Engineers, Testers, Trainers, Writers, Support Staff
Project Managers, Peers
End Users, Sales, Marketing
Managers, Director, VP, CEO
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Identify Stakeholders
• Consider a project you are working on or an idea you would like to promote
• Who are the stakeholders?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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aining Support
Sources of Resistance
• Indifference
• Resource contention
• Change
• Jostling for position
• Oblivious to value
• Different priorities
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Testing Assumptions
• Is this project important?
• Why or why not?
• Does this project align with corporate goals?
Executive Staff
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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aining Support
Testing Assumptions
• Does this product meet a need?
• Is it important for you to have this product?
• Are there any difficulties for you in adopting this product?
• How does this product compare to those of our competitors?
Customers
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Testing Assumptions
• Does this project conflict with or complement other projects?
• What resources do we share?
• How might building this project affect your projects?
Colleagues
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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aining Support
Testing Assumptions
• What opportunity does this project represent for you?
• Are there any difficulties for you in working on this project?
Project Team
• What risks does this project represent for you?
• What risks do you see for the project itself?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Alignment
• Gather the data, initially informally
• Note inconsistencies, conflicts
• Pay attention to fears
• Pay attention to changes that this project assumes or requires
• Modify project objectives to get into alignment; check again
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Com
munications P
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aining Support
Resource Contention
• Financial
• People
• Glory
• Lab space and time
• Equipment
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Dealing with Change
• New way of doing things
• How does that affect the stakeholder?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Priorities
• Do others have a different view of the priority of this project from yours?
• Why?
• Do they need education, information about the project?
• Do they value something else more?
• What are their assumptions?
• What are their objectives?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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aining Support
Risk
Category Risk Item Probability Loss Area Impacted
Require-ments
Techno-logy
Organiza-tional
Budget
Customer
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Requirements Risk
• Are requirements unstable?
• Likely to change throughout the project?
• Is the user interface likely to change?
• Does the customer have unwritten expectations?
• Are requirements ambiguous? Missing?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Organizational Risk
• Are there enough people on this project?
• Does the staff lack needed skills?
• Is there a reorganization likely?
• Does the project team lack upper management support?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Technology Risks
• Does this project use an innovative technology?
• Is the technology changing rapidly?
• Are the suppliers’ businesses at risk?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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aining Support
Budget Risks
• Are equipment resources available when needed?
• Might the project exhaust funds prior to completion?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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aining Support
Customer Risk
• Does the customer have a history of being difficult?
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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aining Support
Areas Impacted?
• Project cost
• Project schedule
• Project functionality
• Operational behavior
• Support
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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aining Support
Risk Assessment
• Using the Risk Assessment worksheet, describe the risks you and others see to your project.
• What will be affected (cost, schedule, functionality) if the possible risk occurs?
Gaining S
upport
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Communications Planning
• For each stakeholder– How does this project represent change?– What are his or her goals?– What are his or her fears?– What risks does the project present to this
person?– What is her or her communication preference?
Gaining S
upport
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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munications P
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Communications PlanningCustomer Colleague Director
Change
Goals
Fears
Risks
Communication
Preference
What change does this project represent for this person?
What are his or her goals?
What are his or her fears?
Does this person prefer face-to-face or written?
What risks does this project present?
Gaining S
upport
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Communications Planning
Customer Colleague Director
Needs
Shared Interests
Format
Feedback
What do you need from this person?
What interests do you share with this person?
What format will your communication take?
How will you get feedback from this person?
Gaining S
upport
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Planning Activity
• Select a project you are working on, or one you would like to propose. Work through the Communications Preparation worksheet. You need not fill in every cell; try to fill in what you know.
• Review your plans within your group.
Gaining S
upport
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Execute Your Plan!
• What have you learned?
• How will you use it?
• Execute your plan
• Get your ducks in a row!
• Keep your commitments!
Gaining S
upport
Nov 5, 2008 Leslie [email protected]
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Questions?
Contact information:
Leslie Martinich
(512) 423-5121