Communications plan - Part1 Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

Communications plan - Part1 Case Solution

Communication Methods and Technologies

Communication methods for the project will include verbal communications, team meetings, telecommunications, emails and others.

The technologies that are to be used for the purpose of the project include telecommunication, online messaging services (emails) and others.

The technologies and method that will be used by CAT machinery in order to communicate with each other in order to discuss or resolve any issues will be through the following mediums.

Share point will be use to send updates regarding the project, record various reports, and perform project communications. It will let shareholders to access data related to the project and communication at any point using compatible technology. In order to gain access to share point each shareholder will be provided with a password.
MS software will be used to design schedule for communicating schedules to the stakeholder. The schedule related to the project will be share on the SharePoint platform.
In case of any urgent query or concern that need immediate attention will be communicated using E-mails and meetings.
In case the concern member are not present video conferencing will be done for communication purpose.

Communications Matrix

The following table identifies the communications requirements for this project.

Communication Type	Objective of Communication	Medium	Frequency	Audience	Owner	Deliverable	Format
Documents (draft)	To review the project and decide whether to accept it or not.	Email.	Before start of project	· Project Sponsor · Project Team · Stakeholders	Project Manager	· Project review	· Soft copy and on SharePoint.
Project Team Meetings	Ensure the team members are aware regarding their roles and duties in the project	Group meeting in group meeting hall	Every week	· Project Team	Project Manager	· Agenda · Meeting Minutes · Project schedule	· Soft copy archived on project SharePoint
finance budgeting	Discussion regarding the expense of the project	Email, SharePoint	As Needed	· Project financial analysist	finance Lead	· Agenda · Meeting Minutes	· Soft copy of expense budget.
Monthly Project Status Meetings	Discuss monthly progress of the project	Face to Face Telecommunication / Emails	Every Month	· PMO	Project Manager	· Slide updates · Project schedule	· Hardcopy
Project Reports	Report the progress of the project including expenses, work packages completed and others	Email / Paper Documents	Every month / fortnight	· Project Sponsor · Project Team · Stakeholders · PMO	Project Manager	· Project Status Report · Project schedule	· Soft copy and hardcopy

Communication Flowchart

Guidelines for Meetings

Meeting Agenda

The agenda of the meeting will be specified and communicated to the stakeholders at least five days prior to the meeting.

Meeting Minutes

The minutes of the meeting will be communicated to the stakeholder at least two days before the proposed meeting schedule.

Action Items

Action items will be specified and communicated to the stakeholders along with the agenda and minutes.

Meeting Chair Person

The chair person will be decided by the vote of the stakeholders and will be confirmed before the meeting schedule.

Note Taker

One of the stakeholders involved in the meeting will be the note taker and will take notes from the proceedings in the meeting. Again, he will communicate with other stakeholders after meeting to provide a copy of the notes.

Time Keeper

One of the stakeholders will keep time throughout the course of the meeting.

Parking Lot

The parking lot tool will be used in order to discuss some items that are not included in the agenda of the meeting.

Communication Standards

CAT Machinery needs to follow certain communication standards that are specified below:

Document draft approval meeting – before the starts of the project all the stakeholders will approve or disapprove the draft presented in the meeting.

Project Team Meetings – This is to ensure all the team members are aware about the requirements of the project and have a clear idea regarding what to do.

Finance team Meetings – This meeting is specifically based on the funds that will be needed during the course of the particular project.

Monthly Project Status Meetings – This is required to communicate to the management or project manager regarding the progress of the project.

Project Status Reports – Project status reports contain the evidences regarding the progress in the project.

Communication Escalation Process

Priority	Definition	Decision Authority	Timeframe for Resolution
Priority 1	Significantly negative impact on the existing project / long term impact on the business of the company	Project sponsor	4 Hours or Sooner
Priority 2	Medium impact on project, can be regulated with time / Cost issues	Project manager	Within one working day
Priority 3	Minor impact on the project	HR	Within two working days
Priority 4	Very minor impact / can be avoided easily	HR	During the course of work

Glossary of Communication Terminology

Term	Definition
Communication	This is the process through which, the stakeholders pass information to another stakeholder. Without communication between the stakeholders, the progress of the project cannot be measured and monitored resulting in failure of the project. Communication in project is not simply about verbal communication regarding needs and requirements but also involve other forms of communication like telecommunication, emails, team meetings and others.
Stakeholder	Stakeholders are people or a group of people that specific duties and roles in the project. They must carry out all their roles and responsibilities assigned to them during the entire course of the project.
Communications Management Plan	This is a plan that is prepared to ensure all the stakeholders are appropriately communicating with each other throughout the course of the project.
Escalation	Escalation is a form of reporting to bring the attention of a responsible stakeholder group to a particular issue that has arisen during the execution of the project.