Method guideDelivery

Communication Plan

A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.

ComplexityLow

Time45-90 min

Participants2-6

FormatWorkshop + async

MaturityCanonical

Plan

Prerequisite

What needs to be finished first

Complete firstInformation needs

Recipient representatives can explain the decisions or actions they need to prepare.

Mailing lists alone do not explain needs.

Complete firstOwnership

Senders and required approvers are available.

Resolve unassigned roles before the first scheduled delivery.

Preparation

What needs to be ready before start

Materials

Stakeholder list, milestones, existing channels, communication matrix and feedback log.

People / roles

Initiative owner, recipient representatives, senders and approvers where needed.

Pre-read

Bound the initiative and communication objectives; collect affected groups and existing channels.

Time needed

45–90 minutes to draft; maintenance throughout the initiative

Setup

Make the matrix accessible to senders and recipient representatives; start with one blank row per event.

Core question

The one question this method answers

Who needs which information when, from whom and through which feedback channel?

Flow

Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall

A communication plan connects information needs to message, channel, timing or trigger, ownership and feedback. Each communication event specifies how recipients can use the information.

Communication Plan· worksheet

Fictional example

A communication plan connects information needs to message, channel, timing or trigger, ownership and feedback. Each communication event specifies how recipients can use the information.

Communication Plan· worksheet
Event	Audience	Purpose and message	Channel	Trigger or cadence	Owner and approval	Feedback and review
1Describe one communication event and all responsibilities.	Participants	Activate account before course start	Email linking to instructions	Five days before launch	Lea, copy approved by course lead	Support reply; Lea checks pending activations two days before launch
2Describe one communication event and all responsibilities.	Instructors	Understand the new registration process	Short recorded demo	One week before launch	Course lead, coordination as backup	Q&A; instructors restate the process
3Describe one communication event and all responsibilities.	Support team	Handle known issues and escalations	Shared FAQ and handover	Before launch; then on material change	Support lead, technical approval by product team	Review open tickets daily during launch

1. Audience
1
Participants
2
Instructors
3
Support team
2. Purpose and message
1
Activate account before course start
2
Understand the new registration process
3
Handle known issues and escalations
3. Channel
1
Email linking to instructions
2
Short recorded demo
3
Shared FAQ and handover
4. Trigger or cadence
1
Five days before launch
2
One week before launch
3
Before launch; then on material change
5. Owner and approval
1
Lea, copy approved by course lead
2
Course lead, coordination as backup
3
Support lead, technical approval by product team
6. Feedback and review
1
Support reply; Lea checks pending activations two days before launch
2
Q&A; instructors restate the process
3
Review open tickets daily during launch

All example details are fictional and illustrate the application.

Asana: Communication Plan

1
Recipients and needs
Recipients and needs
Goal
Needs list
Inputs for this step
- Stakeholders
- Initiative objectives
Actions
- Record which decision or action information should enable for each audience.
- Ask affected groups about needs, language and accessibility.
Output
Needs list
Does every audience have a specific information purpose?
Quality check
Does every audience have a specific information purpose?
Pitfall
Everyone receives the same status report. Group by action needed and remove unnecessary messages.
Timing: 10–15 minutes
2
Messages and channels
Messages and channels
Goal
Message-channel mapping
Inputs for this step
- Needs list
- Available channels
Actions
- Define a key message and suitable channel for each event; link a clear source of truth.
- Check confidentiality and access with a recipient representative.
Output
Message-channel mapping
Does the channel reach the group clearly and on time?
Quality check
Does the channel reach the group clearly and on time?
Pitfall
The channel requires access that guests lack. Choose an accessible channel or provision access first.
Timing: 10–15 minutes
3
Cadence and ownership
Cadence and ownership
Goal
Scheduled communication matrix
Inputs for this step
- Message-channel mapping
- Milestones
Actions
- Agree date or event trigger, sender, backup and required approval for each message.
- Check lead time and overlaps with other updates.
Output
Scheduled communication matrix
Is it clear who acts on which trigger?
Quality check
Is it clear who acts on which trigger?
Pitfall
Weekly delivery is planned but nobody prepares content. Assign a responsible person and realistic preparation date.
Timing: 10–15 minutes
4
Feedback and maintenance
Feedback and maintenance
Goal
Agreed feedback and review cycle
Inputs for this step
- Communication matrix
- Initial feedback
Actions
- Define a question route and comprehension signal for each row; review after first use.
- Carry misunderstandings, missed updates and changed needs into the next version.
Output
Agreed feedback and review cycle
Do we check understanding beyond delivery counts?
Quality check
Do we check understanding beyond delivery counts?
Pitfall
A sent newsletter counts as understood information. Ask recipients about the next action and review responses.
Timing: 10–20 minutes

Artifact

What comes out at the end

Sketch: what the artifact looks like

Communication Plan · Audiences, Channels, and CadenceBring stakeholders, messages, channels, cadence, and owners into a testable communication plan

Form

Communication matrix with audience, purpose/message, channel, trigger/cadence, owner and feedback plus review date.

Versioning / ownership

Record date and scope; retain the previous version and reason when changing it.

Tool alternatives

Spreadsheet
Shared document table
Project board with communication events

communication-plan-working-template.md

Bound the initiative and communication objectives; collect affected groups and existing channels.

Communication Plan: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Complete cycle Time: 45–90 minutes to draft; maintenance throughout the initiative

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

Materials: Stakeholder list, milestones, existing channels, communication matrix and feedback log.
Roles: Initiative owner, recipient representatives, senders and approvers where needed.
Advance information: Bound the initiative and communication objectives; collect affected groups and existing channels.
Overall time needed: 45–90 minutes to draft; maintenance throughout the initiative
Setup: Make the matrix accessible to senders and recipient representatives; start with one blank row per event.

Prepare for the work steps

Recipients and needs: Recipients and needs

Stakeholders
Initiative objectives

Messages and channels: Messages and channels

Needs list
Available channels

Cadence and ownership: Cadence and ownership

Message-channel mapping
Milestones

Feedback and maintenance: Feedback and maintenance

Communication matrix
Initial feedback

Communication Plan· worksheet

Event	Audience	Purpose and message	Channel	Trigger or cadence	Owner and approval	Feedback and review
1
2
3

1: Describe one communication event and all responsibilities.
2: Describe one communication event and all responsibilities.
3: Describe one communication event and all responsibilities.

Enter one communication event per row. Check access and information needs with recipients; agree a specific owner, trigger and feedback route.

Asana: Communication Plan

Recipients and needs: Recipients and needs

Expected artifact: Needs list

Does every audience have a specific information purpose?

Entry:

...

Does every audience have a specific information purpose?

Messages and channels: Messages and channels

Expected artifact: Message-channel mapping

Does the channel reach the group clearly and on time?

Entry:

...

Does the channel reach the group clearly and on time?

Cadence and ownership: Cadence and ownership

Expected artifact: Scheduled communication matrix

Is it clear who acts on which trigger?

Entry:

...

Is it clear who acts on which trigger?

Feedback and maintenance: Feedback and maintenance

Expected artifact: Agreed feedback and review cycle

Do we check understanding beyond delivery counts?

Entry:

...

Do we check understanding beyond delivery counts?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/communication-plan/run-sheet

Example output

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.

communication-plan-beispiel.md

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example

Scope and objective: Fictional: a course platform changes enrolment; participants need to activate their accounts in time.

Communication event: Participants receive an activation-link email five days before launch. Lea sends it; questions go to support.

Effectiveness review: Two days before launch Lea checks inactive accounts and questions; unclear instructions trigger a corrected message.

Pitfalls

Recognize symptoms and steer against them

Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow

Recipients and needsEveryone receives the same status report.View in phase
Messages and channelsThe channel requires access that guests lack.View in phase
Cadence and ownershipWeekly delivery is planned but nobody prepares content.View in phase
Feedback and maintenanceA sent newsletter counts as understood information.View in phase

Stop criteria

When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach

Missing access or unclear information need: clarify the affected row with recipients before delivery.

Where to go next?

Facilitation

Storytelling

Shapes the key messages per audience into a coherent narrative.

Operations

Visual Management

Makes the agreed update cadence visible to everyone.

View in playbookPlan Stakeholder and ChangeMove from an unclear stakeholder landscape to influence strategy, communication, and adoption actions.

Finished the method guide?

Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.

Go to profile More methods

Communication Plan· worksheet

1. Audience

2. Purpose and message

3. Channel

4. Trigger or cadence

5. Owner and approval

6. Feedback and review

Recipients and needs

Messages and channels

Cadence and ownership

Feedback and maintenance

communication-plan-working-template.md

Communication Plan: Worksheet

Question

Desired outcome

Scope

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

Prepare for the work steps

Recipients and needs: Recipients and needs

Messages and channels: Messages and channels

Cadence and ownership: Cadence and ownership

Feedback and maintenance: Feedback and maintenance

Communication Plan· worksheet

Recipients and needs: Recipients and needs

Messages and channels: Messages and channels

Cadence and ownership: Cadence and ownership

Feedback and maintenance: Feedback and maintenance

Open questions and next steps

communication-plan-beispiel.md

Fictional example

Recipients and needs

Messages and channels

Cadence and ownership

Feedback and maintenance

Where to go next?

Finished the method guide?