PM Excellence AcademyModule 6 · Quick Reference

The Communication Plan

One page. Read it off the work plan, segment it by audience, and carry it into the kickoff. Keep this open while you build your plan in the Communication Planner.

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The principle

Communication is a plan, not a personality

You don’t rise to the level of your communication skills. You fall to the level of your communication plan.
StructuredFollows a predictable format — everyone knows what each exchange is for.
On a cadenceHappens at planned times, scheduled before the work starts.
RecordedLeaves a trail — decisions and actions captured.
Produces outcomesEvery exchange yields a decision or action that wouldn’t happen otherwise.

Planning is deciding that these exist and what they produce. Running them well is a skill — that lives in Managing Execution.

The link

Read it off the work plan

  • Pull-plan handoffs→Standing internal + consultant coordination
  • Consultant interfaces→Consultant coordination cadence, owner per interface
  • Milestones (30/60/90%)→Client review touchpoints on the milestone dates
  • Decision gates→Client decision conversations, with lead time
  • Resource / labor plan→Internal team roster + check-in rhythm
  • Earned Value baseline→Status-reporting cadence — what, to whom

The template

Three audiences, five attributes

AudienceCadenceChannelDecision rightsRecordsOwner
Internal teamWeekly pulse + rolling look-aheadStand-up / working sessionApproach within scopeAction logProject Manager
Consultant teamBiweekly coordinationCoordination meeting + issue logInterface & handoff commitmentsMinutes + interface logProject Manager
Client (Owner)Milestone reviews + decision gatesFormal review; PM single voiceScope, fee, and schedule changesWritten summary + decisionsPM · PiC

Every line has a name against it. Structured, not scripted — the plan sets the rhythm; the skill runs the room.

The client calendar

Decision & review touchpoints (template)

ms1 − 3 wk
Owner basis-of-design / systems selection
Bring options + cost of delay — the decision that gates the phase
ms1
50% DD Progress Set — Owner + consultant review
Confirm direction; surface open issues
ms2
DD Estimate reconciled to the budget
Client budget decision
ms3
DD Package submitted for Owner approval
Contractual milestone

The Communication Planner fills these weeks in from your committed milestone dates.

When it slips

Decision rights & escalation

TeamResolves within the work.→
Project ManagerOwns the intersections; surfaces early.→
Principal-in-ChargeFirm-level judgment & client risk.→
ClientDecides scope, fee, schedule.

Escalate on impact to scope, schedule, or fee — agree the path before the project starts, so raising an issue is a step, not a crisis.

The one thing
to remember
Read it off the work plan; segment by audience; carry it into the kickoff.
A work plan says what happens. A communication plan says how the team stays aligned while it happens.
Build yours in the Communication Planner →