1. Communications Plan Gaining Support Gaining Support for Your Projects Leslie Martinich Sr Member, IEEE Founder, Competitive Focus

2. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 2 Overview Identify stakeholders Assess interests Plan for effective communications Get your ducks in a row!

3. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 3 Why Increase chances of project completion Increase chances of project success Without support, projects often fail

4. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 4 Direction Executive Staff Project Team CustomersColleagues Engineers, Testers, Trainers, Writers, Support Staff Project Managers, Peers End Users, Sales, Marketing Managers, Director, VP, CEO

5. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 5 Identify Stakeholders Consider a project you are working on or an idea you would like to promote Who are the stakeholders?

6. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 6 Sources of Resistance Indifference Resource contention Change Jostling for position Oblivious to value Different priorities

7. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 7 Testing Assumptions Is this project important? Why or why not? Does this project align with corporate goals? Executive Staff

8. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 8 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

9. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 9 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

10. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 10 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?

11. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 11 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

12. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 12 Resource Contention Financial People Glory Lab space and time Equipment

13. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 13 Dealing with Change New way of doing things How does that affect the stakeholder?

14. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 14 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?

15. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 15 Risk CategoryRisk ItemProbabilityLossArea Impacted Require- ments Techno- logy Organiza- tional Budget Customer

16. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 16 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?

17. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 17 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?

18. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 18 Technology Risks Does this project use an innovative technology? Is the technology changing rapidly? Are the suppliers’ businesses at risk?

19. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 19 Budget Risks Are equipment resources available when needed? Might the project exhaust funds prior to completion?

20. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 20 Customer Risk Does the customer have a history of being difficult?

21. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 21 Areas Impacted? Project cost Project schedule Project functionality Operational behavior Support

22. Communications Plan Gaining Support Nov 5, 2008Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com 22 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?

23. Gaining Support Communications Plan Nov 5, 2008 Leslie Martinich leslie@CompetitiveFocus.com 23 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?

24. Gaining Support Communications Plan Nov 5, 2008 Leslie Martinich leslie@CompetitiveFocus.com 24 Communications Planning CustomerColleagueDirector 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?

25. Gaining Support Communications Plan Nov 5, 2008 Leslie Martinich leslie@CompetitiveFocus.com 25 Communications Planning CustomerColleagueDirector 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?

26. Gaining Support Communications Plan Nov 5, 2008 Leslie Martinich leslie@CompetitiveFocus.com 26 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.

27. Gaining Support Communications Plan Nov 5, 2008 Leslie Martinich leslie@CompetitiveFocus.com 27 Execute Your Plan! What have you learned? How will you use it? Execute your plan Get your ducks in a row! Keep your commitments!

28. Gaining Support Communications Plan Nov 5, 2008 Leslie Martinich leslie@CompetitiveFocus.com 28 Questions? Contact information: Leslie Martinich leslie@competitivefocus.com lmartinich@ieee.org (512) 423-5121