Communication contracts

Creating a communication plan or contract is very simple but tends to be hard for inexperienced stakeholders to stick to. The contract begins with the identification of what the primary means of communication is, then the secondary means, and, if necessary, the tertiary means. This could mean stating that the first communication will occur via a specified chat program. If that fails, then via telephone, and if that fails, then via email.

Once the methods for communication are agreed upon, the means to communicate through those mediums will need to be established. If a chat program will be used, then where is that program? How do people gain access to it? Is there an expected schema for naming? Are there certain channels people will have access to? The same applies to telephone and email communications. The solution for outlining communication expectations does not have to be complicated or fancy.

The following example outlines a simple spreadsheet that...