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 For each of the stakeholders identified above, determine what their communication needs are. In order to do this, you need the following information:
| ● | Project Organization and stakeholder responsibility relationships |
| ● | Entities, disciplines, departments and specialties involved in the project |
| ● | How many individuals will be involved in the project and at which locations |
| ● | External information needs (e.g. communication with the media). |
 Depending on the specific characteristics of each stakeholder and its individual priorities, there are three general categories of communication needs.
| ● | Awareness: This refers to the dissemination of information that people want to know or that may need for their jobs. Awareness can be achieved by organizing awareness building sessions that people are invited to attend, by putting project information on the website etc. This kind of communication is particularly important with regard to the end users of the project deliverables. Keeping the end users aware of what the project is aiming to deliver, helps them to realize and understand the anticipated benefits (e.g. introduction of new technology that will facilitate them in performing their duties, construction of an infrastructure that will improve the quality of their lives, etc,), minimizing in this way the probability of reacting negatively towards the project implementation. |
| ● | Understanding: This refers to the need that specific stakeholders have a sound understanding of the purpose and the progress of the project in order to take decisions |
| ● | Commitment: This category applies mainly to the Project Steering Committee, the Project Owner and Funding Agency which are invited in certain stages of the Project life cycle to show their commitment |
Indicative examples of communication requirements for some stakeholders that are present in almost every project are as follows:
Table 7-6: Typical examples of communication requirements for different stakeholders
Stakeholder
|
Requirement
|
Project Steering Committee
|
| • | Project status information (schedule, budget and scope) |
| • | Detailed knowledge of important risks and issues |
| • | Information regarding proposed project changes (for approval) |
|
Project Manager
|
| • | Project status information (schedule, budget and scope) |
| • | Detailed knowledge of all risks and issues |
| • | Detailed knowledge of all change requests |
| • | Understanding of current project deliverables’ quality |
|
Quality Manager
|
| • | Progress of each deliverable against quality standards and criteria set |
| • | Detailed understanding of all quality issues for resolution |
|
Project team members
|
| • | Status of the activities and tasks they have been asked to perform |
| • | Awareness of events which may affect their ability to undertake their role |
|
End users
|
| • | Awareness of the anticipated benefits from project implementation in relation to their activities and duties |
| • | Understanding of the functionality, operation and usage of the end product |
|
XXXXX
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YYYYY
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