Communication Programme
Design the communication programme to be used to keep stakeholders informed of IT developments, future plans, and other issues — for example, through the use of annual IT reports, IT strategy forums, and IT briefing papers. The frequency of communication is likely to vary depending on issues such as the target audience and message criticality.
Improvement Planning
Practices-Outcomes-Metrics (POM)
Representative POMs are described for Communication Programme at each level of maturity.
- 1Initial
- Outcome
- IT communications only prepared in response to emerging issues or major new projects.
- Metrics
- # IT unsolicited communications planned.
- # IT communications issued.
- 2Basic
- Practices
- Define key IT messages to deliver to key areas in the business using 1–2 channel(s).
- Mostly tactical messages in reaction to emerging issues and key projects.
- Outcome
- Develop and support consistency in IT dealings with other business entities.
- Metrics
- # key messages defined per relationship.
- % key messages delivered.
- 3Intermediate
- Practice
- Develop IT communication plan to deliver key messages to a general audience through a limited number of channels.
- Outcome
- IT plans communications in advance, rather than adopting a reactive or purely tactical stance.
- Metrics
- # key messages defined per relationship.
- % key messages delivered.
- Practice
- Present IT communications plan to key business entities and agree content with the business before plan is finalized.
- Outcomes
- Business is cognizant of IT communications plan content and agrees with content.
- Plan still revolves around internal IT planning cycle rather than business plans and events).
- Metric
- # areas of the business signing off on IT communications plan
- 4Advanced
- Practice
- Develop IT communication plan jointly with the business, developing plan around key business plans and events, and targeting messages at wide audience using all relevant channels.
- Outcome
- IT communication plan is aligned with business plans.
- Metrics
- # IT communication plans defined jointly with business.
- % key messages delivered.
- Practice
- Review delivery methods to measure the effectiveness of communications.
- Outcome
- IT organization is confident that their communications are received and understood by the relevant people in the business and, where appropriate, acted upon.
- Metric
- % response rate to calls-to-action
- 5Optimized
- Practice
- Develop IT communications programme in conjunction with the business targeted at discrete audiences (to level of individual, where appropriate).
- Outcome
- Messages are customized to specific audiences, enhancing relevance to recipients.
- Metrics
- # IT communication plans defined jointly with business.
- % key messages delivered.
- % customer satisfaction (internal customers).
- Practice
- Review delivery methods and feedback metrics of IT communications program in order to optimize process.
- Outcome
- Enables continuous improvements in the IT communications programmes, giving confidence that the right messages are being delivered to the right people.
- Metrics
- % customer satisfaction (internal customers).
- % response rate to calls-to-action.