Hello Reader,

Project communication can look perfectly healthy on the surface.

The status reports go out. Meetings happen. Stakeholders get updates. The comms plan exists somewhere.

But are people actually getting the information they need, at the right time, in a way that helps them understand, decide and act?

I’ve created a Project Communications Health Check to help you find out, and I've tested it on one of my projects! Which made me realise I should write down that comms plan that's in my head.

It’s a practical, Excel-based self-assessment that takes you through project communication across the whole lifecycle, from initiation and planning through to delivery, stakeholder engagement and closure.

It covers 90+ areas of good communication practice, including:

• stakeholder communication needs and preferences
• communication planning and key project moments
• governance and executive reporting
• choosing the right channel for the message
• creating shared understanding around complex topics
• communication approvals and accessibility
• challenging behaviour and stakeholder conflict
• measuring whether your communications are actually working
• using AI appropriately in project communications
• capturing communication lessons for future projects

You score each area Red, Amber or Green, and the workbook automatically calculates your results.

There’s a dashboard showing your score by project phase, a five-level communication maturity assessment and an action planner so you can turn the gaps you identify into practical improvements.

It’s designed to be useful whether you run the whole assessment on a current project or simply use the relevant tab as a quick health check at different points in the lifecycle.

And I’m giving it away to people who complete my Project Communications Survey.

I’m currently researching how project managers communicate in the real world, and I’d really value your experience.

Complete the survey (it will take 5 minutes, there's only one compulsory question) and, at the end, you’ll get access to the Project Communications Health Check to use on your own projects, plus a worked example so you can see how to use it.

Thanks in advance for contributing to the research. Your answers will help us all understand what project communication actually looks like in practice, in a world of more complex projects, with AI and stakeholders who are glued to their phones but not actually giving you any attention.

I'll share the results later this year!

Have a lovely week,

Elizabeth