On Saturday, January 13, 2018, a missile alert sent via text message terrified the citizens of Hawaii.
“SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” the message read.
Shortly thereafter, it was determined that it was a false alarm and Hawaii was not under attack, but those affected didn't learn of it until almost 15 minutes later. In the meantime, all they could do was seek safety and wait for what might happen. Hawaii is within striking distance of North Korea, and such a warning should certainly be taken seriously. In this case, however, an employee pressed the wrong button and accidentally triggered the alarm.
Not only the man's mistake, but also the actions taken—or lack of action—by the authorities led to one of the largest communication breakdowns in recent history. We chile telemarketing data can all learn from this incident.
It's obvious that a better communications plan would have been extremely helpful, but who couldn't use one?
Why you should create a communication plan
Even with the best people, the best equipment, and the best project management software money can buy, a project can go down the drain due to a miscommunication.
An important message is not communicated clearly and is sent to the wrong recipients, the follow-up message is not sent in time (or through the wrong communication channels), and suddenly millions of people think that Hawaii is under missile attack.
Even if this is an extreme disaster, a good communication plan is crucial for any project. Good decisions are based on good communication – and the following plan will help ensure this within your team.
After all, you never know what unexpected changes might occur in a project, and if the information strategy has been defined in advance, you save a lot of time and confusion.
Communication plan: template for a checklist
This checklist contains all the important points that need to be addressed before delivering a message. It can be used in virtually any situation, provided that, as a project manager, you're able to think outside the box and fill in the gaps with customized information.
To help, each step is based on a question that should be answered before proceeding.