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Communications Plan ning

A collaborative technique used in SBOK Scrum to decide how information will flow among the Scrum Team and stakeholders throughout releases and sprints. It defines channels, cadences, responsibilities, and feedback loops, producing a lightweight, living Communications Plan.

Key Points

  • Focuses on who needs what information, when, how often, and through which channel.
  • Emphasizes lightweight, visible, pull-based communication such as information radiators.
  • Co-created by the Scrum Master, Product Owner, Development Team, and key stakeholders.
  • Set up early and refined at release planning and during Sprint Retrospectives.
  • Defines meeting cadences, reporting expectations, and escalation paths.
  • Outputs a Communications Plan that guides day-to-day interactions and stakeholder engagement.

Purpose of Analysis

The goal is to match communication needs with the most effective channels and frequencies, supporting transparency and fast decision-making. By analyzing stakeholder interests, availability, and constraints, the team ensures the right people receive the right information at the right time.

This planning also reduces noise and rework by clarifying responsibilities, expectations, and feedback mechanisms for each sprint and release.

Method Steps

  • Identify stakeholders and segment them by influence, interest, and information needs.
  • Map key Scrum events and artifacts to communication goals, such as Sprint Review for stakeholder feedback.
  • Select channels and formats: sprint reviews, daily scrums, product backlog radiators, dashboards, chat, email, and demos.
  • Define cadences and timeboxes for meetings, reports, and posts to information radiators.
  • Assign responsibilities for sending, receiving, and acknowledging information, including escalation paths.
  • Establish feedback loops and confirmation methods to validate that messages were understood.
  • Create or adapt templates for updates, demo invitations, and status summaries.
  • Review, socialize, and get buy-in; then inspect and adapt at each retrospective or when conditions change.

Inputs Needed

  • Project vision and high-level release goals.
  • Stakeholder list with roles, time zones, and availability.
  • Product backlog structure and planned sprint length.
  • Organizational policies, tooling standards, and compliance requirements.
  • Team working agreements and Definition of Done.
  • Risks and constraints relevant to communication, such as distributed teams.

Outputs Produced

  • Communications Plan with stakeholder-channel-cadence matrix.
  • Meeting calendar covering Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Backlog Refinement, Sprint Review, and Retrospective.
  • Information radiator plan, such as task boards, burndown charts, and release dashboards.
  • Templates and guidelines for updates, demo invites, and decision logs.
  • Escalation paths and contact list for rapid issue resolution.

Interpretation Tips

  • Prefer face-to-face or video for complex topics; use async channels for routine updates.
  • Keep the plan minimal and visible; optimize for rapid feedback and reduced handoffs.
  • Align communication cadences with sprint and release timeboxes.
  • Measure effectiveness by stakeholder engagement in reviews and clarity of backlog decisions.
  • Adapt quickly when stakeholder needs, team distribution, or tools change.

Example

A distributed Scrum Team agrees that Sprint Review demos occur every second Friday via video, recorded and shared within 24 hours. Product backlog changes are posted to the information radiator daily, with a weekly stakeholder summary highlighting top epics and risks.

The Scrum Master maintains the calendar and ensures invites include objectives and acceptance criteria for demoed stories. Escalations flow to the Product Owner for priority decisions within one business day.

Pitfalls

  • Over-documenting and creating a heavy plan that no one uses.
  • Ignoring time zones and accessibility, causing missed events and poor engagement.
  • Too many channels leading to mixed messages and duplication of work.
  • Static plans that are not updated after retrospectives or team changes.
  • Bypassing the Product Owner for backlog decisions, causing misalignment.

PMP/SCRUM Example Question

During Sprint 1, several stakeholders miss the demo and later complain they did not receive clear invitations. What should the Scrum Master do next?

  1. Extend the sprint to reschedule the demo for all stakeholders.
  2. Create a daily email status report summarizing progress and blockers.
  3. Update the Communications Plan to include standardized demo invites, a shared calendar, and a recording distribution process.
  4. Ask the Product Owner to send a weekly executive summary instead of holding demos.

Correct Answer: C — Update the Communications Plan to include standardized demo invites, a shared calendar, and a recording distribution process.

Explanation: The issue is a planning and channel/cadence gap. Improving and socializing the Communications Plan aligns with Scrum events and maintains transparency without changing the sprint.

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