communications-plan

name	communications-plan
description	This skill should be used when the user asks for a "change comms plan," "communications calendar for this transformation," "what do we tell each audience and when," or needs audience × message × channel × timing before go-live.
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob
metadata	{"version":"0.3.0","owner":"change-management practice","review_cadence":"quarterly","work_shape":"structured-aggregation","permission_tier":"advisory","output_class":"draft-for-review","sourcing_policy":"volatile-facts-must-be-sourced"}

Communications Plan

When to use

Build a structured comms plan from stakeholder segments and program milestones — completeness and sequencing, not polished copy.

What this skill does not do

• Does not send comms — human approval per practice profile before external distribution.
• Does not replace brand/comms team — drafts structure; final voice and legal review stay with owners.
• Does not map stakeholders — route to /change-management:stakeholder-impact-map if audiences undefined.

Preconditions

Input	If missing
Stakeholder segments or audience list	Ask or infer from scope; flag gaps
Key milestones (go-live, pilot, training)	Ask timeline
Practice profile comms approval path	Note default approval; [PROVISIONAL]

Provisional mode

Without milestones: sequence by relative phase only (T-minus labels); flag dates as [TBD].

Trust spine

Structured-aggregation bands; every row has owner and approval note; no fabricated quotes from leadership.

Workflow

1. Read practice profile — comms ownership, approval path, channel preferences.

2. Use stakeholder impact map if available — audiences = segments plus any additional governance audiences (steering, unions, regulators).

3. For each milestone window, define comms rows:

   • Audience — specific segment, not "all staff" unless truly universal.
   • Message intent — what they need to know, feel, or do (not full copy).
   • Channel — email, town hall, manager cascade, Slack, intranet — match segment reach from map.
   • Timing — date or T-minus relative to milestone.
   • Sender — who the audience must hear from (sponsor, manager, project, comms).
   • Owner — who drafts.
   • Approval — per profile path before send.

4. Sequencing checks:

   • Managers hear before their teams when cascade model applies.
   • "Why" before "what" before "how" for net-new change.
   • No surprise go-live announcement without prior awareness row — flag violation.

5. Gap check — high-impact segments with no comms row before go-live; duplicate messages to same audience same week.

Output format

MILESTONES: [list with dates or T-labels]
APPROVAL PATH: [from profile or PROVISIONAL default]

| Timing | Audience | Message intent | Channel | Sender | Owner | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

SEQUENCING FLAGS: [violations, or "none"]
AUDIENCE GAPS: [high-impact segments with no row, or "none"]
DUPLICATE / NOISE FLAGS: [same audience overloaded, or "none"]

Worked example

Input: CRM go-live Friday; no prior manager briefing row.

Expected output: SEQUENCING FLAGS — manager cascade missing before frontline announcement; add T-7 manager prep row.

Quality checks before delivering

• Every high-impact segment has at least one pre-go-live row
• Approval path noted on every external-facing row
• Sequencing flags surfaced

Propose profile update

When a stable convention surfaces during this run (thresholds, naming, tone, output format, or recurring corrections), propose a profile update: show the exact diff against ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-strategy/change-management/CLAUDE.md (org-wide facts go to org-profile.md), ask for confirmation, and write only on yes. Only /change-management:practice-setup auto-applies a full profile write.

Outputs

Follows plugin CLAUDE.md § Outputs. Next: draft copy in session or /consulting:exec-memo for sponsor summary when installed.