ITIL Communication Plan

To be successful with ITIL process implementation it is important to have an ITIL Communication Plan in place. A good ITIL Communication Plan identifies people with an interest in the project (stakeholders), communication needs, and methods of communication. Communication planning helps to ensure that everyone who needs to be informed about project activities and results gets the needed information. Communication Plan is part of the Project Initiation Document describing how the project’s stakeholders and interested parties will be kept informed during the project.

A very important step in implementation of an ITIL Communication Plan is Configuration Management. The object of Configuration Management is to provide a logical model of the IT infrastructure by identifying, controlling, maintaining and verifying the version of all Configuration Items in existence.  Configuration Management is used to account for all IT assets, to provide accurate information to support other Service Management processes, to provide a sound a base for Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management, to verify records against infrastructure and to correct exceptions.

The objective of creating an ITIL Communication Plan is to educate, inform, energize, and engage all of the constituents for the plan, about the plan. Without adequate communication throughout the planning process, you run the risk of creating a fabulous plan that never has the opportunity to be implemented. Your communication plan should begin at the beginning — at the point where you assemble your planning team and begin the planning process. Who needs to know that this is happening? Who needs to be involved in selecting representatives to serve on the planning committee? Who needs to approve the planning committee’s charter? Be sure that the leadership or key representatives from each of the constituent groups is informed about the planning effort right from the start. This includes the School Board. Don’t wait to get on a School Board meeting agenda. Bringing your proposed charter for the planning effort to them at the beginning for approval will help ensure their support for your efforts right from the start.

With a strong ITIL Communication Plan, you can start to develop a broad base of support for your group and for your planning effort. Communicating with all of the potential constituencies will allow you to take advantage of information and resources from each arena that may be critical to the success of your plan. Communication with a broad audience can also help identify issues and opportunities earlier in the process, potentially broadening the scope of the plan and helping to avoid pitfalls or what would simply have been missed opportunities along the way. Your communication efforts can also include educating the constituencies about the benefits of educational technology and the impact technology may already be having on teaching and learning in your school or district, thus raising their level of understanding and increasing your base of support.

When developing your communication plan, keep the following tips in mind:

• Set up a tracking system (i.e., journal, scrapbook, video spots, photographs)
• Have a creative person develop a look for all your strategic-planning documents and printed material.
• Incorporate two-way communication utilizing your local area network (LAN).
• Consider all of your audiences as "customers."
• Build in community involvement.
• Use the plan to your advantage.
• Segment the community into separate, manageable parts.
• Organize a steering committee where membership allows and encourages discussion. Make sure the members understand their responsibility.
• Possible communication vehicles include: PTA/Home-school meeting programs; community town meetings; media releases.
• Begin early. Announce the district's participation in strategic planning.
• Announce public meetings, dates and locations.
• Request volunteers for action teams.
• Acknowledge significant milestones through the process (i.e., vision, beliefs, environmental scan surprises).
• After the draft plan is completed, allow for a 30-day public viewing. (Mark all draft documents with DRAFT during a review.)
• Incorporate on-going implementation activities.
• Include detailed information on beliefs, missions, etc in a district newsletter.
• Allow the completed plan/final document to be used as a marketing tool for group presentations, discussion starters, town meetings, etc.