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be informed of the actions taken and the outcomes of the response plans.

Milestones Milestones can be a communication trigger because it’s good news when
they are achieved on time and within budget but not so good news when they are not
completed on time or within budget. Both cases are cause for an update to the
stakeholders.

Schedule Changes I mentioned changes a little earlier, but schedule changes are so
important it’s worth mentioning on its own. Schedules have a way of becoming etched

in the minds of project sponsors and key stakeholders, and they will continuously
remind you of the project end date. They will want to know whether the schedule slips
for any reason, and it’s generally delightful news to share that you have completed
deliverables or milestones ahead of schedule.

Remember that schedules are also one of the triple constraints on any project.

Task Initiation/Completion This communication trigger is typically at the team
level, rather than the stakeholder level. Project team members appreciate hearing
“great job” when tasks are completed on time. Starting new tasks is another

opportunity for the project team to communicate with the project manager.

Stakeholder Changes Stakeholders will sometimes request changes to the project.
Executive stakeholders are notorious for thinking they don’t have to follow process.
They also might think because of their status in the organization, any change they
request should be granted. If you find yourself in this situation, enlist the help of your
project sponsor or other key stakeholders to explain the importance of communicating
changes with all the stakeholders and weighing the pros and cons of the change

requests.

Gate Reviews Gate reviews occur at predetermined points in the project. These could
be defined by the PMO, or the gate reviews can be designated by the project manager
and agreed upon by the stakeholders. Gate reviews may occur at the end of each
project phase (Initiating, Planning, Executing, and so on) or once certain milestones or
deliverables are achieved.

Business Continuity Response The business continuity response plan outlines
how the business can continue providing its services or products to their customers in
case of a disaster. It describes how business will continue operating including where
people should report if they can no longer work at their regular location, an emergency
contact list, and how to recover from the disaster and resume operations. Obviously,
this is a case where communications should be frequent, effective, and efficient.

Incident Response Incident response is similar to business continuity response only

on a smaller, individualized basis. For example, a flood might impact a portion of your
warehouse. That would require an incident response to deal with that occurrence.
Business can still be conducted, but the flooded parts of the warehouse must be
addressed along with any damaged goods. A flood that impacts your day-to-day
operations and prevents you from conducting business as usual and/or requires you

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