COMMUNICATION PLAN

The Communication plan (cp) is the vehicle that converts strategic intent into execution. It is a detailed, written document spelling out the communication objectives that are derived from, and aligned with identified communication goals. The communication plan tells the story of how specific communication goals will be put into action. It translates broad communication goals into specific, measurable objectives sta!eholders into target audiences and communication themes into messages tailored for these target audiences. "t the core of the Communication plan is the implementation strategy # a clear articulation of the !ind and combination of media, tactics and tools to be used in getting the right messages to the right audiences with the right effects. "s a plan type, the Communication plan provides a series of logical planning steps that can be used to develop any !ind of communication intervention, be it a communication programme, project, plan or campaign. In the communication literature there are several variations of what constitutes a systematic approach to communication planning. The following steps have been selected for use in this software$ Step 1: "nalyse the situation Step 2: %econfirm or set (new) communication goal(s) Step 3: &et objectives and craft messages Step 4: &et efficiency targets Step 5: 'ecide on implementation strategy Step 6: 'etermine and specify the communication activities Step 7: &et budgets Step 8: &et evaluation methodology Step 9: (enerate Communication activities

ANALYSE THE SITUATION

The situation analysis is an in)depth examination of the situation that has motivated the Communication plan. If the user has followed the steps in the first level of the 'igital *anagement software, the situation to be analysed in the communication plan will be lin!ed to a reputation ris! or !ey organisational priority that was identified in the process of +nterprise &trategy development. ,i!ewise, if the user has followed the steps in the second level of this software, the situation to be analysed in this Communication plan will be lin!ed to a communication goal that was either set in$ i. ii. &tep - of the Communication strategy plan type (addressing a strategic organisational priority identified) or &tep . of the Communication strategy plan type (resulting from the issue analysis and sta!eholder assessment around a reputation ris!).

In practice, a &/0T "nalysis (an acronym for the internal &trengths and /ea!nesses of an organisation, as well as its external 0pportunities and Threats) is often considered a useful tool in conducting a situation analysis. 1owever, because of the strategic alignment in this software as pointed out above, the 0pportunities for the organisation have already been identified in (i) and the Threats facing the organisation in (ii). It is thus recommended that the user selecting to conduct a &/0T here should focus on an analysis of the internal &trengths and /ea!nesses of both the organisation and the communication function. " strength is a resource, s!ill, or distinctive competence that gives the organisation2communication function a comparative advantage, e.g. financial resources, a good reputation or an open communication climate. " wea!ness is a limitation or deficiency in resource, s!ills or capabilities that seriously impede effective performance e.g. inade3uate facilities, a lac! of management capabilities or communication s!ills. The analysis should be used as a logical framewor! guiding systematic discussion of the organisation2communication function4s specific situation with regards to the communication to be planned and implemented. "ll aspects of the specific situation must be studied thoroughly to discover which specific attitudes, opinions and behaviour should be changed, among which specific sta!eholders, and what !inds of communication will be re3uired to achieve these ends. The Communication plan could however also be developed to address a strategic issue2reputation ris! identified by another function (such as *ar!eting, 1uman %esources or 5inance) or it could be an ad hoc or stand)alone plan being developed to address an unforeseen situation. In this case, it might be useful to conduct a full &/0T analysis to determine a uni3ue opportunity to favourably influence sta!eholder attitude, opinion or behaviour towards the organisation (i.e. a pro)active plan) or to determine whether action is re3uired in response to the development of unfavourable attitudes, opinion or behaviour towards the organisation (i.e. a reactive plan). /hatever the situation that prompted the Communication plan, the latter should always fit the organisational culture. 5ormative research (studying internal or external target audiences and their behaviour, or even organisational documentation) is thus important at this stage of planning.

RECONFIRM OR SET NEW COMMUNICATION OAL!S"

Communication goals provide the lin! between the communication strategy and the communication plan. In so doing, communication goals bring about strategic alignment. If the proposed steps were followed in the Communication strategy, the communication goals that were set are automatically transferred from the communication framewor! to the respective communication plans. Communication objectives can then be developed around these specific goals. 1owever, unforeseen situations will inevitably arise causing ad hoc or stand)alone plans to be drawn up that have not been previously considered and included in the communication framewor!. In these cases, it is valuable to determine within which communication goal the ad hoc plan will fall.

SET O#$ECTI%ES AN& CRAFT MESSA ES F'() *(+,- t( (./e0t12eCommunication plans should be managed strategically. 0bjectives are the single most important element in the communication planning process. 0bjectives are the justification for communication plans, and should be aligned to a specific communication goal. 'uring the preceding strategy formulation phase, communication goals were set$ flowing naturally from the strategic issues or !ey priorities for the Communication function. These goals help to direct attention and action because they specify the targets to shoot for, stating where the organisation wants to be in the long run. "ll objectives should be goal#related and should not be created in a vacuum. " number of communication objectives around which a communication plan is developed, should be stated for each goal. /hereas a goal is the destination that an organisation wants to reach in the longer term, objectives are the achievements or incremental steps mar!ing progress along the way. They are short)term, very specific and measurable$ set tas!s to be accomplished within a given time period and to a specified degree.

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Two basic types of objectives are used in communication plans$ output and impact objectives.

O4tp4t or process objectives represent the wor! to be produced (what the communication practitioner does) )) for example, the distribution or production of materials. These objectives are the focus of the communication plan, and refer to the plan4s stated intentions on programme production, effort and2or output. 5or example, 6to contact all voters in the area and provide them with literature on the electoral candidate4.

I)p+0t objectives focus on the sta!eholders. 5or example, 6to influence the voters and get a certain percentage of them to vote for your candidate4. These objectives are concerned with the desired communication programme impacts or outcomes. That is, what the organisation wants the sta!eholders to do or how they should change.

Ideally only impact objectives should be set. In the real world, however, output objectives are more common, possibly because they are easier to measure. 7nfortunately, output objectives are often unrelated to the actual impact the programme may have on its intended target audiences. There are three !inds of impact objectives$

Informational objectives include message exposure, message comprehension, or message retention by the sta!eholder. &uch objectives are appropriate when an action or event is to be publicised or a target group is to be educated. 5or example, 6to increase employee awareness of new safety procedures by 89: during the three month safety campaign4. The evaluation techni3ues to measure the achievement of these objectives are referred to as 60ut)ta!e4 measures.

"ttitudinal objectives aim to modify the way a target group feels about the organisation or about specific issues of importance to the organisation. They may consist of$

o o o

forming new attitudes where none exists. 5or example, to create favourable attitudes toward an insurance company as an investment opportunity among ;8: of its former policy) holders during the first three months after listing. reinforcing existing attitudes. 5or example, to reinforce favourable opinion toward a non)profit organisation among <9: of its past donors during *arch and "pril. changing existing attitudes. 5or example, to reverse within a period of one year, the negative attitudes towards the manufacturer of a defective product, among ;9: of former and current customers.

The evaluation techni3ues to measure the achievement of these objectives are referred to as 60utcome4 measures.

=ehavioural objectives involve the modification of behaviours towards the organisation or in relation to an issue important to the organisation. 5or example, 6to accomplish the adoption of new safety procedures among >8: of the organisation4s employees by &eptember -?4.

Impact on behaviour is usually measured either directly or indirectly. 'irect measurement has to do with behavioural proof, while indirect measurement usually assesses behavioural intent.

F'() -t+5e6(,7e'- t( t+'*et +471e30e&ta!eholders should be segmented into the smallest possible components. 5or example, 6employees4 could be segmented into the =oard, Top *anagement, *iddle *anagement, 7nion and @on)7nionised employees. 'uring this step of the communication plan, the sta!eholder segments to be reached with the planned action are referred to as the target audiences # the recipients of your messages. The objectives of the communication plan are achieved in terms of audiences and as such it is important to profile them with all available information.

C'+8t13* )e--+*e- 8'() 0e3t'+, t6e)e&imon and (arfun!el, in The Sounds of Silence, sang about people Atal!ing without spea!ing, people hearing without listeningB. It is imperative to target specific messages to specific audiences to achieve specific results. +very goal in the communication framewor! is accompanied by a communication theme. The communication theme states the organisation4s position on 6what should be communicated4. In line with this theme, specific messages should be crafted for the target audience. 0ften the messages are longer than the themes, as messages may need to be contextualised for a specific audience. If a stand)alone communication plan is designed, there will be no guiding theme. In such a case the user creates messages based on the objectives set for the plan and the target audiences profiled. +ffective communication must be designed for the situation, time and place for each audience. In message formulation we need to plan for the /II5* reaction (A/hat4s In It 5or *eB). +ffective messages have a 6self)interest appeal4 for each sta!eholder group. Ciew an example of objectives, target audiences and messages.

SET EFFICIENCY TAR ETS &'1213* e88101e309 13 C())4310+t1(3 M+3+*e)e3t

Cery little has been done in terms of unpac!ing efficiency for Corporate Communication, which in part explains why efficiency measures have been disregarded for so long. 1owever, ta!ing a few sheets from the general management boo!, it seems that setting efficiency targets # li!e setting goals and objectives # vary depending on the level of planning. *ore specifically applied to Communication *anagement, the nature of efficiency targets set in the communication strategy, communication plan and communication activity will change.

The focus in the Communication strategy will be placed on strategic management (e.g. strategic alignment, meta)planning, financial 2resource allocation, continues learning and improvement, and information system deployment) the emphasis in the Communication plan will be on project management (utilisation of resources, wor!flow, supplier management, client satisfaction), and

Ciew an example of efficiency targets

In planning Communication activities, it will be inputs and throughputs that count (e.g. process 3uality, tas! time, cycle time, activity cost).

Dlanning for operational excellence should therefore happen on every level of planning. The 3uestion to as! is how we can improve the utilisation of our scarce resources in bringing about the desired results (achieving our goals, objectives and deliverables). 0ften this boils down to process improvement. "s the emphasis in the Communication plan is on project management, it is important to design and follow an ade3uate project management process facilitating not only the planning of a communication plan, but also the implementation and evaluation.

T6e p'(/e0t )+3+*e)e3t p'(0e-In "liceEs "dventure in /onderland, the !ing says to "lice F=egin at the beginning, and then go Etil you come to the end then stopF. Those words can also describe a project. %egardless of the nature of the project wor!, project management processes help define the beginning and the end, as well as provide the framewor! for managing all the wor! in the middle. The Droject *anagement Drocess designed for Corporate Communication is aligned with general project management methodologies, and aimed at facilitating the successful management of projects of all !inds. It is designed to be flexible and should apply to projects of varying complexity and siGe. In general, project management refers to the definition and planning, and then the subse3uent monitoring, controlling and conclusion of a project. =efore you even begin, you should recognise that all projects need some level of project management. Hou are doing it today ) even if it is in your head. The larger the project and the more complex it is, the more there is a need for a more formal, standard, structured process. Hou may be able to manage a project of two people for ;99 hours in your head. 1owever, you cannot manage a project of five people and with -999 effort hours the same way. 0bviously there is a cost to the effort associated with project management as well. Hou want to be sure to apply the right level of project management to a project to ensure that the value gained is greater than the cost. To start off with the Droject *anagement process, letEs first convince ourselves of the benefits that will be obtained using project management, before we loo! at the overview of how the Droject *anagement Drocess wor!s.

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There are some teams that have built reputations for being able to consistently manage projects efficiently. 1owever, the vast majority of teams have a more spotty reputation. 1ave you recently experienced any of the following characteristicsI

Drojects completed late, over budget, or not meeting the re3uirements of the client /ea! standard processes and techni3ues used inconsistently by project managers Droject management is reactive and not seen as providing value

The time re3uired to manage projects proactively is not built into the planning, as there is immediate pressure to start delivery Drojects are EsuccessfulE in spite of a lac! of planning and project management, through heavy stress and overtime wor! throughout the project4s duration

(ood project management discipline is the way to overcome these shortcomings. 1aving good project management s!ills does not mean you have no problems. It does not mean that ris!s go away. It does not mean that there are no surprises. The value of good project management is that you have standard processes in place to deal with contingencies. Droject management processes and techni3ues are used to coordinate resources to achieve predictable results. 1owever, it should be understood up front that project management is not totally a science and there is never a guarantee of success. &ince projects involve people, there is always complexity and uncertainty that cannot be absolutely controlled. =ut a good process increases the odds of being successful and therefore provides value to the Company, project and the project manager. The value proposition of having a sound process for project planning, implementation and evaluation goes something li!e this. It ta!es time and effort to proactively manage a project. This cost is more than made up for over the life of the project by$

Completing projects in better time and more cost effectively. 0ne of the biggest benefits of using a common process is the value of reuse. 0nce the processes, procedures and templates are created, they can be used (perhaps with small modifications) on all projects in the future. This results in reduced project start)up time, a shorter learning curve for project team members and time savings from not having to reinvent processes and templates from scratch on each project.

&aving effort and cost with proactive scope management. *any projects have difficulty managing scope, which results in additional effort and cost to the project. 1aving better project management processes will result in being able to manage scope more effectively. &olutions targeted according to client needs. *any projects experience problems because there is a gap between what the client expects and what the project team delivers. 7sing a standard process results in better project planning, which gives the team and the sponsor an opportunity to ma!e sure they are in agreement on the major deliverables produced by the project.

%esolving future ris! before the problems occur. "ll project management methodologies have processes in place to identify and manage ris!s. %is! management will result in potential problems being identified and managed before the problems actually occur. Communicating and managing expectations with clients, team members and sta!eholders more effectively. *any problems on a project can be avoided with proactive and multifaceted communication. In addition, much of the conflict that does arise on a project is not the result of a specific problem, but because of surprises. " standard process always focuses on formal and informal communication, which results in fewer surprises.

'eliver excellent 3uality the first time. Juality management processes will help the team understand the needs of the customer in terms of 3uality. 0nce those needs are defined, the team can implement 3uality control and 3uality assurance techni3ues to meet the expectations. Improved financial management. This is the result of better project definition, better estimating, more formal budgeting and better trac!ing of the project actual costs against the budget. "ll this rigor results in better financial predictability and control. In addition, there is more information available that will allow the Communication team to stop a AbadB project swiftly. These AbadB projects are those where the cost)benefit justification does not ma!e sense.

(reater focus on evaluation resulting in a business case for the value created by a project. 0ne of the more sophisticated aspects of project management methodologies these days is that they provide guidance to ma!e it easier to measure. *easurement starts with the formulation of measurable clear objectives in the project planning. *easurement and evaluation provide information that helps you determine how effective and efficient your team performed and the level of the 3uality of your deliverables.

Improved wor! environment. If your projects are more successful, you will find additional intangible benefits associated with your project team. Hour clients will have more involvement, your project team will ta!e more ownership of the project, morale will be better, and the project team will behave with a greater sense of professionalism and self)confidence. This should ma!e sense. Deople that wor! on projects with problems tend to be unhappy. 0n the other hand, people on successful projects tend to feel better about their jobs and themselves.

A'*4)e3t- +*+13-t + 8(')+, p'(/e0t )+3+*e)e3t p'(0e-Deople who complain that project management is a lot of Eextra time and effortE forget the point. Hour project is going to face issues. 'o you want to proactively resolve them or figure them out as you goI Hour project will face potential ris!s. 'o you want to try to resolve them before they happen or wait until the problems ariseI "re you going to communicate proactively or deal with conflict and uncertainty caused by a lac! of project informationI "re you going to manage scope or deal with cost and deadline overruns caused by doing more wor! than your budget coversI "re you going to build 3uality into your process or fix problems later when they will be more costly to resolveI The characteristics of the project are not going to change whether you use a formal project management process or not. /hat changes is how the events are dealt with when the project is in progress. "re they dealt with haphaGardly and reactively or systematically and proactivelyI &ometimes however, the criticism that the process is cumbersome, paper intensive and ta!es too much focus away from the wor! at hand is a legitimate concern, caused by not scaling the methodology appropriately to the siGe of your project. 5or instance, if you develop a fifteen page communication plan for a project that will only ta!e 89 hours to implement, you are overdoing it. /hen you use the project management process, be smart. "lways start with scoping the project and allow these parameters to determine in how much detail you need to apply the rest of the steps. *any people consider themselves to be EdoersE. They might not be as comfortable with their planning s!ills. *any times there is a tendency to discuss a problem, and then go out and fix it. This wor!s when you have a small, easy manageable project. It doesnEt wor! on a 8 999 hour project. %esist the urge to jump right in. The project will complete sooner if you properly plan it first and then have the discipline to manage the project effectively. ItEs hard to be a good project manager in a company that doesnEt value project management s!ills. 5or instance, if you ta!e the time to create a proper communication plan and your client as!s why you were wasting your time doing it, you probably are not going to be very excited about the planning process on your next project. To be effective, the Communication team should help its clients to support the designed project management process. *any people li!e to be able to do their jobs creatively and with a minimum of controls. They fear that formal and structured project management will result in tight controls that will ta!e the creativity and fun out of the wor!. To a certain extent they are right. 1owever, common processes and procedures eliminate some of the creativity in areas where you probably donEt want it in the first place. Hou don4t want creativity in the budgeting and setting of timelines. In other areas it can and should be encouraged. The bottom line on project management is this ) if the result of project management was that projects would ta!e more time, cost more and have poor 3uality, nobody would have used it. In fact, the opposite is true ) using sound project management processes will give you a higher li!elihood that your project will be completed on time, within budget and to the satisfaction of the client.

O2e'21e: (8 t6e p'(/e0t )+3+*e)e3t p'(0e-5or the purposes of the Droject *anagement process, a project officially begins with the Communication function4s decision to commission a project in order to action a specific communication goal$ The overall responsibility to manage a project should be assigned to an individual Communication practitioner, even if a number of team members will assume responsibility for activities or tas!s. It is critical to understand which part of the process can be outsourced and which part needs to be ta!en care of by the Communication function. If the Communication function wants to fulfil a strategic role in the organisation, they should not outsource any of the elements that pre)empt the implementation strategy of the communication plan. There may be exceptions to this rule, but in most cases suppliers should be given responsibility for the implementation strategy only. The implementation strategy is the Ahow are we going to get thereB (e.g. which communication activities and products and in what combination) of planning. The Awhere do we need to goB (setting objectives, define sta!eholders and craft messages) is where value is created and belongs within the Communication function. The best way to explain this is by using the metaphor of a journey. The Communication function decides to ta!e the trip and put a team member in the driving seat (the project manager). The Communication function defines the destination and ensures that going to this specific place is worth the fuel and time it will ta!e. The route itself can be proposed by an external party in terms of the town to town planning, where to stop, where to stay over etc. etc.

&ECI&E ON IMPLEMENTATION STRATE Y

The implementation strategy is the heart of the communication plan. It is about selecting the best way to achieve the plan4s objectives and applying creativity in deciding 6how to ta!e the messages to the target audiences4. The implementation strategy is the overall approach to implementation. &trategy selection should be made within the context of all the earlier steps, that is, the situation, the profile of the target audience and the messages. It is wise to consider the effect the strategy will have on other sta!eholder segments, those not targeted in this communication plan. In responding to one set of pressures, we should be careful not to set in motion actions that will turn a previously satisfied sta!eholder segment into an unhappy one. Dractices that are socially responsible and well)planned will contribute to a solid reputation for the organisation. "nother consideration is the organisation4s culture. To be effective, the implementation strategy should fit the culture. In deciding on an implementation strategy, a major resource for creativity is the wealth of ideas, activities or procedures that have been used in the past. Instead of re)inventing the wheel, find other implementation strategies where the channels and activities have proved to be successful, cost)effective ways to achieve success. To decide on the best implementation strategy, brainstorming, is productive and the synergy achieved this way usually exceeds the thin!ing of any person in isolation. (roup techni3ues such as brainstorming are often used to stimulate debate, channel energy and provide structure to the creative tas!. Ciew an example of an implementation strategy.

&ETERMINE AN& SPECIFY THE COMMUNICATION ACTI%ITIES

"fter selecting the implementation strategy, the operational detail that turns the implementation strategy into action is developed. In this step the user lists all the Communication activities that will, in combination, turn the implementation strategy into reality. The chosen Communication activities can either be fre3uently used communication products or events such as the ones listed below, or it can be a new activity devised to cater specifically for the context and situation. In this step of the Communication plan, each activity is only briefly scoped. &coping a Communication activity entails setting the high)level parameters (e.g. person with overall responsibility, timelines and budget) for the detail planning to follow. The detail for each activity is planned in a separate planning document, namely the Communication activity. The latter ma!es provision for all the tas!s needed to execute an activity and specify the resource implications per tas!. ,ist of fre3uently used communication activities and products$

"dvertising "nnual reports "udio visual presentations =ac!grounders =riefing documents =rochures =ulletins Closed circuit2satellite television broadcasts Communication plan for the annual shareholder meeting Community meetings Company)wide line (employee) briefings Competitions Corporate golf days Corporate identity guidelines Corporate videos Crisis communication plan dealing with high)level customer complaints 'iscussion forums 'isplays and exhibitions +mployee report +mployee reward and recognition programmes +thics help)line for employees +xecutive media training 5acilitating management communication 5act sheets (oals wor!shops (overnment /al!)abouts Inserts and enclosures Investor report ,ong service award functions

*anaging corporate identity *edia conferences *edia interviews and tal! shows *edia releases *eetings with financial analysts @egotiations with unions @ewsletters (printed K electronic) 0ff)the)record media briefings 0pen house days 0pening of a new company plant Damphlets Dosition papers Droduct launches Drogramme to e3uip line managers with communication s!ills &ocial investment report &pecial events &peech writing &ponsorships &uggestion schemes Team briefings Top management road)shows Toolbox tal!s Trade fairs Cideo conferencing /ebsite development

SET #U& ETS

SET E%ALUATION METHO&OLO Y

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=orrowing from thought leaders on communication measurement and evaluation, a performance measurement system has been developed consisting of a generic framewor! for evaluation that can be customised to an organisation4s strategic intent, own context and specific organisational needs. The system as!s of the user to choose from a list of metrics and methods to evaluate (-) effectiveness and (;) efficiency on three levels$

L,evel -$ +valuating Communication activities, products and events (against pre)specified deliverables). ,evel ;$ +valuating Communication plans, programmes and campaigns (against objectives). ,evel .$ +valuation the Communication strategy (against goals).

The primary aim of the performance measurement management system is continuous improvement and organisational learning through constant feedbac!. Involvement of all practitioners is important and therefore the system is designed to be accessible, transparent, and easy to understand and use. There are three critical principles$

P'1301p,e 1: E2+,4+t1(3 1- 3(t 'e-e+'06

&ome of the main reasons offered for the lac! of communication evaluation are 6lac! of research budget4, 6lac! of time to do research and 6lac!ing research s!ills,4 suggesting some !ind of confusion between research and evaluation. +valuation does not e3uate to formal research. There are many evaluation techni3ues such as self)assessment, peer group ratings and one)on)one client or management feedbac! that can be fairly, and easily, applied without any formal research. /hile the importance of formal, structured research is not to be debated, it is not evaluation per se. If measurement and evaluation can only ta!e place when research is possible, %0I will forever be elusive. %esearch is a strategic tool that feeds into planning, implementation and evaluation and a valid and reliable tool it can indeed be. *easurement and evaluation, on the other hand, is a management process, not a once)off or bi)annual project. In the absence of a research budget or time, measurement and evaluation should still carry on.

P'1301p,e 2: E2+,4+t1(3 1- +3 (3*(13*; -9-te)+t10 p'(0e-=y evaluating activities, plans and strategies in a continuous, integrated and systematic process, and by using a range of formal and informal methods, evaluation can be more strategic and valuable to management. Instead of attempting one large research project when money and time is available, 6lots of little bits of evaluation4 ma!es the process more valuable, manageable and cost effective.

P'1301p,e 3: E2+,4+t1(3 1- + 8(':+'7 ,((513* +0t121t9

The reason we systematically measure everything boils down to reducing uncertainties, improving effectiveness, and enhancing decisions. The purpose and focus of evaluation is learning to improve future performance. @aturally the collection of historic data is an essential prere3uisite, but when perceived simply as loo!ing bac! to judge past performance, evaluation can be threatening. /hen used as a process to gather information in order to advise management and contribute to the cycle of continuous improvement, measurement and evaluation are much more constructive. Dractitioners may feel uncomfortable if they have the perception that they are being 6judged4 by their immediate managers, but seldom object to having a process measured by a tool. This shift in focus to see evaluation as a forward loo!ing activity is important to resolve the 6fear of being evaluated4 which has !ept many communication practitioners from embracing evaluation more enthusiastically.

Le2e,- (8 e2+,4+t1(3
" 3uestion often as!ed is A/hy 6setting an evaluation methodology4 should be part of planningIB The answer to this 3uestion lies in the essence of strategic alignment. &trategic alignment is a process whereby the imperatives in the organisation4s strategy are translated into a functional strategy (e.g. Communication strategy). Consecutively, the functional strategy is deployed into cascading levels of planning and implementation. The number of levels in the planning system is of little importance as long as every subse3uent plan, project, programme or activity is in line with the strategic intent.

In the process of strategic alignment, planning is 6rolled down4 and evaluation is 6rolled up4 along the same strategic line. Therefore strategy development and planning are integral parts of the performance measurement system. The evaluation process to measure the success of a Communication function cannot be initiated at the end of the financial or calendar year, or even half way through. The measurement criteria must be built into the strategy development and planning. /ithout 6something to measure against4, measurement provides results in isolation, with little or no value for evaluation. *easurement becomes evaluation only when compared to a specific norm such as a communication goal, objective, target, or deliverable. The yardstic! for performance measurement will always be imbedded in the communication function4s planning architecture.

E88e0t12e3e-- +37 E88101e309

Communication effectiveness has always been ac!nowledged as a central part of Communication *anagement. (runig and 1unt (-M<N) applied the management)by)objective principle to public relations evaluation. &ince then, measuring effectiveness has evolved significantly )) moving from measuring column centimetres (as outputs) to measuring change in opinion (as outcomes) with scientific 3ualitative and 3uantitative research techni3ues to measuring movement on intangible organisational assets such as %eputation, %elationships and Trust (as outgrowths) with specialised communication measuring instruments. *easuring effectiveness is measuring the accomplished results, the achieved goals2objectives or the realised impact of the Communication function. *easuring efficiency is relatively new to Communication *anagement. In short, efficiency is the ability to bring about the desired result (described above), without wasting energy, resources, effort, time or money. +fficiency can be measured in physical terms (technical efficiency), process terms (process efficiency) or in terms of cost (cost efficiency). (reater efficiency is achieved where the same amount and standard of outputs, out)ta!es, outcomes or outgrowths are produced with fewer resources. *ethods to assess efficiency tend to be organisation specific. 0rganisations identify success with financial2resource utilisation, continuous improvement2learning and strategic alignment in different ways.

Met'10- +37 Met6(7The first step in evaluation is to determine 6what4 to measureI The strong emphasis in existing literature on measurement techni3ues, methods and tools is concerning, as too much energy is spent on discussing the 6how to4 of communication measurement instead of focusing on the 6what4 that should be measured. "ll too often, instead of conceptualising the 6what4 of measurement, practitioners seem to be loc!ed in discussions on the merits of focus groups, media content analysis and opinion surveys, or defending the objectivity and randomness or timing of methodologies deployed. The 6what4 to measure of communication evaluation is referred to as metrics. *etrics therefore are the various constructs (things) that are to be measured. Ciew list of metrics. *ethods on the other hand, describe the 6how to4 (techni3ues) of communication measurement. In most cases the 6how to4 of communication measurement involves 6 asking the relevant sta!eholders4, be it with a focus group, or survey, or interview. Ciew list of methods. To set realistic metrics, communication practitioners need lots of common sense and at least an elementary understanding of communication theory. *easuring intangible assets li!e corporate reputation, brand e3uity, relationships and corporate citiGenship is not an easy tas!. Clustered within terms such as reputation and relationships are many different, more basic constructs li!e loyalty, trust, satisfaction, faith and admiration. /e need to understand what we want to measure, before we can as!. Ill)conceived assumptions about what communication can achieve sometimes lead to misguided and overly optimistic goals which ma!e evaluation ris!y and problematic. This is best achieved with a conceptual construct that displays the full 6what4 of measurement in a framewor! (,i!ely, ;999$;N). The 6how4 (techni3ues of measurement) is an operational matter, for which external advise can be sought.

Le2e, 2 E2+,4+t1(3
The second level of evaluation measures if a communication plan has achieved what it hoped to accomplish. +55+CTIC+@+&&$ /ith regard to effectiveness, a Communication plan typically tries to create an effect per target audience. This effect can be cognitive (thoughts) affective (emotions) or conative (motives). /e can

further unpac! the effect by loo!ing at out)ta!e and outcome metrics. To evaluate the effect, it is important to establish what the out)ta!es and outcomes were. It is usually much more difficult and generally more expensive to measure out)ta!es and outcomes (,evel ;), than to measure outputs (,evel -). This is because more sophisticated data)gathering research tools and techni3ues are re3uired. *easuring outputs (,evel -) is usually a 3uestion of counting, trac!ing and observing, while out)ta!es and outcomes is a matter of as!ing and carrying out extensive review and analysis of what was said and done.

Me+-4'13* (4t<t+5e0ut)ta!e measures determine if !ey audience groups actually received the messages directed to them, paid attention to them, understood and2or comprehended the messages, and whether they retained the messages and can recall them. /hen communication products # such as a boo!let, website or speech ) are produced and distributed, published or delivered, it is important to assess what, if anything, the intended recipients 6too! away4 from these efforts. 0ut)ta!e measures has to do with the way that a communication plan has succeeded in impacting on the thoughts (awareness and understanding), and the emotions (interests, li!ing, preference) of the targeted audience. The first metric of out)ta!e measurement could very well be that of favourability. /as the communication intervention favourable receivedI /ere the creative design elements or 6pac!aging4 received favourablyI /as the 6language4 received favourablyI /as the 6ease of use4 of the intervention favourably receivedI The second metric relates to understanding and comprehension. 'id the messages disseminated ma!e sense to the intended recipientsI /ere those to whom the messages were targeted able to decipher them and put them into an appropriate contextI The third metric is message recall and retention. It measures whether the messages we craft for inclusion in our communication products and activities ma!e enough of an impression on the intended recipients that they become memorable. Can the intended recipients recall the embedded messages and can they retain them for any length of timeI "nother metric is that of attention and possible immediate response. 'id the receiver respond positively to the receipt of the messagesI 'id he or she do something with the information now in hand, for example, by passing on materials or messages to friends or colleaguesI 'id the recipient re3uest more information, for example, by going to a websiteI

Me+-4'13* (4t0()e"s important as it might be to measure out)ta!es, it is far more important to measure outcomes. 0utcome metrics measure whether the communication materials and messages disseminated have resulted in any opinion, attitude or behavioural changes on the part of those target audiences to whom the messages were directed. 0utcome metrics relate to conative effects on a target group, measured by metrics such as$

attitude2opinion changes individual and group behavioural changes agreement2adoption2use2commitment2action and collective cultural and social change.

%esearch techni3ues often used to measure out)ta!es and outcomes include 3uantitative surveys (in) person, telephonic, mail, e)mail, etc.), focus groups, in)depth interviews with opinion leaders, pre)and post test studies, and multi)variate studies that rely on advanced statistical applications such as correlation and regression analysis, J)sorts, as well as factor and cluster analysis studies. Ciew an example of selected metrics and methods for measuring effectiveness. +55ICI+@CH$ +fficiency metrics comprise the areas in which the Communication function would li!e to see improvement especially of overall management of projects (time, cost and 3uality). *etrics can include wor!flow improvements, enhancement of supplier management, cost containment, or any other metric important to the project management process. Ciew an example of selected metrics and methods for measuring efficiency.

ENERATE COMMUNICATION ACTI%ITIES

To achieve the communication objectives directing a Communication plan, a number of Communication activities have been creatively combined into an implementation strategy. (enerating these Communication activities is the portal to the detailed planning, scheduling and budgeting of tas!s needed to deliver a Communication activity. 0nce generated, a Communication activity becomes part of the list of plan types in the software system. Droperties defined in the Communication plan for each of the intended Communication activities (e.g. descriptions, communication goals, planning horiGons, and responsible people) will feed automatically through to the new Communication activity. This feature of the software enables strategic alignment between a specific Communication plan and the Communication activities that will put this plan into action.