See how TeamGantt works
See how TeamGantt helps teams like yours meet deadlines, streamline communication.
See how TeamGantt works
See how TeamGantt helps teams like yours meet deadlines, streamline communication.
Learn Project Management
It’s simple: A communication matrix is just an easy way to keep key players in the loop. It details things like project owners, deadlines, project status, objectives, and so on.
Why do you need a communication matrix? Here are just a few benefits:
If you can open Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, then you can easily make a communication matrix. It’s really just a matter of determining what the important aspects of your project are and how you want to break it down. Then, all you need to do is input your relevant information into the spreadsheet.
Let’s look at some suggestions for how you might want to categorize information in your matrix.
Communication: This would be things like meetings, status reports, project newsletters, etc.
Purpose: What’s the purpose of the meeting or the report? Be as succinct as possible. Now’s not the time to prove you’re the next Shakespeare.
Medium: Is the communication going out via email, conference call, or an in-person meeting?
Frequency: Is this happening daily, weekly, or monthly? Or is it just a one-off?
Audience: Who is this going to, or who needs to be present?
Owner: Who is in charge of moving this part of the project along? Is it the project manager, project sponsor, or a stakeholder?
Deliverable: What tangible item will be the end result of that particular part of your project? Possibilities include an agenda, a slide deck, a project schedule, and a status report.
Remember, this is just a template. Rework it however you want. You might want to add categories like deliverables, budget, deadlines, or project contributors. That’s completely up to you and will depend on what other factors are at play in your project.
So how could a communication matrix help within a marketing team? Let’s look at an example.
A communication matrix can be a useful tool for establishing project approval processes—a source of frustration within many marketing teams. You can determine which projects need approval and what level of leadership is responsible for that approval.
For example, a monthly newsletter is a common, recurring project that may only need approval from a mid-level marketing leader. Here’s how that project would look within the matrix:
For a tactical project like a monthly newsletter, you’ll want to change the “deliverable” column to an “approval” column. The newsletter itself is the deliverable, so it’s more important here to know who has the final sign-off each month.
Special offer emails that impact sales goals may need a higher level of approval, maybe from someone like the VP of Sales. The frequency, of course, would be based on how often the newsletter goes out.
The communications matrix is great for any department, not just marketing. Any internal communications processes will be greatly improved by putting this in place. Use this walkthrough as a guide to get that process started.
Now that you’re ready to rock a communications matrix, you might want to read a few other relevant resources.
No need to create your own communication template. Download ours right now. No strings attached!