Problem:
You are a manager at Winsome Manufacturing Company, a company that produces plastic storage containers and sells them to the home consumer through home sales events. At the company's quarterly meeting, the head of marketing described a new product to be introduced in the first quarter of the next fiscal year, approximately nine months from now. The product will be a multiple container system that requires minimal cabinet storage space in the consumer's home; it is similar to a competitor's product but will have significantly more features. This product will open new markets for the sales channel, lay the foundation for add-on products, and generate new revenues. You have only seen preliminary sketches of the potential product but are very excited by the new product.
The project will require participation from the design, production, purchasing, shipping, sales, and marketing departments. Winsome Manufacturing owns a line of injection molds, so all manufacturing will be done in-house.
Because of your grasp of what needs to be done and your leadership skills, you have been chosen as project manager for this project. Your boss has asked to see the sales deliverables. You have met with the sales manager and have a general sense of what support the sales team will require for the new product.
Background on Winsome's sales structure:
The home sales force is actually managed (and contracted) through Winsome's sister company. This sister company purchases products from various manufacturers, brands them, educates the sales representatives, and markets the products to the home sales event customer. Winsome's sales department is responsible for setting prices, generating sales forecasts, monitoring sales activities, helping the sister company incorporate new products, and identifying new sales opportunities. In some cases, Winsome's sales department has attended the sister company's quarterly "branch manager" sales events and presented information on new products. The marketing materials are jointly created by Winsome and the sister company.
For the sister company to begin their branding and sales force education activities, they need to have the product specifications, photographs of the product, pricing structures, and marketing materials.
You have a follow-up meeting with the managers of the sales and marketing departments next week. At that time, you will review a detailed write-up of the scope that describes what is included, as well as what is excluded.
You are completing your project planning activities for a project you have been assigned to manage. The remaining component is the communication plan which you need to present to your project sponsor at the end of the week. Determine the necessary components of an effective project communication plan. Then post a two-paragraph description of the critical audiences that must be included in your communication plan. Next, choose three of those audiences, and answer the following questions for each audience:
What information must be shared with this audience?
What is the mechanism you will use for each type of information?
What is the frequency with which you must share information?
What will you do if the communications are not proving to be effective?