CATEGORIES
CONTACT
Stewart McKie PhD
Phone: +44 (0) 1747 812285
Email: cfoinfo@vizimail.com
(c) Stewart McKie 2021-22
All rights reserved.
Using What, Why, How (who,when,where) as a standard communication template for project activity emails.
Rambling, unstructured emails about proposed tasks or activities plague every project.
A simple way to mitigate this problem is to structure as many project 'execution' emails as possible in the same way:
WHAT - are we doing
WHY - are we doing it
HOW - are we going to do it
WHO - will be doing it
WHERE - will be doing it
WHEN - will we be doing it
For example, say you are a PM emailing the team about a project/stage kickoff meeting:
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
We are kicking off the data migration stage of the project.
WHY ARE WE DOING IT?
To set expectations and ensure that all involved team members know what they are doing and have a shared understanding of their activities and tasks in data migration stage of the project.
HOW ARE WE DOING IT?
WHO WILL BE DOING IT?
The following team members are required to participate: [list of names]
The following team members are invited but not required: [list of names]
WHERE WILL WE BE DOING IT?
In the main project room at [location name]
WHEN WILL WE BE DOING IT?
Date: 27 April 2022
Time: 0900-1600
Adding WHAT WILL BE THE OUTCOME? may also be relevant for specific events or meetings.