Creating Communication Plans For Projects

Underrated positioning and messaging tactics that work in 2025 and that will still work in 2026 (with examples): 1. Say what you DON’T do right upfront (draw sharper lines than your competitors dare). E.g. “We don’t do branding. We don’t do ads. We only fix B2B homepages—because that’s where deals bleed.” 2. Pick a villain and make it personal. E.g. “Your real enemy isn’t competitors—it’s the corporate mush that makes your homepage sound like everyone else.” 3. Write copy you’d text your friends. 4. Name the uncomfortable truth your industry hides under the rug (e.g. “Everyone’s selling you ‘AI agents.’ What they don’t say: you’ll spend hours babysitting outputs and fixing sloppy drafts. The work doesn’t disappear—it just changes shape.” 5. Make your product sound smaller (specific, exact) instead of “the platform for everything.” 6. Flip aspiration into embarrassment. Mock industry’s cliché dreams and make buyers see the absurdity. E.g. “‘Seamless collaboration’? If Slack threads at 11pm is your dream, keep chasing it.” 7. Expose the industry’s addiction. Point out the dirty little drug competitors sell. E.g. “Everyone’s selling ‘dashboards.’ Because they know you’re addicted to charts, even if they don’t move revenue.” 8. Give your message a scar. Show the wound that created your product. E.g. “We built this after losing a $2M deal to a stupid spreadsheet error. Never again.” 9. Weaponize comparison. Don’t just say you’re different—show the absurdity of the alternative. E.g. “Still sending 20 PDFs to close one deal? That’s not ‘process,’ that’s punishment.” 10. Contrast confidence with vulnerability. Call out where you’re not for everyone, then double down on where you are unbeatable. E.g. “We’ll never be the cheapest. But we’ll always be the fastest.” I’ve been using these exact techniques with my B2B clients—either for homepage messaging engagements or more recently during 1:1 coaching calls—and they work. They'll still work in 2026 because clarity, contrast, and guts are wired in how humans operate. And that will never go out of style.

Executives don’t want the full story. They want the "get to the point and tell me why it matters" version. I learned this the hard way in my early days in corporate strategy. I once walked a GM through a 23 slide deck, only for him to ask: "So what decision are you recommending?" Brutal. 🤯 Here’s a simple 4-step framework I teach corporate teams to make sure execs actually listen: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. Literally, open with the answer. Say: 'We recommend X because of Y.' Let them stop you if they want context. But don’t bury your point on slide 15. 𝟮. 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲. If your exec thinks in quarters, don’t talk in days. Match their level of detail. Don’t make them reframe your data into something that actually matters at their level. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁. One or two charts with powerful takeaways can often be more effective than a detailed slide deck with 28 charts and no points. You can always drop additional details in an appendix. 𝟰. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮. Executives don’t want non-committal reporting. They want recommendations. Don't just give them the data, give them your perspective: 'There are 2 options: A and B. We recommend B because it’s 30% faster with less risk.' Find this tip useful? Please give this a like 👍 or repost ♻️ to help others and follow me Daniel Galletta for more tips like these.

If I were starting a new PROJECT today and wanted to plan it with ZERO prior knowledge, I'd do this: Step 1: Define Your Objective • Clearly articulate what success looks like for the project. • Break down the high-level goal into smaller, manageable milestones. • Ensure the objective aligns with stakeholders' expectations to avoid misalignment later. Step 2: Build Your Plan Backwards and Leverage Historical Data Most people skip this step entirely. But this is a huge mistake—because you risk creating a plan that doesn’t align with deadlines, resources, or realistic expectations. Here’s how: • Start from the final deliverable and work backward to define the timeline. • Gather and review historical data or similar project examples to understand typical timelines and challenges. • Identify key dependencies and create a logical sequence for tasks. • Use project planning tools (like Gantt charts or Kanban boards) to visualize your plan. • Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each stage. Pro tip: Don’t forget to account for buffer time—projects rarely go 100% as planned. Step 3: Identify Risks and Create a Mitigation Plan This isn't easy. But if you can do this, you will get: • Clarity on potential roadblocks before they derail progress. • Stakeholder confidence in your ability to deliver. • A proactive, problem-solving mindset that boosts your credibility. Here's a quick way to do this: List out possible risks, evaluate their impact and likelihood, and create a plan to minimize or respond to them. Collaborate with your team to spot any blind spots. Don't skip this step. It took me months of trial and error (and some chaos) to crystallize these steps—hope this helps! 🚀

💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 3: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁 — 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 73 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, 8 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. If your audience doesn’t see value in 10 seconds, they’ve already moved on. That’s why I live by the 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 3 when designing MIS reports, dashboards, or executive summaries. Because 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 isn’t a luxury — it’s a 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. ✅ 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 3 𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄: 1️⃣ 3 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 – Not everything. Just 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 that decision-makers need to know right now. 2️⃣ 3 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 – Eg. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘹? 3️⃣ 3 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 – Clarity is 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. A report should never just inform — it must 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 🧠 I’ve seen this work wonders in C-suite presentations and weekly MIS decks. The impact? More decisions. Less confusion. Zero info overload. 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗽: 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 — Top ⅓ for insights, middle ⅓ for diagnostic data, bottom ⅓ for actions. 🎯 Because at the end of the day, a report that’s not understood is as good as unread. 🔁 Now your turn: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣? #DataDrivenDecisionMaking #MISReporting #ExcelDashboards #ReportingStrategy #RuleOf3

I've watched so many entrepreneurs learn this lesson the hard way: neglecting risk management isn't saving money, it's gambling with your company's future. That fire suppression system you're postponing? When disaster strikes, you'll face not just property damage, but weeks of lost revenue, customer defection, and reputation repair. The cybersecurity upgrade you've delayed? A single breach can trigger regulatory fines, legal costs, and irreparable trust damage that dwarfs your initial investment. Smart business owners understand that risk management isn't an expense, it's insurance for your bottom line. 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 - Schedule quarterly assessments of operational, financial, and strategic vulnerabilities. What you identify early costs pennies to fix compared to crisis-mode solutions. 𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 - Maintain 6-12 months of operating expenses in accessible funds. Cash flow disruptions become manageable bumps instead of business-ending catastrophes. 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 - From employee training to equipment maintenance to legal compliance, proactive spending prevents exponentially costlier reactive scrambling. Remember: every dollar invested in risk management today multiplies your tomorrow's stability. Your future self will thank you for the foresight. #entrepreneurs #riskmanagement #cybersecurity

I audited outreach messages from a few ITO firms in APAC and oh boy, I was shocked. Almost identical email scripts, but across companies? A little investigation showed: - BDMs & SDRs typically have short tenures in ITO/Software space - Many sales folks bounce between competing companies - They recycle the same sales messaging model, even with 1001 clients already. Out of the messages I audited, I found 80%: - surface-level personalisation - pitch but no value added up front - no focus on proof, just endless bragging This is why so many outreach attempts fail before they start. No wonder they create decision fatigue for clients. Response rates hover under 1% while inbox reputation burns. What actually works: 1. Positioning → Not all ITO/AI companies are created the same, yet they sound identical in outreach. The ones that win define their unique lane. 2. Boilerplate messaging → What to say about your brand (your boilerplate needs to be instantly recognisable as yours, not a template everyone uses). 3. Value point mapping → Pitch differently to different personas without copy-paste emails for the 86th time. 4. Competitive messaging → Turn category competitors into context for your strengths. 5. Proof and Brag → Turn your credible evidence and brag-worthy facts into a trust badge. This is exactly how we help clients re-approach their go-to-market strategy. Before investing thousands in sales tools, processes, Nail your messaging, positioning first. Because better tech can't fix broken messaging. What do you think? --- ♻️ If you find this helpful, repost to help others win. Or save it, run an internal workshop this month and thank me later.

Ever been thrilled to kick off a new coaching or facilitation project, only to have things unravel before your eyes? You’ve got the green light, your client’s excited, you’re excited... and then: 😬 Deliverables turn into moving targets. 🫨 Tasks start sneaking into the scope. 🙄 Communication becomes reactive. 🙄 And somehow, you're doing more than you signed up for. Sound familiar? These issues can lead to frustrated clients, strained relationships, and results that don’t reflect your expertise. Worse, you’re left questioning your own abilities. The root cause? Poorly initiated projects. The fix? A rock-solid kickoff meeting. Here’s how I run mine to set the stage for smooth sailing: 1️⃣ Set the agenda and introduce the team. Share the agenda in advance so everyone’s prepared. A quick intro sets a collaborative tone. 2️⃣ Review the project overview. Revisit the high-level goals and objectives. Frame it as a partnership—you’re in this together. 3️⃣ Explore hopes and fears. Ask what success looks like for the client, but also what could go wrong. Addressing fears early helps build trust. 4️⃣ Create a risk and opportunity register. Most people track risks, but don’t stop there. Highlight opportunities to amplify success—maybe another internal initiative aligns with your work. 5️⃣ Revisit the timeline. Pull the timeline from your proposal and check if it still works. Revise as needed and confirm key milestones. 6️⃣ Discuss team culture and expectations. How do you want to work together? Align on communication styles and ways of working to avoid surprises later. 7️⃣ Define next steps. End with clarity: What happens next, and who’s responsible for what? 💡 Pro tip: Send pre-work in advance, like a draft risk/opportunity register. The meeting should refine, not start from scratch. The result? ✅ Clarity ✅ Alignment ✅ stronger relationships. A well-run kickoff leads to happy clients, repeat business, and—you guessed it—referrals. Start strong, finish stronger. ~~ ✍️ What’s one thing you always include in your project kickoff? Let me know in the comments! 👇

The quickest way to create project charters: [after creating 25+ charters in the last 3 years] I view the project initiation as a compass, not just a formality. Then, I begin with the end in mind. This method: -Aligns stakeholders -Sets clear objectives -Maps out project boundaries -Identifies potential risks -Establishes authority and accountability Here's each step of my charter creation: 1. Objective Define the core purpose: -Why is this project essential? -What business problem does it address? -Articulate the expected outcome: -Desired end state after project completion -Key performance indicators to measure 2. Scope Detail out project boundaries: -Inclusions: What's part of the project? -Exclusions: What's out of scope? Establish the deliverables: -Tangible outputs -Milestones to reach -Stakeholders Identify key players: -Who will benefit from this project? -Who has influence over its outcome? 3. Outline roles and responsibilities: -Who’s doing what? -Who holds which authority? 4. Risks & Assumptions Highlight potential pitfalls: -What might derail the project? -Assumptions made and their validation Plan for contingencies: -Risk mitigation strategies -Backup plans 5. Resources Allocate essentials: -Budgetary constraints -Required tools and technology -Team members and their skillsets 6. Timeline Breakdown of project lifecycle: -Start and end dates -Major phase completion dates -Dependencies between tasks 7. Communication Define the communication plan: -Who gets updated and when? -Preferred communication channels 8. Approval Establish authority: -Who signs off on project decisions? -Acceptance criteria for deliverables Outline the revision process: -Feedback loop -Change request protocol 9. Documentation & Archiving Detail out the documentation process: -Where are project files stored? -How to access historical data Establish a post-project review plan: -Lessons learned -Feedback collection -Continuous improvement Follow this charter framework to kick-start your projects with clarity and purpose. What are your project charter best practices?  Leave a reply in the comment section.

Just like HTTP unlocked the web, agent protocols will unlock the next age of AI. In 2025, LLM agents are no longer just research demos. They're in real products—summarizing legal docs, automating customer support, generating PRDs, and even orchestrating other tools on your behalf. But here's the catch: they often operate in silos. Every major AI vendor is building their own agent stack: - OpenAI has its assistant API and code interpreter - Anthropic is pushing MCP (Model Context Protocol) for tool access - Google is piloting A2A for agent-to-agent interaction - Startups are launching custom wrapper agents with proprietary APIs We’re repeating the same pattern we saw with the early internet- fragmented, brittle systems that don’t talk to each other. It wasn’t until protocols like TCP/IP and HTTP standardized the rules of communication that the web truly exploded in value. This illustration is great to show where we are headed: having an Agent Internet. → At the base is shared infrastructure: APIs, cloud compute, REST, data centers. → Sitting above that are intelligent agents, each capable of reasoning and acting. → But for agents to collaborate, they need shared protocols- just like the early internet needed TCP/IP. We’re now seeing early protocols that aim to fix this, forming the foundation for a true Agent Internet: 👉 MCP (Model Context Protocol) by Anthropic Enables agents to call tools with rich, structured context. Think of it as an external memory interface, critical for grounded reasoning and tool use. 👉 A2A (Agent-to-Agent) by Google Defines how agents collaborate, pass tasks, and negotiate. A building block for multi-agent workflows across different systems. 👉 ANP (Agent Network Protocol) Used in robotics and IoT to coordinate many agents in real time. Supports swarm behaviors and decentralized decision-making. 👉 ACP (Agent Communication Protocol) Standardizes how agents exchange messages, regardless of their architecture or provider. Think of it as the “language” agents use to talk. 👉 Agora & LMOS Agora supports decentralized agent marketplaces; LMOS acts like Kubernetes for agents, orchestrating memory, tools, and messaging across agent clusters. My take 🫰 : We’re at the same inflection point the internet hit in the 90s. Protocols turned isolated servers into the web. Agent protocols will do the same for AI, they will break the barriers for distributed, collaborative intelligence. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿❓ → Start building for interoperability. 📚 Read the following docs: → MCP: https://lnkd.in/dMdayUjW → A2A Protocol: https://lnkd.in/d-pdHWMR → ANP: https://lnkd.in/dAJMzKuG → ACP: https://lnkd.in/dtyHZdcT → Agora: https://agoraprotocol.org/ → LMOS: https://eclipse.dev/lmos/ ---------- Share this with your network ♻️ Follow me (Aishwarya Srinivasan) for more AI insights and resources!

10 Common Resource Management Problems (and How to Fix Them) Resource management can make or break a project's success. Yet, most resource challenges don't come from technical gaps — they come from people problems. Here are 10 common resource management problems and how to fix them: 1/ Inconsistent Resource Assignment Randomly assigning resources without any criteria can delay critical projects. ✅ Set clear guidelines on how resources are assigned based on project priority, skills, and availability. 2/ Uneven Workload Distribution Some people are buried in tasks while others have too little to do. ✅ Use resource optimization reports to balance workload and ensure no one is overstretched. 3/ Skills Mismatch Assigning people without the right skills increases errors and delays. ✅ Plan resource requirements in advance and invest in training or hiring the right talent. 4/ No Resource Tracking Without tracking utilization, you can't tell who's working on what. ✅ Use time tracking tools or software to monitor resource allocation and make data-driven decisions. 5/ Lack of Resource Forecasting If you're not forecasting resource needs, you'll always fall short when projects ramp up. ✅ Use capacity planning reports to predict future resource needs and align hiring or training efforts. 6/ High Turnover Overworked and undervalued employees are the first to leave. ✅ Build a culture of empowerment and support by gathering feedback and tracking retention rates. 7/ Conflicting Priorities When team members are pulled in different directions, productivity drops. ✅ Set clear project priorities and use transparent reporting to avoid confusion. 8/ No Visibility for Managers Without centralized data, managers can't see what their teams are working on. ✅ Use resource management tools that give leaders visibility across the entire portfolio. 9/ Imbalanced Resources Across Projects Some projects get all the attention while others are starved of resources. ✅ Align resource allocation with business priorities and review regularly at the portfolio level. 10/ Ignoring Resource Risk People fall sick, take leaves, or leave unexpectedly — but many project plans don't account for it. ✅ Cross-skill teams and identify people-based risks early to build backup options into your plans. Resource management isn't just about assigning tasks — it's about understanding people. Which of these challenges do you face the most? ♻️ Save this list to improve your resource management process. Follow Anand Bhaskar for more insights on project management and leadership. —- 📌 Want to become the best LEADERSHIP version of yourself in the next 30 days? 🧑💻Book 1:1 Growth Strategy call with me: https://lnkd.in/gVjPzbcU #Leadership #Coaching #ExecutiveCoaching #ResourceManagement #Managers