ENTERING

Work plans

Think of your work plan as an executive summary of your communication strategy. The work plan describes your project’s communication program, how it was developed, and what you intended to achieve.

Work plans must be typed, on 8½ x 11-inch paper, and use a minimum 10-point font size and at least half-inch margins. Page limits are provided below.

List the following information at the top of your work plan and not on a separate page:

  1. Entrant’s Name -- List your name, not the name of your company or organization. If you partnered with someone on the entry, both names can be provided (e.g. Jane Oliver & Jill Underwood). For three or more people, the Entrant’s Name should be the person who is principally responsible for the development, management and execution of the entry with reference to the team (e.g. "Jane Oliver and Team Canada"). The Entrant’s Name identified on the entry form must match the name on the work plan and will be engraved on the award.
  2. Entrant’s Organization -- List the name of the organization where you worked while the project was implemented. Note that if you no longer work at the organization, you must obtain written permission for the entry and include this as part of your entry.
  3. Client Organization or Outside Agency (if applicable) -- Include the organization names of clients, agencies, suppliers and other key project participants, if applicable. Note that written permission is required. (See "Permission" below for details.)
  4. Division and Category -- Identify the appropriate division and category for your entry.
  5. Title of Entry -- Choose a name that clearly describes your entry.
  6. Time Period -- Specify when the work was produced, implemented or broadcast and measured.
  7. Brief Description -- Summarize the project in two or three sentences.

Work plans for:

  • Division 1 -- Communication Management (Categories 1-17)
  • Division 2 -- Communication Skills (Categories 18-21)
  • Student Division -- Category 1: Social Media/Technology
  • Student Division -- Category 2: Publications (choice to use other work plan format, if preferred)
  • Student Division -- Category 3: Writing
  • Student Division -- Category 4: Communication Campaigns

Use the following format:

  1. Need or Opportunity -- What need or opportunity did your entry address? Clearly create the context by describing the environment in which the organization operates, the challenges and opportunities, and outline any of their impact on the business and communication. Consider performance, reputation, image, profits and participation. Highlight any formal or informal research findings that support your analysis. Ensure the need or opportunity aligns with the business need and is described from the perspective of communication or marketing.
  2. Intended Audience(s) -- Identify your primary audience and any other audiences. What was the audience’s state of mind? What key characteristics did you consider when developing your solution? Think about psychographic and demographic characteristics, communication preferences, the impact of different age groups, the corporate culture and other factors that shape how people think, feel and behave. Share any audience research.
  3. Goals & Objectives -- Goals describe what your strategy is intended to accomplish. Think big picture. Choose only one or two key goals that align with the business needs of the organization. Goals don’t need to be measurable, but objectives do. Objectives should be stated in terms that are outcome-based, such as quantity, quality, time, cost, percentages, etc., and should follow the SMART formula (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely).
  4. Solution Overview -- Outline your solution and the logic that supported it. Tell us why you did what you did. The solution should demonstrate your thought process, imagination and approach to problem solving. Discuss how your involved stakeholders in developing the solution. Identify key messages. Present the tactics and communication vehicles you used, and tell us why you used this approach. Identify your role in the project and your level of involvement and responsibility.
  5. Implementation & Challenges -- What was your budget, and how did you use the resources available to help you plan and deliver the strategy? How did you use the budget? What about the use of time and people? Discuss any limitations or challenges that you faced when selling, implementing and communicating the initiative. Judges will be looking for flexibility, collaboration and problem solving abilities. Note any special circumstances and tell us how you handled them.
  6. Measurement/Evaluation of Outcomes -- How did you measure the results? Every result should be linked to one or more objectives, and they should be valuable to the business, thorough and convincing. Measurement should clearly demonstrate business outcomes, although outputs are also indicators of progress toward the objectives. For example, if your media relations campaign was designed to support a product rollout, you could measure bottom-line figures about sales targets or the number of qualified sales leads, rather than just measuring the number of clips and impressions, or advertising value equivalent. Show measures of quality, not just quantity.

Work plans for:

  • Division 3 -- Communication Creative (Categories 22-27)
  • Student Division -- Category 2: Publications (choice to use other work plan format, if preferred)
  • Student Division -- Category 5: Communication Creative

Use the following format:

  1. Project Summary -- Provide a summary of the project. What business need or opportunity did you address? Why did it matter to the organization? Why did you choose this particular approach?
  2. Intended Audience(s) -- Identify your primary audience and any other audiences. What was the audience’s state of mind? What key characteristics did you consider when developing your solution? Think about psychographic and demographic characteristics, communication preferences, the impact of different age groups, the corporate culture and other factors that shape how people think, feel and behave. Share any audience research.
  3. Objectives -- What were your project’s creative objectives and how did they support the business need? What did you want your audience to think feel or do differently?
  4. Key Messages/Theme -- What messages or themes were most critical to convey?
  5. Creative Rationale -- Summarize the creative solution and the logic that supported it. Describe how your solution demonstrates insight and imagination. Identify your role in the project and your level of involvement and responsibilities.
  6. Results -- How did your creative solution address the business need or opportunity? Discuss your budget, resources and time frames, and show efficient use of each. Consider increase in sales, traffic, participation or other quantifiable outcomes.

Go to www.iabc.com for sample work plans from past IABC Gold Quill winners.