WHAT’S INSIDE

The five foundations every strong communications function rests on:

1. Mandate: What communications is here to do, and the agreement on whether it's strategic or a production line

2. Messaging: Shared language for who you are, who you're speaking to, and what you need them to do

3. Communications plan: A proactive agenda tied to organizational priorities, not a reactive queue of requests

4. Operational clarity: How work gets requested, prioritized, reviewed, approved, and delivered

5. Measurement: How you know communications is working — indicators tied to outcomes, not volume

For each, you'll find what it is, what happens when it's missing, and the questions to start asking your team. Act on what you find, or bring in help. Either way, you'll know what you're looking at.