Wcu division of it communication plan

Communication Plan

Division of Information Technology

Western Carolina University

April 2013

Version 1

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary .............................................................................................. 3

2 Purpose ................................................................................................................... 4

3 Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................ 4

4 Assumptions .......................................................................................................... 5

5 Audiences ............................................................................................................... 8

6 Communication Responsibility ........................................................................... 8

7 Communication Expectations for All IT Division Staff .................................. 8

8 Messages ............................................................................................................... 11

9 Communication Channels .................................................................................. 12

9.1 Websites ............................................................................................................... 13

9.2 Online Newsletters and RSS Feed .................................................................... 14

9.3 IT Collaboration Tool ........................................................................................ 14

9.4 Email and Voicemail ........................................................................................... 14

10 Internal IT Communication ............................................................................... 16

10.1 Events and Meetings ........................................................................................... 16

11 Frequency ............................................................................................................. 17

12 Communication Matrix ...................................................................................... 18

13 Communication Standards ................................................................................. 19

13.1 Style and Branding .............................................................................................. 19

13.2 Audience ............................................................................................................... 20

14 General Guidelines ............................................................................................. 22

14.1 IT Emergency Messages ..................................................................................... 22

14.2 IT Web Guidelines .............................................................................................. 23

14.3 WCU Electronic Mail Policy ............................................................................. 23

15 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 24

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1 Executive Summary Developing a clear and consistent message is essential to effective communication in any organization. This Communication Plan presents a framework for managing and coordinating communication for Western Carolina University’s Division of Information Technology. Successful communication results from a committed effort by each IT unit and employee in using the channels and guidelines presented in this plan. Such a commitment ensures that IT provides relevant, accurate, and consistent information to its service community. Primary areas addressed in this plan include:

Audiences to be addressed

Delegation of responsibility

Message standards

Channels to be used

Frequency of communication

Communication matrix

Communication standards and guidelines The goal of this plan is to provide a framework for creating a consistent, customer-centric message in all communication with campus populations, while incorporating IT’s core values and guiding principles of the IT Strategic Plan. This plan serves as a guide for developing tactical communication plans. It is a living document that will be modified when necessary.

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2 Purpose

This Communication Plan was developed by the IT Strategic Communication Team for the Division of Information Technology (IT) in 2013. Its purpose is to provide an overall framework for managing and coordinating communication within the Division of IT. This plan identifies audiences, communication channels, frequency, messages, feedback, and standards. The framework ensures that IT provides relevant, accurate, and consistent information while increasing awareness of information technology at Western Carolina University (WCU). Communication is a shared responsibility in IT; it is imperative that the Information Technology Leadership Counci (ITLC) and managers collaborate on communication within the organization. In addition, the Director of Academic Engagement and IT Governance measures the effectiveness of this plan and makes appropriate adjustments when necessary.

3 Goals and Objectives The goal of this plan is to provide a framework for creating a consistent, customer-centric message in all communication with campus populations. It promotes the dissemination of accurate information to the campus in a manner that is professional, informative, user-friendly, and that contributes to the ongoing culture of IT. The following objectives support this goal:

Ensure understanding and use of communication framework.

Ensure clear and consistent communication to recipients.

Contribute to IT culture by providing multiple points of entry to information and services.

Educate constituents on information technology.

Solicit feedback. These goals and objectives are accomplished by:

Designing, writing, and distributing up-to-date information in support of IT.

Maintaining a standard IT identity for all written materials.

Creating announcements of new services.

Collaborating with the University Communication and Marketing offices by providing relevant information that impacts the campus-at-large.

Participating in special events to promote IT.

Identifying IT employees who are available and willing to be guest speakers at events and conferences.

Maintaining relevant information in all communication channels.

Maintaining procedures for executing short-term, mid-term, and ad hoc project tactical communication plans.

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4 Assumptions

The success of this plan is based on the following assumptions:

IT leadership, directors and managers and IT units participate in the communication process using the channels and guidelines presented in this plan.

IT communicates consistent, informative messages in line with the core values and guiding principles of the IT Strategic Plan (see below).

IT is committed to open and honest communication.

IT communication balances the needs of the campus community with the goals of the organization.

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

STRATEGIC PLAN

Vision The IT Division will be a national model for the strategic and effective use of information technology among regional comprehensive universities committed to engaged teaching and learning which enables the WCU Community to excel.

Mission The Division of Information Technology supports the university’s mission by providing and maintaining a secure, reliable and supportable information technology infrastructure and cultivating a knowledgeable and effective staff to embrace WCU’s distinctive engaged learning approach, educational outreach, research, community services, and business operations.

Our Guiding Principles (What Guides and Inspires Us)

Our integrity must be above reproach.

We comprehend the important strategic value and responsibility being placed by WCU on the Division of Information Technology with respect to achieving the university’s teaching, learning, research, community engagement, and business operational needs and objectives. We are committed to enabling technology that empowers faculty, staff, and students to achieve their objectives and augments their successes.

We are committed to excellence in IT client satisfaction and critical system stability.

We will invest in our people to meet current and planned technology changes and advancements in alignment with WCU needs and strategic plans.

We will never be complacent and commit to continuous improvement and learning, growing, and challenging ourselves, teams, and processes as technology and WCU objectives change and adapt.

We will work collaboratively across our teams and are committed to achieving shared goals.

We are firmly rooted in a culture of being proactive, focused on process improvement, and the prevention of issues and recurring problems.

We are committed to transparent communication, partnership, and decision making with stakeholders.

We will effectively and appropriately manage and communicate risk, including data security risk, associated with academic and operational needs.

We are committed to delivering cost effective solutions and managing funds as if they were our own.

We will buy solutions before building custom systems and use hosted solutions and services that provide the university cost effective and/or strategic advantages. We will minimize customizations to purchased solutions.

Our Core Values Integrity Integrity is the foundation of IT's reputation. We earn the respect and trust of people internal and external to the university with behavior that is honest, decent, and fair.

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Excellence Excellence is the guiding principle of the way we approach our work. It requires each of us, individually and in teams, to understand, anticipate, and surpass the expectations of our IT clients. Excellence demands continuous improvement in all our processes, systems, and services. Our success depends on our ability to learn from experience, to embrace change, and to achieve the full involvement of all our IT team members. Accountability Meeting our commitments is imperative to building trust and delivering our part in meeting WCU’s objectives and goals. It requires us to focus first on WCU’s success and to hold ourselves and our teammates accountable. This requires that we allocate our resources effectively and efficiently and maintain an appropriate balance between today and the future. Innovation We share a deep belief in the power of technology to enhance the life and mission of our university. This is not technology for technology’s sake; this is using technology in innovative ways to enable and achieve WCU’s objectives and goals. We seek new levels of employee and stakeholder participation, embrace the opportunities inherent in change, and are confident in our ability to help shape the future. Transparency Being transparent within the division and with our university colleagues and organizations on our plans, priorities, metrics, projects, decision making, and budgets enhances trust and builds effective professional relationships. Transparency demonstrates that IT is not working for IT, but truly working to enable the mission of the university. This includes being open and frequent in our communication. Valuing Team Members We know that in the end, the commitment and contribution of IT team members will determine IT’s success. Our success is enhanced by having a rich mixture of people. We believe in the fundamental dignity of the individual and value the unique ability of each individual to contribute. We desire that every team member have the opportunity to participate fully, to grow professionally, and to develop to his or her highest potential

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5 Audiences IT communicates with two primary audiences: the first is internal to the division and the second includes clients and other external constituencies. These audiences include, but are not limited to:

IT staff and student employees

Senior leadership (faculty and staff).

Campus community (faculty, staff, and students).

External constituents (affiliates, peers in higher education, service organizations, vendors) and the general public.

6 Communication Responsibility The Chief Information Officer (CIO) assigns responsibility for message management within each IT unit to the ITLC, managers, or the Director of Academic Engagement and IT Governance. These people regularly review divisional activities and provide communication direction using the framework outlined in this document. The Director of Academic Engagement and IT Governance writes, reviews and edits all IT campus messages (with the exception of global outage messages from the Help Desk) for accurate information to the campus in a manner that is professional, informative, user-friendly, and that contributes to the ongoing culture of IT. The IT Weekly Update from the CIO is created under the direction of the CIO’s executive assistant and incorporates outages approved by the Change Approval Board of which the campus needs to be aware. In cases of emergency, this responsibility can be delegated to the manager of the Help Desk. In the event of a major outage, directors and their designees must call the CIO immediately. Directors are responsible for cascading messages- seeing that information from ITLC reaches all IT employees. All department meetings must occur weekly or bi-weekly and must have an agenda, minutes, and action items. Directors and managers are responsible for authentic performance assessment with employees.

7 Communication Expectations for All IT Division Staff

Respond to email and voice mail within 8 working hours. If it is a simple acknowledgement that you have seen or heard the message, when appropriate, also include a time frame as to when you will be able to address the question more fully. If you are on vacation or out of the office for the day, be certain your calendar reflects this and an automatic out-of-office message is sent.

Use the appropriate technology and communications means. There are times when

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email is the most appropriate and times when the telephone is more appropriate. Urgent matters require phone calls. Then there are times when the situation truly requires face- to-face conversation. For example, if too many emails or voice mails are going back and forth on an issue, it is time for a face- to- face conversation.

Set up your campus voice mail so callers know they have reached the correct person. Use the Personal Verification feature to record your name.

All IT calendars must be shared with the entire IT Staff with the exception of confidential appointments. Keep your Outlook calendar up to date, especially with information about your not being available for ½ or more of a work day. If you are working remotely, put that on your calendar and include a phone number that can be used to reach you. When you are working remotely, you must be available either by phone or virtual conferencing for meetings. Be sure that your calendar accurately reflects your availability.

o Calendar events should correctly display your availability. Appointments,

Meetings and All Day Events have a setting option titled “Show As.” This option reflects how the meeting appears on your calendar. The options listed include Free, Tentative, Busy and Out of Office. Appointments and Meetings default to the ‘Busy’ setting but All Day events default to ‘Free’. If an All Day Event option is used to reflect vacation time, work from home time, etc. “Show As” should reflect ‘Out of the Office’. (Please note: Including your supervisor or fellow co-worker as an invitee on an “All Day Event” set to show time as ‘Out of the Office’ will publish the same status on their calendars!)

o All staff are asked to mark meeting invitations as Accept, Tentative, or Decline. If the reply is tentative, please update this prior to the meeting. As a courtesy to the meeting organizer, please let him/her know if you will be attending remotely. If you have accepted an appointment and find you are unable to attend, please change the appointment to decline.

Follow IT Processes! Remember to follow the expectations that are part of the IT Incident Process Manual.

o Listen to the customer. o All tickets are to be logged. o Follow the process. o Document work as it is performed or as soon as possible if urgency or

workload precludes documenting work as it is performed. o Insure proper handoffs (quality control). o Focus should be on seamless incident handling from one unit to another.

Please do not “pass the buck” by re-assigning incidents to other areas without proper consideration and research. The customer should not be penalized by the mishandling of incidents by IT.

o Professional courtesy. o Resolution focused. o Communication – internally and externally. o Act as the client’s advocate.

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o Reinforce the Help Desk as the IPOC (initial point of contact).

Be Proactive! Don’t wait to be asked, but open a problem ticket to alert your colleagues to potential issues or changes made as soon as you become aware of them. While seemingly counter-intuitive, this is especially true in crisis situations. Give your colleagues respect and benefit of the doubt. Treat others as you wish to be treated. While you may see an issue as a high priority, until you communicate with the other person, you do not know what else they may be dealing with at that moment. It may be a higher priority.

Expectations for availability: The nature of working in IT is that because our work is so critical to the university, we must be able to contact IT staff at any time. This is especially critical in the event of a disaster. Phone contact information (home and cell) is required for all employees irresprective of eligibility for or receipt of Mobile Communication Device allowance. Refer to our after hours support policy for on-going everyday coverage. (This policy is forthcoming.

As of December 1, 2013, all IT Staff are expected to use Microsoft Lync for instant communications. For training, please access the following resources:

Our Microsoft eLearning subscription at http://business.microsoftelearning.com/ offers two online courses in MS Lync 2013:

Course 70149: Microsoft Lync 2013 Essentials: 1 hour Course 70135: Make the Switch to Lync 2013: 30 minutes

If you have not used our eLearning subscription before, contact Dawn Brown for the activation and login information.

Microsoft also offers some free tutorials in Lync 2013 at:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/lync-help/training-courses-for-lync-2013-HA104032084.aspx For Best Practices for a Lync Meeting, click here.

IT Division staff who participated in the Lync pilot offer the following tips:

“For work from home/telecommute folks, it’s much easier for me to contact them.

When it shows a green status, there’s a good chance that person is in their office. I can easily ping them, ask if they have a minute to chat, and walk over to their office for face to face if available

If a person doesn’t answer, it emails the missed conversation – and it’s nice to get those when I see the missed call via smartphone.”

“When Lync does not run after you open it… Open task manager, look for all applications running as “communicator.exe”. (You will probably see several.)

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Delete all these entries. Attempt to open Lync; it ought to work.

If you work on campus and off campus, using VPN.. I recommend that you manually sign in & sign off each time, rather than let Lync automatically do that. (I have found this to be less problematic.)”

All IT staff will be required to use the project management tool, Team Dynamix when working on projects. Training will be provided.

Each employee is expected to keep university personal Banner information up to date. The form is found on the WCU Hub at https://wcuhub.wcu.edu/humanresources/SitePages/Human%20Resources%20and%20Payroll%20Forms.aspx. Directory information must be kept current as well and may be updated at this site: http://www.wcu.edu/contact-wcu/faculty/staff-directory.asp

IT employees are expected to know and interact with each other. Please take opportunities to get out of your building to interact with other IT staff members.

8 Messages Official campus and Division of IT messages from CIO contain authoritative content and should not be altered unless appropriate to do so. IT messages may be forwarded to other campus groups as needed. Effective messages are short, clearly written, and presented in a consistent manner regardless of the media used. IT maintains communication and editorial standards that exemplify these traits and that are as jargon free as possible. In addition to specific content, messages increase awareness of services and support, strengthen IT identity within the campus community, and expand information technology efforts. The following are examples of the kinds of IT messages:

Accomplishments and project updates.

Service announcements.

Urgent service, security and system outage notices

Organization changes.

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9 Communication Channels This plan defines the following communication channels used by IT:

Website doit.wcu.edu

DoIT News and RSS feeds for the IT Training Calendar and the IT Weekly Update

WCU IT Self Service

The WCU Hub Division of IT Site

Events

Email

Voicemail

Meetings

Feedback

Blackboard Mobile

Technology Commons Facebook page, Twitter and Four Square

Coulter Faculty Commons Facebook page, Twitter and Four Square

Project Management Tool (TeamDynamixHE)

Cherwell Surveys and Change Requests

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9.1 Websites

9.1.1 IT Website IT keeps the campus well informed of policies, strategies, services and support,

projects, and general news through the divisional website. This site is updated

frequently to reflect current information and known issues. All IT messages to the

campus should end with a reference to the website ht tp ://do i t .wcu .edu as well as

the IT WCU Hub site: wcuhub.wcu.edu

9.1.2 WCU IT Self-Service WCU IT Self-Service is a web-based tool designed to offer technical support to the

campus. It provides an easy way for the campus to request IT services, find answers to

IT questions, and help resolve computing problems. WCU IT Self-Service also allows

faculty, staff and students to check the status of an open Incident request, add

notes to an Incident, and see any notes technicians have added. ht tps ://he lp .wcu .edu

9.1.3 WCU Website The WCU website links to Information Technology services from the Faculty and

Staff l ink by locat ing the Computing sect ion. It serves as a resource for

information of high value to the campus community. http://www.wcu.edu

9.1.4 My Cat My Cat allows students, faculty, and staff secure access to self-service and associated campus links including registration and student records, student billing and account information, financial aid, grades, class schedule, enrollment, course catalogs, and class rosters. In addition, My Cat provides campus quick links and campus messages. My Cat is owned by the Banner Users Group, led by the Registrar. http://mycat.wcu.edu

9.1.5 Blackboard Resources for instructors and students are located within the Blackboard LMS environment under tabs indicated for these purposes. Announcements, updates, outages, and other information that affects Blackboard users appear regularly on both the Blackboard home page (blackboard.wcu.edu) and within the Blackboard environment. Blackboard offers communication channels through various tools, including announcements, information tabs, and Blackboard informational module.

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9.2 Online Newsletters and RSS Feed

9.2.1 IT Online Newsletter DoIT News The IT online newsletter DoIT News engages the campus in discussion about IT news and events, key accomplishments, information about services and technology, as well as updates on major IT projects. The newsletter is dynamic and updated frequently. The newsletter is web-based and reaches multiple audiences with Internet access. IT staff are encouraged to submit articles for publication to the Director of Academic Engagement and IT Governance.

9.2.2 RSS Feed Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed is an additional format used to publish the DoIT News.

9.2.3 The Reporter Online Newsletter The Reporter presents campus news every other week to faculty and staff. IT

submits articles to The Reporter on a project- or announcement-needed basis to

communicate to the broader campus community audience.

9.2.4 CFC Newsletter The Coulter Faculty Commons newsletter is sent weekly to faculty and staff in the Division

of IT, Academic Affairs, and Student Affairs and to selected community partners. It contains

news, information, updates, and opportunities related to teaching and learning, including

instructional technology. CFC newsletters are archived and available at sandbox.wcu.edu.

9.3 IT Collaboration Tool IT’s collaboration tool for the university is the WCU HUB, a SharePoint based intranet found at https://wcuhub.wcu.edu/SitePages/Home.aspx for WCU faculty and staff to share to share information, and documents within a work group, service team, or unit. The Division of IT maintains its own SharePoint site with information for the campus such as IT policies.

9.4 Email and Voicemail

9.4.1 Weekly Update In order to communicate with the campus in the most efficient manner possible, The IT Weekly Update is IT’s official communication for non-emergency information. This consolidated email is sent on Mondays to the campus from the CIO. It features upcoming outages, training opportunities and important announcements. It may also feature links to stories in the DoIT News. A separate weekly update may be sent by the CIO to the Division staff on Monday containing announcements of importance only to the Division.

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9.4.2 Broadcast Email Broadcast email is a mechanism for distributing important messages and/or

announcements to WCU faculty, staff, and students and is rarely used. All broadcast

email to the campus from IT must be IT technology or service related. The CIO

approves and sends a l l of these with the exception of Global Proble m

emai ls f rom the IT Help Desk.(See universi ty pol icy 93, Electronic Mai l :

http://www.wcu.edu/about -wcu/leadership/office -of-the-

chancel lor/universi ty -pol ic ies/numerica l - index/universi ty -pol icy-93.asp)

9.4.3 Service and Time-Sensitive Announcements Service announcements and other time-sensitive messages, including outage notices, are

broadcasted through email from the IT Help Desk on an as-needed basis. Each message

directs the audience to the IT website at http://doit.wcu.edu and the IT WCU Hub

site as the primary sources of information. My Cat is used as well, especially for

students.

9.4.4 IT Mailing Lists IT has several mailing lists or sources that provide an additional level of communication internally and externally to the division. The Active Directory global address book contains distribution lists for groups all across campus. IT staff may use these lists to communicate directly with a specific IT or other campus division, college, department or unit. For any technical issue, please start with the Help Desk first. These lists are maintained and managed by the Active Directory and Messaging Manager within the Application and Systems unit. The Cherwell Service Desk system contains business processes that communicate alerts on system, network or application issues to the entire IT Division upon problem discovery and resolution. Cherwell administrators and the incident process owner are responsible for ensuring this line of communication is available and the text included is informational and understandable. Mailing lists specific to the IT Division include:

[email protected]

o [email protected] o [email protected] o [email protected] o [email protected] o [email protected] o [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

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[email protected]

[email protected]

9.4.5 Emergency Notification Systems

The following systems are part of the WCU Emergency Notification System. These systems are only used in case of an emergency. The systems include:

Cat Tracker

Cat Tracker is a system that allows students, faculty, staff and parents to receive a message in case of emergency. Messages can be sent to e-mail, cell phone or home phone. Sign up for Cat Tracker today! Alertus Desktop Popup Software Campus Computer Emergency Notification: This is a system that allows WCU-owned computers connected to the campus network to receive full-screen alert messages from the Police & Emergency Management Department. These messages can be customized to suit the situation and allow near-instant communication. IP Intercom In the event of an emergency, the IP Intercom system in WCU standardized classrooms allows WCU Emergency personnel to broadcast distributed messages to the classrooms. This messages can be grouped by buildings, floors, or any other combination. Public Safety can have their team send out a pre-recorded, situation specific message, or broadcast a live message based upon the need of the exact situation at hand.

10 Internal IT Communication

10.1 Events and Meetings

10.1.1 General Staff Meeting All staff members of the IT Division meet every other month to discuss key technology

issues and receive announcements from the CIO. Every quarter, IT presents the Triple P

Award to an outstanding member of the staff who exemplifies excellent work through

either being proactive, contributing to process, or preventing problems. All IT staff are

expected to attend unless excused by a director or manager.

10.1.2 IT Brown Bag with the CIO and Special Events IT Brown Bags with the CIO offer an agenda-free opportunity for randomly

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selected IT staff to meet once a month with the CIO. Every spring, IT holds its

traditional picnic to which IT staff and their families are invited. IT staff gather before the

Thanksgiving Holiday to enjoy a potluck before the General Staff meeting. In the fall, the

Division honors the Quarterly Triple P Award winners and the Yearly winner with a special

reception.

10.1.3 Other IT Meetings IT meetings with the CIO and the entire division occur every other month. The

CIO meets with a department on the off month. The CIO meets weekly with the

Information Technology Leadership Council (ITLC) and monthly, the IT

Managers Group joins the ITLC following a project review meetings.

10.1.4 IT Division Announcements Official IT announcements and other time-sensitive messages for the IT staff are

broadcasted through email to the entire division on an as-needed basis from the CIO, the

IT Help Desk, and the Director of Academic Engagement and IT Governance. In addition,

the CIO sends an IT Weekly update designed just for IT staff.

10.1.5 Feedback Closure of IT incidents and service requests provide an opportunity for client feedback. Feedback is gathered via an email request for overall ticket satisfaction or through the HDI CSI survey request. Negative responses are forwarded to the IT Quality Manager and the IT Help Desk Manager for review and investigation purposes. This is valuable information which assists IT in determining additional training needs; reviewing internal processes for creation, improvement, and modification; identifying customer service issues along with any communication improvements or modifications that may be necessary.

11 Frequency Communication is regular and as needed to ensure that all audiences are aware of critical and important information on a timely basis. For example, the IT website, the IT WCU Hub site and IT Request ticket system are updated regularly to communicate the most current service information; DoIT News is published as needed. The IT Weekly Update from the CIO is sent every Monday.

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12 Communication Matrix

The Communication Matrix serves as a guide to the “who,” “what,” and “when” of

communication. This matrix displays a specific audience, channels, and delivery

timetable.

Audience Channel Frequency

All IT Staff IT website Updated as needed

DoIT News & IT Weekly Update Updated as needed each Monday

IT WCU Hub site Updated as needed

Brown Bag with CIO Monthly

Division meeting Every other month

IT request ticket system As needed

IT Division staff, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Community Partners (selected)

Coulter Faculty Commons Newsletter Weekly (except major holidays)

IT – CIO Email Weekly

Meetings Every other month

Feedback Monthly

IT Directors Email As needed

Meetings Weekly

Feedback As needed

IT Managers Email As needed

Meetings Once a month with managers

Feedback As needed

Chancellor, Executive Council Email As needed

Meetings As needed

Governance committees, IT Campus Liaisons, IT/Facilities Management

Meetings Monthly

Ongoing Projects with Human Resources & Finance

Meetings Every two weeks as needed

Faculty and Staff IT Weekly Update Weekly

Email (broadcast email) As needed

IT website Updated as needed

IT WCU Hub Site Updated as needed

DoIT News As needed

Students IT Weekly Update Weekly as needed

Email (broadcast email) As needed

IT Website Updated as needed

My Cat Updated as needed

Blackboard Updated as needed

Extended Community (alumni, prospects, donors, parents, vendors)

IT website Updated as needed

All IT Staff and project requestors Team Dynamix HE Updated as needed

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13 Communication Standards A succinct, focused communication aims to clarify a few points rather than to cover an unlimited range of issues. The following five questions help determine what to include in a message and what to forego:

1. What is the purpose? 2. Who is the audience? 3. When does it need to go out? 4. What is the most direct way to say it? 5. What action is required on the part of the reader?

13.1 Style and Branding Style is the approach an organization uses to present its image through the written word. It is a set of guidelines that standardize the use of terminology and grammar to make messages and materials the most applicable to all audiences. This plan also supports and recommends that the IT Division use the WCU Style Manual specific branding, web and visual guidelines, and project and general templates. The WCU Style Manual is available online at: h t tp ://www.wcu .edu/WebFi l e s/PDFs/WCU_sty l emanua l .pdf

13.1.1 Templates Using the WCU Brand This plan supports and recommends the use of the following templates to reinforce the WCU brand.

PowerPoint Presentation Memo (fillable PDF form) Memo without lines (fillable PDF form) Fax (fillable PDF form) IT letterhead is used for official written communication and may be obtained

from the CIO’s executive assistant.

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13.2 Audience

13.2.1 Faculty

Faculty communications should reflect academic standards of professional writing.

Address faculty by title and last name (if unsure, Professor [insert name] should be the default).

Avoid the use of colloquial expressions, slang, emoticons, internet slang or acronyms.

Spell out acronyms on first usage, and then use abbreviation for each subsequent usage.

Spell and grammar check, or use other methods to ensure quality of language usage.

If uncertain, it is generally advisable to write more formally rather than less.

Faculty Communications should reflect sensitivity to the academic calendar.

Faculty do not always work set schedules and so response times vary accordingly.

Class sessions extend past regular business hours, including nights and weekends.

Faculty members are usually busiest during the beginning and end of each semester.

Other calendar items that affect faculty communication: academic breaks, Advising Day, exam weeks, and faculty evaluation cycles.

Faculty Communications should be as efficient as possible.

Faculty workloads keep them very busy. Email and other communications should be short and informative.

Faculty members receive a great deal of email. If possible, keep communications with faculty to the fewest number possible.

Faculty members expect to spend as little time as possible searching for the information that they need.

13.2.2 Staff Staff communications should reflect academic standards of professional writing.

Some staff have doctorates. Address staff by title and last name.

Avoid the use of colloquial expressions, slang, emoticons, internet slang or acronyms.

Spell out acronyms on first usage, and then use abbreviation for each subsequent usage.

Spell and grammar check, or use other methods to ensure quality of language usage.

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If uncertain, it is generally advisable to write more formally rather than less.

Staff Communications should be as efficient as possible.

Staff workloads keep them very busy. Email and other communications should be short and informative.

Staff members receive a great deal of email. If possible, keep communications with staff to the fewest number possible.

Staff members expect to spend as little time as possible searching for the information that they need.

13.2.3 Student

Student Communications should reflect academic standards of professional writing with an engaging tone.

Avoid the use of colloquial expressions, slang, emoticons, internet sland or acronyms.

Spell out acronyms on first usage, and then use abbreviations for each subsequent usage.

Spell and grammar check, or use other methods to ensure quality of language usage.

Remember that students should be addressed as adults. Student Communications should reflect sensitivity to the academic calendar.

Students are not always available at set schedules and so response times vary accordingly.

Class sessions extend past regular business hours, including nights and weekends.

Students are usually busiest during the beginning and end of each semester.

Other calendar items that affect student communication: academic breaks, Advising Day, and exam weeks.

Student Communications should be as efficient as possible.

Student workloads keep them very busy. Email and other communications should be short and informative.

Students may receive a great deal of email. If possible, keep communications with student to the fewest number possible.

Students expect to spend as little time as possible searching for the information that they need.

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14 General Guidelines Each communication fits the technical level of the intended audience, avoiding acronyms and definitions that may not be clear. Communication focuses on conveying a positive message and identifying a knowledgeable resource for follow up or questions. Follow the communication standards outlined in this plan including the WCU templates for reports, memos, and presentations. This plan suggests that all IT campus messages, including service announcements, are approved and reviewed by the communication manager before distribution. General guidelines for communicating with the groups identified in this plan are as follows:

Establish a clear, consistent, and easily recognizable message State any necessary action at the beginning of each message Direct message to the audience Include unit name, contact information, closing statement, and provide a link to the IT

website Educate about IT services when appropriate Use all appropriate and available communication channels Ensure timely and meaningful communication Listen and act on feedback

14.1 IT Emergency Messages As determined by the Chief Information Officer and the IT Leadership Council as required, emergency messages that relate to IT technology and services are transmitted via broadcast email to the entire campus community as needed. The Help Desk manager is responsible for managing all emergency messages distributed by the IT Help Desk to campus. General format for communicating an emergency message:

From: IT Help Desk Sent: Subject: Unscheduled Outage: Services: Alert: Reason: Impact: Date/Time: Please contact the IT Help Desk for any questions or concerns. Thank you, IT Help Desk doit.wcu.edu 227-7487 (local) 866-928-7487 (toll free) Available weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m. EST

As a reminder, IT will never ask you to confirm account information, such as username and password, through email.

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General format for communicating the re so lu t ion o f an emergency message: From: IT Help Desk Sent: Subject: RESTORED: Services: Resolution State: Date/Time: Please contact the IT Help Desk for any questions or concerns. Thank you, IT Help Desk doit.wcu.edu 227-7487 (local) 866-928-7487 (toll free) Available weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m. EST

As a reminder, IT will never ask you to confirm account information, such as username and password, through email.

14.2 IT Web Guidelines

Website guidelines and campus template design are established for web pages within IT in

accordance with WCU Website Standards and Guide l ines . The campus standard web

templates are used for all IT web pages.

These guidelines are found at the following link: http://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/WCU_Website_Standards_Guidelines_MASTER.pdf For assistance creating IT web pages, contact Web Services.

14.3 WCU Electronic Mail Policy Policy 93 University electronic mail accounts are provided and supported by the State of North Carolina to support the missions of the University. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the appropriate use of the University’s Electronic Mail System by its students, faculty, and staff. The Electronic Mail System is provided by the University as one of its primary means of official communication. Users have the responsibility to use these resources in an efficient, effective, ethical, and lawful manner. Use of the University’s electronic mail system evidences the user’s agreement to be bound by this Policy. Violations of this Policy may result in restriction of access to the University email system and/or other appropriate disciplinary action. The policy may be found at this link: http://www.wcu.edu/25376.asp

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Conclusion

The Communication Plan serves as an overall framework for communication within the

Division of IT. Successful communication results from a committed effort from each IT staff

member in using the channels and guidelines presented in this plan. Such a commitment

ensures that IT provides relevant, accurate, and consistent information to its service

community. This is a living document that will change to meet the needs of the university and

the Division and will be reviewed every year.