Quarterly Comms Planning Grid

What it is

The Quarterly Comms Planning Grid is a practical execution tool that translates strategy into a concrete 90-day activity calendar. Rather than a detailed day-by-day schedule, it maps key milestones, dependencies, and resource needs for each initiative so your team can coordinate effectively and leaders can understand the workload.

This grid prevents the common trap of having a great strategy that falls apart during execution because teams didn’t realise they were supposed to create five assets in the same week, a key person was on holiday, or one initiative depended on another being completed first. By visualising the full quarter, you spot conflicts, sequence activities logically, and build realistic timelines.

When to use it

Use this template when:

You’re planning your quarterly communications workload
You have multiple simultaneous campaigns or initiatives
You need to coordinate across teams (product, sales, marketing, comms)
Leadership wants visibility into communications plans and resource needs
You want to check team capacity before committing to timelines

Don’t use this template when:

You have only one or two simple activities planned
Your communications are highly reactive/driven by events
You lack visibility into planned business activities
You’re planning at a more granular (weekly/daily) level already

Inputs needed

Before starting, gather:

List of all communications initiatives/campaigns planned for the quarter
Strategic objectives for each campaign
Key business events (product launches, events, earnings announcements)
Team roster and individual capacity available
Any external dependencies (vendor work, approvals needed)
Budget allocated to each initiative

The template

Quarter summary

Element	Details
Quarter	Q[X] 20[XX] (dates: __ to __)
Communications priorities	(Top 3-5 outcomes we’re trying to achieve)
Team size	[X] FTE across [number] team members
Total budget	£[amount]
Key themes	(What’s the story for this quarter?)

Initiative overview

Create one row per campaign/initiative:

Initiative	Owner	Start	End	Budget	Objectives	Key dependencies
[Campaign name]	[Person responsible]	[Week 1 date]	[Target launch/completion]	£[amount]	[1-2 key outcomes]	[What needs to happen first?]

Monthly milestone map

Break the quarter into months. For each initiative, mark key milestones:

Month 1: [Dates]

Initiative	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Key milestone
Campaign A	Planning	Content creation	—	Launch	Launch by week 4 end
Campaign B	Research	—	—	—	Complete audience research
Ongoing channel	Content	Engagement	Content	Reporting	Monitor weekly performance

Month 2: [Dates] [Same structure]

Month 3: [Dates] [Same structure]

Resource allocation

Show how your team’s time is allocated:

Team member	Capacity (hours/week)	Initiative 1	Initiative 2	Initiative 3	Ongoing work	Utilisation %
[Name]	40	Campaign A (15hrs)	Campaign B (10hrs)	Strategy (10hrs)	Admin (5hrs)	100%
[Name]	40	Campaign A (20hrs)	Reporting (10hrs)	—	Comms ops (10hrs)	100%

Notes on utilisation:

100% = fully allocated; no capacity for emergencies or new requests
80-90% = realistic working capacity; 10-20% buffer for unplanned work
Below 80% = capacity for additional projects or support

Dependency map

What needs to happen in what order?

| Initiative | Depends on | Dependency type | Impact if delayed | Mitigation | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Product launch campaign | Product launch happening | External | Cannot launch comms until product available | Align comms timeline with product team weekly | | Sales enablement | Campaign messaging final | Internal | Sales tools delay if messaging isn’t set | Messaging approval by [date] | | Industry report campaign | Report completed & approved | External | Campaign launch delayed without final report | Get draft 2 weeks early for planning |

Dependency types:

External: Depends on another team or company
Internal: Depends on another comms initiative
Sequential: Depends on something finishing before this starts
Parallel: Can happen simultaneously but need coordination

Deliverables & assets

List key assets you need to create this quarter:

Asset	Initiative	Owner	Start	Due	Status	Notes
Campaign brief	Campaign A	[Person]	Week 1	Week 2	In progress	[Any blockers?]
Email sequence (5 emails)	Campaign A	[Person]	Week 2	Week 3	Not started	Depends on messaging approval
Case study	Campaign B	[Person]	Week 1	Week 5	Not started	Requires customer interview
LinkedIn content plan	Ongoing	[Person]	Rolling	Rolling	Ongoing	3 posts/week minimum

Risk register

What could derail the plan?

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Contingency | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Key person off sick | Medium | High | Cross-train [person] on [task] | Can delay Campaign B launch by 2 weeks | | Product launch delays | Medium | High | Weekly alignment with product team | Defer campaign to following month | | Budget cuts | Low | High | Monthly budget review; prioritise core initiatives | Pre-planned cascade of what to cut | | Analytics tools down | Low | Medium | Backup manual tracking | Accept 1-week reporting lag |

Budget tracking

Monitor spend across initiatives:

Initiative	Approved budget	Committed spend	Spent to date	% utilised	Forecast vs. budget
Campaign A	£5,000	£4,200	£2,100	42%	On track
Campaign B	£3,000	£1,500	£0	0%	On track
Tools/platforms	£2,000	£2,000	£1,800	90%	Over budget (£200 contingency)
Total	£10,000	£7,700	£3,900	39%	On track

Cross-functional coordination

Who needs to coordinate for success?

| Coordination need | Teams involved | Cadence | Owner | |---|---|---|---|---| | Product launch messaging | Product, Marketing, Comms | Weekly | [DRI] | | Sales enablement timing | Sales, Comms, Marketing | Bi-weekly | [DRI] | | Event coordination | Events, Comms, Product | Monthly | [DRI] |

Key success factors

For the quarter to work as planned:

[Condition that must be true – e.g., “Messaging is approved by end of Week 2”]
[Condition – e.g., “Product team delivers feature by March 10”]
[Condition – e.g., “No major resourcing changes in Feb-Mar”]
[Condition – e.g., “Budget released on schedule monthly”]

Contingency & escalation

If things go wrong:

| Scenario | Trigger | Response | Escalation | |---|---|---|---|---| | Initiative running over schedule | Milestone missed by 1 week | Weekly recovery plan review | Escalate if >2 week delay | | Resource crisis | Person on unexpected leave | Redistribute from lowest-priority initiative | Brief leadership if >1 initiative affected | | Budget overrun | >10% spent on single initiative | Review alternatives for remaining budget | Finance review if >£500 variance |

AI prompt

Base prompt

Help me create a Quarterly Comms Planning Grid for Q[X] 20[XX].

**Initiatives planned:**
1. [INITIATIVE 1] – [Brief description, objectives, likely duration]
2. [INITIATIVE 2] – [Brief description, objectives, likely duration]
3. [INITIATIVE 3] – [Brief description, objectives, likely duration]
[Add more as needed]

**Key business events/deadlines:**
- [EVENT 1] – [date]
- [EVENT 2] – [date]
- [DEADLINE] – [date]

**Team capacity:**
- [X] full-time people
- [Person 1]: [Capacity], specialises in [skills]
- [Person 2]: [Capacity], specialises in [skills]

**Available budget:** £[amount]

Using the Quarterly Comms Planning Grid, help me:
1. Map initiatives to a realistic 90-day timeline
2. Identify dependencies and sequencing
3. Allocate people to initiatives realistically
4. Spot resource bottlenecks
5. Create a high-level milestone calendar

Include any risks I should plan for and what happens if timelines slip.

Prompt variations

Variation 1: Multiple simultaneous campaigns

We have [NUMBER] campaigns that need to happen this quarter, and they're all important:
1. [CAMPAIGN 1] – strategic priority, [timeline]
2. [CAMPAIGN 2] – business-critical, [timeline]
3. [CAMPAIGN 3] – customer-requested, [timeline]
4. [CAMPAIGN 4] – growth opportunity, [timeline]

Our team: [TEAM SIZE] people with [SKILLS/SPECIALISATIONS]

Help me use the Quarterly Comms Planning Grid to:
- Assess whether this workload is realistic with current team
- Sequence campaigns to avoid resource collision
- Identify which campaigns could be moved or scaled back
- Show senior leadership what we're saying yes/no to

Variation 2: Product launch driven

We have a major product launch planned for [DATE].

**What's happening:**
- Product launch announcement: [DATE]
- Beta customer onboarding: [DATE RANGE]
- General availability: [DATE]
- Related events: [EVENTS AND DATES]

**Communications needed:**
- Pre-launch (awareness/anticipation): [ACTIVITIES]
- Launch day: [ACTIVITIES]
- Post-launch (adoption/education): [ACTIVITIES]
- Ongoing: [ONGOING ACTIVITIES]

Using the Quarterly Comms Planning Grid, help me:
1. Work backwards from launch date to set production timelines
2. Identify what must happen before launch vs. after
3. Coordinate with product team on messaging and timing
4. Build in buffer time for approvals/revisions
5. Show dependencies clearly to prevent bottlenecks

Variation 3: Team capacity constraints

Our team capacity is limited: [DESCRIBE CONSTRAINTS - e.g., "We're a team of 2 people", "Key person is 50% allocated to another team", "New team member starts mid-quarter"].

Current initiatives we want to pursue:
- [INITIATIVE A] – [Description, ideal timeline]
- [INITIATIVE B] – [Description, ideal timeline]
- [INITIATIVE C] – [Description, ideal timeline]

Using the Quarterly Comms Planning Grid:
1. Show realistically what we can deliver with current capacity
2. Identify what needs to be cut, deferred, or descoped
3. Calculate what additional capacity (headcount, freelance, contractors) we'd need for everything
4. Recommend priorities based on business impact
5. Create a timeline that's actually achievable

Variation 4: Cross-functional coordination

Success depends on coordination with:
- Product team (for [DETAILS])
- Sales team (for [DETAILS])
- Customer success (for [DETAILS])
- Executive team (for [DETAILS])

Our communications Q[X] roadmap includes initiatives that touch all these teams.

Using the Quarterly Comms Planning Grid:
1. Map out dependencies on each team's activities
2. Identify coordination points and cadence (weekly syncs, etc.)
3. Highlight where timing could conflict (e.g., sales needs something but product team is in sprint)
4. Create a communication plan for coordinating across teams
5. Build in contingency for delays from other teams

Variation 5: Testing & learning mode

Rather than a fully planned quarter, we want flexibility to test and learn.

**Fixed/committed activities:**
- [CORE INITIATIVES THAT MUST HAPPEN]

**Experimental/flexible activities:**
- [TESTS/PILOTS WE WANT TO TRY]

**Contingency capacity:**
- [CAPACITY RESERVED FOR OPPORTUNITIES]

Using the Quarterly Comms Planning Grid:
1. Map core initiatives tightly to fixed deadlines
2. Identify testing/learning activities that have flexibility
3. Show which initiatives have decision gates (measure, then decide to continue/pivot)
4. Reserve capacity for opportunistic work
5. Create a framework for deciding how to use contingency capacity

Human review checklist

Example output

Quarter: Q1 2026 (January 1 – March 31) Communications team: 2.5 FTE + 0.5 freelance designer Budget: £15,000 Key themes: “Helping finance teams scale efficiently” – positioning across all initiatives

Initiative summary:

Initiative	Owner	Timeline	Budget	Status
SME market entry campaign	Sarah	Jan 15 – Feb 28	£5,000	In planning
Customer case studies (3)	James	Jan 8 – Mar 15	£3,000	Starting week 1
Product launch (new feature)	Sarah	Feb 1 – Feb 28	£4,000	Pending product timeline
Sales enablement	James	Feb 15 – Mar 15	£2,000	Dependent on campaign messaging
Ongoing channel management	Both	Ongoing	£1,000	Running

Monthly milestone map:

January 2026

Initiative	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Milestone
SME campaign	Audience research	Campaign brief (due Jan 10)	Messaging development	Internal review	Brief approved by Jan 10
Case studies	Interviews scheduled	Interview 1 (Customer A)	Interview 2 (Customer B)	Interview 3 (Customer C)	Three interviews complete by Jan 24
Product launch	Align with product team	Messaging outline	—	Awaiting product launch date	Product team confirms Feb date
Ongoing content	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	Maintain weekly cadence

February 2026

Initiative	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Milestone
SME campaign	Design assets	Email sequence creation	Landing page build	Final review	Campaign ready to launch by Feb 24
Case studies	Draft Case Study 1	Draft Case Study 2	Draft Case Study 3	Customer review	Three drafts to customers for review
Product launch	Messaging final	Design assets	Email sequence	Sales materials	Launch comms ready by Feb 21
Sales enablement	Product documentation	Demo script	Sales one-pager	Training session	Seller training Feb 25
Ongoing content	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	Maintain weekly cadence

March 2026

Initiative	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Milestone
SME campaign	Run campaign	Monitor performance	Optimise based on data	Reporting	Campaign close-out analysis
Case studies	Revisions from customers	Final edits	Design/layout	Publishing	Publish all three by Mar 15
Product launch	Sales rep feedback	Adjust materials	—	Sunset	Transition to ongoing messaging
Sales enablement	Support/feedback loop	Adjust materials	—	Measure adoption	Track usage of materials
Ongoing content	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	3 LinkedIn posts	Maintain weekly cadence

Resource allocation:

Person	Capacity	SME campaign	Case studies	Product launch	Sales enablement	Ongoing	Utilisation
Sarah (full-time)	40 hrs	20 hrs	—	15 hrs	3 hrs	2 hrs	100%
James (full-time)	40 hrs	5 hrs	20 hrs	5 hrs	10 hrs	2 hrs	84%
Designer (0.5 FTE)	20 hrs	8 hrs	6 hrs	8 hrs	—	—	80%

Notes: Sarah and James are fully allocated. Designer at 80% allows 4 hours/week for revisions/emergencies. James has 6 hours buffer for contingencies.

Key dependencies:

SME campaign → Product launch campaign: Messaging framework developed for SME campaign can be adapted for product launch (saves time, ensures consistency)
Product team → Product launch campaign: Must confirm launch date by January 31 or campaign timeline slips
Sales → Sales enablement: Need sales feedback by Feb 28 to finalise enablement materials
Case study customers → Public release: Customers must approve final copy by March 8 to publish by March 15

Risk register:

Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Mitigation
Product launch date slips to March	Medium	High	Weekly check-in with product team; develop contingency timeline
Case study customer doesn’t respond	Medium	Medium	Get all interviews done by end of January; identify backup customer
Design resources unavailable	Low	High	Designer under contract for full Q1; priority for product launch if needed
Scope creep on sales enablement	Medium	Medium	Define scope clearly; calendar blocking to prevent interruptions

Budget tracking:

Initiative	Budget	Allocation	Tracker	Q1 forecast
SME campaign	£5,000	Design (£1.5k), freelance support (£2k), tools (£1.5k)	On track	£5,000
Case studies	£3,000	Customer research (£1k), design (£1.5k), video (£0.5k)	On track	£3,000
Product launch	£4,000	Design (£2k), paid promotion (£2k)	On track	£4,000
Sales enablement	£2,000	Design (£1k), training (£1k)	On track	£2,000
Tools/infrastructure	£1,000	Platform subscriptions, storage	On track	£1,000
Total	£15,000			£15,000

Campaign Brief – Develop brief for each initiative in the grid
Objectives & Measurement Framework – Set success metrics for planned initiatives
Channel Strategy Matrix – Define channel approach for each campaign
Audience Segmentation Worksheet – Understand audiences for planned campaigns

Tips for success

Build in realistic buffer time Communications work always takes longer than you think. Approvals stall. People are sick. Feedback arrives late. Budget the 90 days as 70 days of actual activity and 20 days of buffer. Your team will respect the honesty.

Document decisions and tradeoffs explicitly When you choose to prioritise one initiative over another, write it down. Include what you’re deferring or descoping. This prevents the surprise “why didn’t we do X?” conversation in week 8. Tradeoffs are normal; hidden tradeoffs create conflict.

Update monthly, not quarterly Create the grid at the start of the quarter, then review and update it monthly as reality unfolds. A plan that’s out of date by week 4 is worse than no plan. Monthly updates keep it realistic and useful.

Make dependencies visible to all teams If your timeline depends on another team delivering something, don’t just write it down—explicitly communicate the dependency to that team. Include them in updates. Make the interdependency real for them, not a surprise when the deadline approaches.

Distinguish between committed and aspirational Some initiatives are non-negotiable; others are nice-to-have. Mark this clearly in the grid. When things get tight, your team knows which activities can flex without asking leadership every time.

Common pitfalls

Overconstrained timelines with no contingency Back-to-back activities with no buffer means any delay cascades. If you’re at 100% utilisation on every person every week, you have no capacity to handle problems. Plan at 80-85% and use the buffer for contingencies.

Dependencies that aren’t communicated You know that the product team’s deliverable blocks the sales campaign. The product team doesn’t know this matters to you. Lack of communication about dependencies means missed deadlines. Make dependencies explicit to affected teams.

Treating all initiatives equally Not everything can be priority 1. If you don’t force choices about what matters most, your team will try to do everything and deliver nothing well. Use the grid to show hierarchy (this must happen, this should happen, this is nice-to-have).

Forgetting about ongoing work You plan three big campaigns then realise you still need to manage LinkedIn, respond to requests, and handle day-to-day comms. Ongoing work is real work. Build it into your capacity calculations.

Planning in a vacuum You create a beautiful plan, then product team tells you they’re launching in March (not February), or sales needs something you didn’t budget. Get cross-functional input before finalising the grid. Ten minutes of conversation prevents a wasted plan.

No mechanism for replanning when things change Life happens. Priorities shift. Key people leave. Rather than hoping to stick to your original plan, build in a monthly review process where you explicitly assess what’s changed and adjust. This keeps the plan relevant.