CI/CD for communication: how we ship clarity every week

Apply product discipline to leadership comms so people know what matters and why, every week.

5 min read

internal-communication ci-cd leadership enablement culture

Most leadership updates arrive late, run long, and leave people guessing. The work carries on, but the story lags behind it. Confidence drops. Doubts grow.

Treat communication like a product. Ship small. Ship weekly. Measure. Improve.

Promise: With a simple pipeline and a weekly rhythm you can move from ad‑hoc updates to a steady flow of clarity. People will know what matters and why.

Outcomes to aim for

  • Everyone can answer: what changed, why it matters, what to do next.
  • Fewer repeated questions in channels and meetings.
  • Faster alignment inside and across pods.
  • Leaders spend less time firefighting and more time deciding.

The communication pipeline

Think CI/CD for comms. Keep the stages short and visible.

  1. Backlog: Collect potential updates. Decisions made. Risks surfaced. Demos worth showing.
  2. Prioritise: Pick one to three messages for the week. If everything is priority, nothing is.
  3. Draft: Write the minimum viable update. Aim for two to three minutes if on video. 150 to 250 words if written.
  4. Review: Quick pass by your EA and one PM for accuracy and plain English.
  5. Release: Publish to one primary channel. Record a clean video or post a crisp note. Link to artefacts, not attachments.
  6. Measure: Track reach and reaction. Capture questions.
  7. Improve: Fold the learning into next week’s backlog.

Keep each stage lightweight. Timebox the whole flow to a few hours per week.

Formats that travel

  • Short video: Two to three minutes. Face to camera. One graphic if needed.
  • Decision log entry: One paragraph per decision. Include date, owner, the choice made, and how to reverse if needed.
  • Simple roadmap: Screenshot or one slide. Use it as a pointer, not a wall of text.
  • Demo clip: Under two minutes. Show the thing. Say what changed and what the viewer should do.

Pick one format per update. Resist the urge to bundle.

Roles that make it work

  • Leader: Chooses the messages. Records or signs off. Owns the quality bar.
  • EA: Runs the pipeline. Protects time. Coordinates reviews. Publishes on schedule.
  • PMs: Feed the backlog. Fact‑check. Provide artefacts and short demos.
  • SMEs: Supply the one sentence that makes the complex simple.

Small team. Clear ownership.

A weekly rhythm that sticks

  • Monday: Ten‑minute editorial stand‑up. Confirm the one to three messages.
  • Tuesday: Draft and review.
  • Wednesday: Record or finalise copy.
  • Thursday: Publish. Engage with questions for thirty minutes.
  • Friday: Read the metrics. Note what to change next week.

Hold the slot. Treat it as a release.

The quality bar

  • One main message per update.
  • Plain language. No jargon if a simpler word exists.
  • Tell people what to do. Link them to where to do it.
  • If it takes longer than three minutes to say, split it.
  • Visuals help, but only if they reduce words.

What to measure

Start simple. Track these every week.

  • Reach: How many people saw it within 48 hours.
  • Watch‑through or read‑through: How many made it to the end.
  • Action taken: Clicks to the linked artefact. Sign‑ups. Ticket tags.
  • Repeat questions: Count how often the same question appears after release. You want this going down.

Share the numbers openly. The point is learning, not theatre.

Common traps

  • Over‑polish: Perfect is slow. Slow loses attention.
  • Platform sprawl: One primary channel. Cross‑post with a link only.
  • One‑way broadcast: Always invite questions. Answer the first few fast.
  • Shifting the channel: Do not move the audience around unless you must.
  • Heroic comms: If you need a production crew, the process is too heavy.
  • Novelty for its own sake: Repeat the working format. Change it when the numbers tell you to.

A one‑week sprint template

Use this as a starting point. Adjust to your diary.

  • Monday:

    • Confirm messages.
    • Check artefacts exist and links work.

  • Tuesday:

    • Draft scripts or notes.
    • PM and EA review for clarity and accuracy.

  • Wednesday:

    • Record the video or finalise copy.
    • Add captions or alt text.

  • Thursday:

    • Publish at the same time each week.
    • Stay live for thirty minutes to triage questions.

  • Friday:

    • Review metrics with EA and one PM.
    • Capture learnings. Update next week’s backlog.

Starter script for a 2 to 3 minute update

Title: <Project or theme> – weekly update

1) What changed:
In the last week we <one‑line summary>. The visible impact is <one line>.
If you watch one thing: <link to demo or artefact>.

2) Why it matters:
This helps <audience or customer> by <outcome>.
It moves us closer to <objective or OKR>.

3) What to do next:
If you are in <team or role>: please <single action>.
If you are everyone else: <single action or "no action">.

Risks or asks:
We are watching <short risk>. We need <specific help> by <date>.

Thank you:
Shout‑out to <names or pod> for <specific contribution>.

Keep your tone human. Speak as if you are in the room. Smile. It reads through the screen.

Comms release checklist

Use this before you press publish.

  • One to three messages selected. Each fits in one sentence.
  • Links tested. Artefacts live and accessible.
  • Script or copy under three minutes to deliver.
  • EA and PM review done. Names and dates correct.
  • Call to action is clear and doable this week.
  • Metrics from last week reviewed. One improvement applied.
  • Primary channel chosen. Cross‑posts point back, not copy‑paste.
  • Time booked to respond to first questions.

Good communication is not a broadcast. It is a product with a release cycle. Run the cycle. Improve every week. Clarity will follow.