Communication Systems Playbook — make communication a system, not a scramble.
Most organisations communicate by reflex — a post here, a newsletter when someone remembers. This playbook makes the system explicit: which channels exist, who they reach, how often they run, who owns them, and which measure each one answers to.
What it does.
The Communication Systems Playbook is a template bundle for building a communication operating system. The web tool walks five connected sections: a channel matrix that records each channel’s type, audience, purpose, cadence, owner, and KPI; a four-week content calendar; a six-stage approval workflow from brief to measurement; a tone of voice guide with personality spectrums, a do/don’t guide, and a word list; and a measurement framework that scores every KPI against target and rolls them into one communication health figure.
It exposes the two failures that sink most communication efforts: channels nobody owns, and channels no measure can justify. Once both are visible, the cadence becomes a decision rather than a habit.
Inside the free edition.
- Interactive web tool with all five sections — channel matrix, content calendar, approval workflow, tone of voice guide, and measurement framework. Runs in your browser, nothing sent to a server.
- Dynamic Excel workbook — a 10-channel matrix with type and cadence dropdowns, an 8-measure KPI register with live percent-to-target, and worked examples you can overwrite.
- A dashboard that computes ownership coverage, KPI coverage, channel mix by type, and an overall communication health score — with RAG status and plain-English readings.
- Channel types follow the owned, earned, paid, and shared model, so the mix is visible at a glance.
- Works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc.
Free edition vs full playbook.
| Free edition | With stomwerk scale | |
|---|---|---|
| Channel system | 10-channel matrix in the workbook | Full channel architecture, sized to your organisation and audiences |
| Calendar & workflow | Template calendar and six-stage workflow in the web tool | Cadence and approval governance designed around your team |
| Tone of voice | Template guide with example spectrums and word list | Facilitated voice definition with calibrated copy examples |
| Measurement | 8-measure KPI register and health score | Full framework with benchmarks and reporting design |
| Facilitation | Self-serve | Facilitated design |
| Price | Free | Engagement |
Questions, answered.
What is a communication systems playbook?
The set of documents that turns communication from ad-hoc output into an operating system: a channel matrix recording which channels exist, who they reach, why, how often, and who owns them; a content calendar; an approval workflow with defined roles and gate criteria; a tone of voice guide; and a measurement framework that scores each KPI against target.
What is a channel matrix?
A single table defining every channel you communicate through — owned, earned, paid, and shared — alongside its audience, purpose, cadence, owner, and the KPI it answers to. It exposes channels nobody owns and channels no measure can justify.
Is the Communication Systems Playbook really free?
It will be. The free edition launches without a sign-up wall once final release checks are complete. Until then, preview it here and register interest via the contact form — we will send it the moment it ships. The full instrument remains part of a stomwerk engagement.
Does the workbook work in Google Sheets and LibreOffice?
Yes. It uses standard formulas, dropdown validation, and conditional formatting that behave identically in Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc.