With the advent of computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc., the use of various means of communication has surged. This has been exacerbated following the pandemic with more and more employees working and collaborating in different locations and time zones. While these different options for communication have added incredible value to our workflows and processes, they also pose risks. The easiest form of communication is not always the best and using the wrong form of communication can create unneeded risk. Risks can include adding unnecessary time spent on a project, poor documentation, legal risk, etc. Lastly, each company should create a clear retention policy for different types of communication. While there are often straightforward guidelines for traditional methods, there are regularly no retention policies for the newest communication styles and practices.

This tool attempts to summarize a few common modes of communication currently utilized in engineering practice and provides basic recommendations on how to best utilize them.