A policy action is judged not by how well it is formulated, but by its impact in mainstreaming and scaling up implementation efforts. A pro-active approach to communication should be embedded in policy by establishing mechanisms to generate active feedback, progress reports and reviews. This could potentially help avoid challenges in the implementation of the communication policy. In this context, policy makers would do well to define and articulate the following as part of the policy:
• Time period for which the policy is applicable before it is due for a review
• Intended outcomes and specific goals of policy - these should be measurable and amenable to monitoring
• Accountability for implementation of the policy
• Accountability and periodicity for reporting performance and progress on policy implementation to stakeholders both within the Government and outside.
Communication in the context of policy implementation thus involves closing the loop in terms of creating these feedback and progress reporting mechanisms, and accountability to help the different sets of stakeholders involved in policy formulation process to understand the positive aspects as well as the shortcomings of the policy.