It’s Not Only About the Facts: Communication Matters

Abstract

Beyond the Software Sustainability Audit framework itself, there is one more essential element we need to consider: communication. Ultimately, your communication style can determine whether an audit succeeds or fails. This chapter offers some fundamental advice on communication. We start with the different roles you can assume (“police” or “advisor”), and explain why communication matters. We then outline some key communication principles. Based on our own experience with Software Sustainability Audits, we look at how these principles apply in an auditing context, and share some typical examples. The chapter also includes useful references for further reading.