Communications Management: PMP

Study Guide (PMBOK 6th Edition)

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Project Communications Management is the process of planning, collecting, storing, and updating project
information. This article is part of a PMP Study Guide that summarizes the Communications Management
Knowledge Area.

The Communications Management knowledge area that a project manager spends the most time on. In fact,
over 90% of the project manager’s time is spent on communications.

In this article, we will cover the key terms and three processes in the Communications Management Knowledge
Area.

» Plan Communications Management

» Manage Communications

» Monitor Communications

» Things to Remember

Key Terms
Stakeholder The project manager need to be the expert in project management, and the
stakeholders are the technical experts in what needs to be done and how it need
to be done. The project manager is the orchestra leader, and the work cannot be
done well without stakeholder involvement

Kick-off meeting » Get team members to know each other

» Establish working relationships and lines of communication

» Set team goals and objectives

» Review project plans

» Identify problem areas

» Establish individual and group responsibilities

» Obtain individual and group commitments

Barriers to » No channels – lack of clear communication channels

communication
» Distance – physical or temporal distance between the communicator and
receiver

» DiKculties with technical language – the presence of communication

barriers may lead to increased conlict

» Noise – distracting environmental factors; not paying attention

» Detrimental attitudes – hostile attitudes are communication blockers. All

communication blockers are noise, but not all noise are communication
blockers

Communication role » PM’s spend about 80 – 90% of their time acquiring and communicating
of PM information

» PM is key to all project communications and must be skilled at

communicating with top management, customer, project team, competing
project teams (peers)

» PM serves as focal point for ensuring real, two-way communication between

the project team and customer

» PM’s communications covers all facets: laterally, vertically and diagonally

through an organization and across

Building effective » Be an effective communicator

team
» Be a communications expeditor – initiate relationships
communications

» Avoid communication blockers (i.e. negative response that kill or inhibit)

» Innovative ideas

» Use a tight matrix – collocation of project team is best communication for the
team

» Have a project war room

» Make meetings effective

» Establish a meeting policy

» Only call a meeting when there is a real need

» Make the purpose of the meeting very clear

» Prepare an agenda

» Encourage participation

» Issue minutes

» Follow up on all tasks and action items

General » Leading
management skills
» Communicating

» Establishing direction; motivating

» Exchange of info – written/oral; formal/informal; vertical/horizontal

» Negotiating

» Problem solving

» Conferring with others to reach an agreement

» Combination of problem deYnition and decision making

» Inluencing organization

» Ability to get things done

Organization » 3 types of organizations: functional, projectized, matrix

structure and
» Communication and information lows are thought to be the most complex in
communication
the matrix environment

» Best positive communications – free low of information

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Plan Communications Management

Plan Communications Management is the process of developing communications plans and processes based
on the existing procedures and stakeholder’s needs. The main output of this process is the Communications
Management Plan.

Communication requirements analysis determines the information needs of the project stakeholders

Sources of information used to identify communication requirements:

» Organizational charts

» Stakeholder register

» Project charter

» Project documents

Communication technology and factors that affect it:

» Urgency of the need for information

» Availability of technology

» Ease of use

» Project environment

» Sensitivity and conYdentiality of the information

Communication model:

Communication models are framed around three parts:

» Sender

» Messenger

» Receiver

Effective communications

The sender should encode a message, determine which communication method to use, and conYrm that the
message is understood. When encoding the message, the sender needs to be aware of the following
communication factors:

» Non-verbal – about 55% of all communication is non-verbal

» Paralingual – pitch and tone of voice also help to convey a message

Communication methods

These methods can be grouped into the following categories:

» Interactive communications

» The method is reciprocal and can involve just two people or many people

» Examples include conversations, meetings, and conference calls

» Push communications

» This method involves a one-way stream of information

» The sender provides the information to the people who need it but does not expect feedback on the
communication

» Examples include status reports and email updates

» Pull communications

» The project manager places the information in a central location. The recipients are then responsible
for retrieving or “pulling” the information from the location

Communication type When used

Formal written Complex problems, project management plan ,

project charter , communicating over long
distances

Formal verbal Presentations , speeches

Informal written E-mail, handwritten notes, text messages, instant

Messages

Informal verbal Meetings, conversations

Manage Communications
Manage Communications is the process of creating, collecting, distributing, and updating project information
according to the Communications Management Plan. This process happens during the Executing process group.

The key beneYt of this process is that it enables e]cient communications between project team members and
stakeholders.

Communication methods

» Face-to-face (most effective), meetings, video and audio conferences, email, instant messaging, etc.

Techniques and considerations for effective communications

» Sender-receiver models

» Choice of media

» Writing style

» Meeting management techniques

» Presentation techniques

» Facilitation techniques

» Listening techniques

Performance reporting

» Includes collecting and distributing project performance information

» Includes status reports, progress reports and forecasts

» Remember that reports are backward-looking, not forward-looking tools

Project communications components include:

» Performance reports,

» Deliverables status,

» Schedule progress

» Cost incurred

Communication Channels = [n*(n-1)]/2, where n = number of people

PM Expectations

» Stakeholders’ need must continue to be met and their issues resolved throughout the project

» Make stakeholders feel that their needs and concerns are being considered

» Keeping open communication channels with the stakeholders is key so they can inform the project manager
of potential changes, added risks, and other information

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Monitor Communications
Monitor Communications is the process of analyzing communications through the project life cycle and sending
relevant work performance information to stakeholders.

Communication blockers include things such as:

» Noisy surroundings

» Distance between those trying to communicate

» Improper encoding of messages

» Making negative statements

» Hostility

» Language barriers

» Culture barriers

There are different types of performance reports:

» Status report – this report describes where the project now stands regarding the performance measurement
baseline

» Progress report – describes what has been accomplished

» Trend report – examines project results over time to see if performance is improving or deteriorating

» Forecasting report – predicts future project status

» Variance report – compares actual results to baselines

» Earned value report – integrates scope, cost, and schedule measures to assess project performance, using
the terms described in Cost Management section

» Lessons learned documentation – reports on performance are used as lessons learned for future projects

Things to understand:

» Reports should provide the kinds of information and the level of detail required by stakeholder

» Reports should be designed for the needs of the project

» The best way to have a report read and acted on is to use the most appropriate communication method in
sending it

» You should not spend all time reporting. Remember that many reports are just about the past. Finding
information about the past means it is too late to prevent the problem. You need to keep managing the project,
rather than just reporting on it, to make a project successful

» Report should include measurements against the performance measurement baseline set in the project
management plan. Remember that you should have performance measurement baseline (the combined scope,
schedule, and cost baselines) that can be measured. Those measurements are an indication of how
successful you are as a project manager

» Reports must be truthful and not hide what is really going on

Things to Remember
» Identify ALL stakeholders

» Any stakeholders who are missed will likely be found later. When they are uncovered, they will make
changes and could cause delays. Changes made later in the project are much more costly and harder to
integrate than those made earlier.

» A list of stakeholders is included in the stakeholder register

» Stakeholders are Yrst identiYed as part of initiating the project, and this list is reassessed during project
execution

» Determine ALL of their requirements

» The project manager must make every effort to obtain ALL the requirements before work begins

» There are many ways to make sure you have all requirements – from just asking if you do, to
conducting requirement reviews, to telling people the negative consequences to the organization and
the project if requirements are found later

» The requirements should not just relate to how stakeholders want the product of the project to
function, but should also include their communications requirements

» Determine their expectations

» These are what the stakeholders expect to happen to them, and their department, and company as a
whole. They tend to be much more ambiguous than stated requirements, or they may be undeYned
requirements. They may be intentionally or unintentionally hidden

» Naturally, expectations that go unidentiYed will have major impacts across all constraints

» Expectations are converted to requirements and become part of the project

» Determine their interest

» Stakeholders may be particularly interested in working on some part of the project, getting a chance to
learn new skills, getting a chance to prove their skills, or even getting out of working on certain parts of
the project

» A great project manager, will determine each stakeholder’s interest related to the project and attempt
to either build them into the project or implement them as reward

» Determine their level of inluence

» To some degree, each stakeholder will be able to negatively or positively affect a project. This is their
level of inluence, and it should be identiYed and managed

» Plan how you will communicate with them

» Project management focuses on planning before taking action. Since communications are the most
frequent cause of problems on projects, planning communications is critical

» Communicate with them

» Stakeholders are included in project presentations are receive project information, including progress
reports, updates, changes to the project management plan, and maybe even changes to the project
documents

» Manage their expectations and inluence

» Managing stakeholder doesn’t end during initiating. They must be managed throughout the life of the
project

Before you go…

Lastly, don’t forget to check out the other study notes in this series and download our free 200 practice questions
by clicking the links below:
CAPM PMP FREE RESOURCES PDUS BLOG CONTACT

Integration Management – PMP Study Guide

Scope Management – PMP Study Guide

Time Management – PMP Study Guide

Cost Management – PMP Study Guide

Quality Management – PMP Study Guide

HR Management – PMP Study Guide

Communications Management – PMP Study Guide

Risk Management – PMP Study Guide

Procurement Management – PMP Study Guide

Stakeholder Management – PMP Study Guide

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