Running Head: Project Management Communication Plan

Project Management Communication Plan

Name of the Student

Name of the Institution

Name of the Instructor

Date:
Project Management Communication Plan

Table of Contents

1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................4

2. Relevant Documents....................................................................................................................5

3. Methods.......................................................................................................................................7

4. Analysis.....................................................................................................................................10

5. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................12

References......................................................................................................................................13

Appendices....................................................................................................................................14

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Project Management Communication Plan

Abstract

This project management communication plan addresses the redevelopment of the

Lakeside Mall at Sterling Heights in Michigan. The fundamental aim of this report was to

identify all of the concerned stakeholders involved with the project. In this project, a stakeholder

registry has been developed that clarifies the roles and positions of all of the stakeholders. On the

other hand, the stakeholder matrix assists the project management team in terms of evaluating

the level of power and influence of the stakeholders on the redevelopment project outcomes.

Three communication methods have been selected for different groups of stakeholders including

face-to-face meetings and teleconferences as the interactive method, emails and memos as a push

method, and SharePoint sites as a pull method.

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Project Management Communication Plan

1. Introduction

Established in Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States, the Lakeside Mall is a super-

regional and full-line shopping mall. The mall was established in 1976 by A. Alfred Taubman

and Homart. There were over 150 stores inside the mall that offer a diverse range of services.

The mall is owned and run by Out Of The Box Ventures. The mall had available space for 5

anchor tenants 4 of which are currently occupied by Macy’s, JCPenny, Sears, and Lord &

Taylor. The mall is spread across an area of 144,042 square meters and based on floor area, is the

largest mall in Michigan. The 100+ stores in the mall were spread across 2 floors.

In 2019, the previous owner General Growth Properties Inc. defaulted on the mortgage

loan valued at $144 million and the mall was sold to the current owner. The current owner, Out

Of The Box Ventures looks forward to redeveloping the mall with the vision of including new

utilizations of the property other than retail. As stated by Ophir Sternger, founding partner and

CEO of Lionheart Capital, the state of Michigan, for the past couple of decades, has been

experiencing progressive development. The current need, therefore, is to transform the retail

spaces within the Lakeside mall into mixed and dynamic use destinations that would influence

the revitalization of the encircling communities and areas.

Current Issue

The Lakeside mall in the past was used exclusively for retail. However, the current need

of the owners and the city officials are revitalizing the mall into a mixed-utilization space that

would emphasis placemaking, walkability, and community. The redevelopment plan for

Lakeside mall envisioned by the current owner matches with that of the city officials. Whereas

the city officials have long-term plans for the redevelopment that would include developing new

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Project Management Communication Plan

utility ideas of the area including the development of offices and residential apartments, the

current owner plans to revitalize the retail space with an improved range of engaging activations

and premium tenancy. Several zoning changes have been planned to be undertaken at the initial

stage of the redevelopment consisting of the inclusion of a skating rink to increase the number of

families visiting the mall and the inclusion of local food truck vendors to provide couples and

families visiting the mall with adventurous food choices.

The senior economic development adviser of Michigan suggested that to actualize a

redevelopment project of this caliber would require hundreds of millions of dollars for the

construction process to succeed effectively. However, before initiating the revitalization plan, it

is necessary to find the answers to several questions. To ensure that the project can achieve the

desired level of success, it is necessary for the plan to include all stakeholders and identify

suitable communication strategies that would allow the company to manage and communicate

with all concerned parties effectively. Additionally, it is also necessary for the company to assess

the level of influence and interest that the different stakeholders have in the project to ensure that

the needs of all stakeholders are attended to effectively. Finally, the identification of the key

stakeholders would also allow the company to select appropriate team members that would

responsible for the management of stakeholders.

2. Relevant Documents

The documents to be included in this case carry significant relevance to the case at hand.

The initial need for the redevelopment project communication plan is to identify and list all the

stakeholders associated with the project and identify their position and roles. Additionally, the

stakeholder analysis matrix would list the influence and interest levels of the stakeholders

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Project Management Communication Plan

(Appendix B). The stakeholder matrix would also identify the type of influence and the

classification of the influences. Additionally, the stakeholder analysis would consist of the key

expectations of the different stakeholders. In addition to these documents, a communication plan

matrix will also be developed which will introduce the communication type, objective,

frequency, medium, audience, owner, and deliverable attributes of the communication plan

(Appendix C).

Additionally, the key zoning changes that would be part of the redevelopment project

must be documented along with the short and long-term milestones to be achieved along with the

key performance indicators of the success of these milestones. The inclusion of this document

would ensure that all of the concerned stakeholders are aware of the different long and short-

term phases of the revitalization plan and can understand how the objectives will be achieved.

Stakeholder Analysis

To carry out any project, it is necessary to identify how the project outcomes may be

influenced by different stakeholders to control and manipulate these impacts to ensure the

attainment of a desired level of success (Eskerod & Larsen, 2018). According to Singh (2014), a

project stakeholder refers to an individual, a group of individuals, or even an organization that

has vested interest in the outcomes and impacts of a project. Here, the phrase "vested interest"

indicates that the stakeholders have a certain level of interest and influence on the outcomes of

the different phases of a project which can be influenced positively or negatively by the

influence and interest (Eberendu et al. 2017). For the redevelopment of the Lakeside Mall, the

stakeholders include city council members, city manager, city development director, city

engineer, city communication director, city arts liberator, community residences, and local

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Project Management Communication Plan

commercial business owners. The level of influence and interest of these stakeholders have been

demonstrated in Appendix B.

3. Methods

Communication is integral in any project as through communication, project management

teams relay project-related information to the stakeholders to ensure that all concerned entities

have consolidated comprehension of the different project phases and can share similar views

regarding how the interests of the stakeholders and the objectives of the project can be

interconnected (Sanghera, 2019). In this context, Singh (2014) stated that it must be ensured by

responsible team members that the relayed information or messages are understood effectively

by the concerned entities.

Communications Management Plan

As stated before, all concerned entities must be informed of how the different project

phases are being carried out and whether or not the desired outcomes would be achieved.

Therefore, before the initiation of the redevelopment project, it is crucial to Out Of The Box

Ventures to develop a communication management plan. According to Linner et al. (2017),

through the communication management plans, project stakeholders can be notified of the

initiation of the project phases, the execution of the project phases, the improvements or setbacks

in the project phases, as well as, the closure of the project phases.

As identified by Singh (2014), three communication methods are agreed upon by project

team members during project stakeholder analyzes while gathering the communication requisites

for the stakeholders. These include interactive, push, and pull methods of communication.

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Project Management Communication Plan

The PM team, for this project, would incorporate all of these methods for different levels

of stakeholders depending on their influence and interest on the project (Singh, 2014). For the

individuals that are classified in the high influence-power quadrant, common scenarios would

include face-to-face project meetings and teleconferences or interactive communication which is

highly effective in the establishment of a shared perception with substantial information

exchange between several stakeholders. For individuals that are classified in the moderate

influence-power quadrant, common scenarios would include memos and e-mails or push

communication which ensures the transmission of the message along with the acknowledgment

of whether the message was comprehended by the recipient. Finally, for individuals that are

classified in the low influence-power quadrant, the pull method will be used to ensure the

availability of information on the website and on SharePoint to ensure that the receivers, at will,

can access the information whenever needed.

Project Management Method

The range and scope of the redevelopment project make the PMBOK method of project

management suitable. The PMBOK is a set of guidelines and standard terminology that break

any project in five process groups (Abolghasemi, Ismail, Sharif & Ghafourian, 2017). these

groups include a) initiation of a new project or a modifiable phase of a previous project, b)

planning of the objectives, as well as, how these objectives will be obtained, c) execution of the

functions and activities defined in the planning process, d) monitor and control the progress of

the different project phases along with tracking, reviewing, and regulating project performance,

and finally e) closure of all the functions distributed among the different PGs to formally close a

phase or a project.

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Project Management Communication Plan

Project Management Plan

In the initial phase, the project management plan would be oriented towards introducing

the new zoning changes to the concerned entities through interactive communication methods.

The objectives of communication, therefore, would address the following elements:

 Benefits of the inclusion of the skating sink in the redevelopment project

 Benefits of the inclusion of local truck food venders in the currently unoccupied spaces

 Benefits of the inclusion of local art vendors in the currently unoccupied spaces

 The schedule of the redevelopment phases

 The method and modes of communication throughout each phase of the redevelopment

plan

 The establishment of milestones associated with the short and long-term purposes of the

zoning changes

As stated before, three types of communication methods would be followed during the

execution of the project. Nevertheless, for the stakeholders that have high influence and high

interest in the project objectives and outcomes, the interactive method of communication i.e.

weekly teleconference calls and monthly update meetings would be the most beneficial.

In addition to that, a project SharePoint site will be developed to develop a directory of all

relevant documents associated with the projects. In this site, the brief and agenda of the face-to-

face meetings conducted with the target group of stakeholders, the key objectives and milestones

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Project Management Communication Plan

associated with the plan, the meeting schedules, and historical organizational information

associated with the expansion project carried out in 2011.

In addition to conducting the initial meeting for briefing purposes, the project

management team will also engage in reviewing organizational charts and carry out problem-

solving methods such as 5Whys analysis and brainstorming to identify the external and internal

influences on the project environment, as well as, how these impacts could be managed or

controlled. The fundamental aim of the initial meeting would be to inform the targetted entities

of the different objectives associated with the redevelopment project, as well as, collecting their

perceptions and feedback in terms of how a collaborated project plan could be created to ensure

sufficient interaction among the stakeholders and the project management team. In this context,

it may be stated that for any project to meet a desired level of success, it must be ensured that all

of the expectations of stakeholders are being made adequately and appropriately.

4. Analysis

The stakeholders having vested interest in the redevelopment project are from the same

geographic location as the project management team mitigates the development of interaction

issues among the team members and the stakeholders. The initial meeting would be immensely

beneficial for the project management team and the stakeholders as the meeting would allow

both entities to develop a shared and collaborated perception of the redevelopment project. In

terms of drawbacks of the management approaches, it could be stated that as the number of

stakeholders having a high level of influence and interest in the redevelopment project is high,

the project management team may need to put in extra effort to manage these stakeholders'

expectations and necessities. On the other hand, ensuring that all case-related documents are

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Project Management Communication Plan

accessible to all levels of stakeholders through the inclusion of the documents on the SharePoint

site would allow the project management team to satisfy the needs of all levels of stakeholders

and not only the targeted group of stakeholders. Additionally, the frequent weekly

communication technique would allow the project management team to closely manage the

needs and expectations of the stakeholders.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis will be carried out by the project management team periodically at a

gap of 3 months. According to Gürel & Tat (2017), SWOT analysis refers to a strategic tool used

by organizations or entities to identify the internal and external environmental factors under

which business, a function, an operation, or activity must be performed.

Strengths
 The purposes of the redevelopment
project are clearly defined
 All stakeholders have been identified
 Use of several communication tools
ensure sufficient interaction among
stakeholders and team members
 Use of historical documents would
enhance project evaluation
Opportunities
 Frequent meetings with stakeholders
may allow team members to identify
new areas for improvement
 Frequent interaction with stakeholders
will keep them satisfied
Weaknesses
 The number of stakeholders having
high power and high influence in the
project outcomes and objectives is very
high
 It may need significant effort to
communicate with all stakeholders to
meet their expectations
Threats
 Failing to interact with all stakeholders
may negatively influence stakeholder
satisfaction

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Project Management Communication Plan

5. Conclusion

The project management plan must be incorporated and followed throughout different

phases of the project. The stakeholder analysis conducted in the project assisted in the

identification of the different group of stakeholders, the assessment of the types of the

stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities in the project, and finally, the extent of influence

and interest that the stakeholders have in the project outcomes and how they can influence the

outcomes negatively or positively. The communication plan that has been developed in the

project would allow the project management team to maintain communication with the different

stakeholders efficiently with different methods of communication depending on the key needs or

expectations of the stakeholders. A recommendation that could be made is the development of

more KPIs as the initial phases of the redevelopment project get completed to ensure that the

performance or outcomes of the later phases of the project could be assessed with efficacy.

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Project Management Communication Plan

References

Abolghasemi, M., Ismail, S., Sharif, N. M., & Ghafourian, K. (2017). RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN PROJECT STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT, STAKEHOLDER’S

SATISFACTION AND PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN THE RESIDENTIAL

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT OF IRAN.

Eberendu, A. C., Akpan, E. O. P., Ubani, E. C., & Okorocha, K. A. (2017). Analysis of

Stakeholder Influence: A Perception of Software Engineering Projectsin

Nigeria. Management Science and Engineering, 11(2), 1-8.

Eskerod, P., & Larsen, T. (2018). Advancing project stakeholder analysis by the concept

‘shadows of the context’. International Journal of Project Management, 36(1), 161-169.

Gürel, E., & Tat, M. (2017). SWOT analysis: a theoretical review. Journal of International

Social Research, 10(51).

Linner, T., Groth, A., Lu, Y., Solcanu, G., & Steinhardt, E. (2017). Stakeholder management

plan-outline of a stakeholder management strategy that allows the efficient

implementation of PSS-concept and health platform. Chair of Building Realisation and

Robotics.

Sanghera, P. (2019). Planning for Communication and Stakeholder Management. In PMP® in

Depth (pp. 313-341). Apress, Berkeley, CA.

Singh, H. (2014). Mastering Project Human Resource Management: Effectively Organize and

Communicate with All Project Stakeholders. FT Press.

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Project Management Communication Plan

Appendices

Appendix A: Stakeholder Register

Stakeholder Registry

Roles

Address

Email
Department
Position

Phone
Stakeholder
Name

Mayor M. Taylor Mayor Council Governance Sterling __ __

Governance Heights,
MI
Mayor Liz Mayor Council Governance Sterling __ __
Sierawski Governance Heights,
MI
Councilwoman Council Member City Council Developing and Sterling __ __
Diana Jones Communicating Heights,
Policies MI
Councilwoman Council Member City Council Developing and Sterling __ __
Maria Schmidt Communicating Heights,
Policies MI
Councilwoman Council Member City Council Developing and Sterling __ __
Barbara Mary Communicating Heights,
Policies MI
Councilman Council Member City Council Developing and Sterling __ __
Henry Jones Communicating Heights,
Policies MI
Councilman Council Member City Council Developing and Sterling __ __
Michael Jordan Communicating Heights,
Policies MI
Mark Vanderpool City Manager City Overseeing Day- Sterling __ __
Administration to-Day Operations Heights,
MI
Jason Pastor City Development City Overseeing Project Sterling __ __
Director Development Development Heights,
MI
Matthew Gomez City Community Interacting with Sterling __ __
Communication Services Community Heights,
Director Members MI
Brent Garett City Engineer City Supervision and
Development Inspections
Luis Heartbringer City Arts Liberator City Incorporating Sterling __ __
Development Local Art Vendors Heights,
MI

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Project Management Communication Plan

Appendix B: Stakeholder Matrix

High High
City Council Members Mayor
City Engineer City Manager
City Communications City Development
Director Director

Influence
Low Low
Local commercial Community residents
business owners City Arts Liberator
we
Po
r

Appendix C: Communication Plan Matrix

Medium

Audience
Frequency
Objective

Owner
Communication
Type

Meeting Relaying project Face-to-face Monthly Influencers Project

objectives Manager
Calls Discuss and inform Teleconference Weekly Influencers Project
of the project Manager
phases and
activities
Memos Relaying project Website Bi-monthly Supporters Management
status Team
Emails Sending an Online As needed Influences Management
invitation to attend and Team
meetings/informing Supporters
of the agenda of the
meeting and brief
of the meetings

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Project Management Communication Plan

SharePoint Sharing project- Intranet Monthly Supporters Management

related information Team
and documents with
all stakeholders

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