Unit 4 – PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATIONS

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the components of the communication – process model.

2. Describe the importance of communications and information management.

Let’s study!

What is communication?

Communication is the process of exchanging information between two or more people

(increasingly, machines are also included in communication). Each of the management
roles—planning, organizing, leading, and controlling—depends on effective
communication.

Benefits of effective communication to people or organization:

 Provides clarity. Confusion, uncertainty, and ambiguity make people

uncomfortable and uncooperative. Making roles, responsibilities, and relationships
clear gives everyone the information they need to do their jobs and to understand
their contributions to the organization. Effective communication reduces the cost
associated with conflicts, misunderstandings, and mistakes.

 Builds Relationships. A culture that promotes open communication reduces

tension between hierarchical levels of employees, both professionally and socially.
In a trusting and collaborative culture, people are more likely to seek help with
problems and to suggest solutions and improvements. Effective communication
creates a collegial culture that fosters teamwork and encourages cooperation.

 Creates commitment. Effective communication involves not only sending

information but also receiving it. By listening to employees’ concerns, allowing
them to have input on their work and their workplace, and giving consideration to
their suggestions, managers can make everyone in the organization feel like they
are valued contributors. When employees feel like they are valued in the
organization, they will likely be more engaged and motivated. Effective
communication creates support and commitment.

 Defines expectations. When people are uncertain about what is expected of

them and how they will be evaluated, they can’t do their jobs well. Performance
reviews are difficult because the employee does not know the performance
standards they are expected to meet. And if corrective measures are necessary,

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 the employee may be resentful if he can’t see how his behaviors reduced his
effectiveness. When expectations and standards are clear, employees know what
they need to do to get a positive review and the benefits that come with it.

Using different applications or technologies, communication system needs to be:

1. Interoperable – able to communicate within or across agencies and jurisdictions.
2. Reliable – able to function in the context of any kind of emergency.
3. Portable – built on standardized radio technologies, protocols and frequencies.
4. Scalable – suitable for use on a small or large scale as the needs of the incident
arises.
5. Resilient – able to perform despite damaged or lost infrastructure
6. Redundant – able to use alternate communications method when primary
systems go out.

Communication Process Model

Communication Process Model

The sender initiates the communication, send information the receiver needs to know.
But information must be encoded into a form that can be transmitted like put into words,
or converted into printed texts, tables, graphs or charts or images or word that are then
converted into electronic signals. The channel is the medium through which the
information is transported. In an interactive communication process, the receiver could
send feedback to the sender to indicate that the message has been received and how it
has been interpreted.

Documentation and Communication in Software Development

You know that software development is the process of applying a formalized plan or
structure to the creation of that computer program. And due to the amount of work that
needs to be accomplished, it is normal that there are teams of composed resources
contributing to the realization of the project.

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Documentation is the written material that accompanies a software program. Its
purpose is to provide the recipient with information that describes various aspects of the
program. For example, it can define the operation, or it can detail the legal and licensing
aspects. There are two general types of documentation:

 User - this type focuses on what the purchaser of the software program needs to
understand to get the most out of their purchase. It typically contains, operating
instructions, license agreements, and copyright notices. The audience for this
type are typically users, support personnel, or members of the legal team.
 System - this type focuses on the internals of the program. In other words, the
information, decisions, and technical details that went into the creation of the
program. The audience for this type is typically development resources.

Regardless of its intended purpose, documentation must be clear, concise, and

organized.
Communication is the interaction that goes on between members within a team, and
between teams, about the software development effort currently underway. It can be
written and take form as electronic records, documents, or email. Or it can be verbal
and be composed of conversations, group discussions, or presentations. These days,
communication is a necessity, and everyone participates at some level. For example,
attending a stand-up meeting for the SCRUM process, reading a requirements
document for a piece of software, or receiving a status email sent by your manager or
team lead are all part of communication.
These two: communication and documentation play an important role in software
development. They accomplish two things such as:
a) Disseminate knowledge – things like design decisions, technical details and other
important matter so that everyone in the team is updated.
b) Create an audit trail - a systematic recording of the key aspects and details
related to the software development like changes in requirements, design,
defects discovered during testing period and other necessary information on how
the software was developed.

Therefore, take note that in software development, Proper Communication Flow +

Accurate Information = Effective Decision Making.