Project Communication

Management
 “Completing a complex project successfully
requires teamwork, and teamwork requires
good communication”.
 Outline

Introduction

Communication Management Processes

 Communication Management
Processes
What is communication process?
 Communication Management
Processes
• Projects create a huge volume of data that
needs to be collected and analyzed.
 Communication Management
Processes
• The aim is to create a communication
infrastructure so that everyone involved has
access to the right information at the right
time.
 Communication Management
Processes
• Ensure information is exchanged in an
appropriate and timely fashion.

Process Process Group Key Deliverables

Plan Communications Planning Communication
Management Management Plan
Manage Project Communications,
Communications Executing Plan Updates,
Documentation Updates
Control Monitoring & Controlling Work Performance
Communications Information, Change
Requests
 Communication Management
Processes
Project
communications Storage & Distribution
management
processes ensures

Of project
timely & collection information

To the right
appropriate Generation people at the
right time
Good communications keep the project team
motivated and add to the project managers
credibility and reputation for professionalism.
 Communication Management
Processes

Plan Communications Management

Manage Communications

Control Communications
 Plan Communications Management
• This is the process of determining the project
stakeholder information needs and defining a
communication approach.

• The main output is the communications

management plan.
 Plan Communications Management
This plan answers the questions:
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What are their interest areas?
• What information is of value to them?
• Who will provide it?
• How often will it be distributed and updated?
• What format will it take?
Plan Communications Management

Communications Management plan defines:

Stakeholders & their areas of interest

Information content

When & how

Who provides it? Its format
sent
Plan Communications Management

Communications are

Effective when
they
Efficient when they are

Contain ONLY the In the Have the

At the
information right right
right time
needed format impact
 Plan Communications Management
Inputs Tools & Techniques Outputs
Project Management Communication Communications
Plan Requirements Analysis Management Plan

Stakeholder Register Communication Project Documents

Technology Updates

Enterprise Communication Models

Environmental
Factors

Organizational Process Communication

Assets Methods

Meetings
 Communication Requirements
Analysis
• Involves deciding who should be informed of
what and how important is that information:

High-
level/strategic
Communications
requirements

Low-
level/practical
 Communication Requirements
Analysis
High-level/strategic Low-level/practical
This would include • communications between:
communications between: - Project manager
- Project manager - Project teams
- Sponsor - Team members
- Senior Management
- Media
- Other influential
stakeholders
 Communication Requirements
Analysis
Poor Key data
understanding missed

Scanning misinterpretation
not reading

Over
Information communication
overload results in conflicts
 Communication Requirements
Analysis
Information to determine project
communication requirements includes:
• Organization charts
• Stakeholder Register
- Responsibility Relationship
• Stakeholder management strategy.
 Communication Technology
• Collaborative Software. • Periodic reports
• Intranet. • Project wikis.
• E-mail. • Telephone
• Fax. conversations.
• Text. • Formal/Informal.
• Face-to-face
 Communication Technology
Depends on the following:
• How time-sensitive is the • What technology is actually
information? available and stakeholders
• Does communication need familiar with?
to be interactive? • Does the environment
• Should the information be ‘force’ certain decisions?
‘pushed’ or ‘pulled’?
Communication Technology

“Pushed”
actively sent (via email for
example)

“Pulled”
sent in a way that lets the interested
access it as and when needed (for
example, post it on a blog or project
wiki)
 Communication Technology
Type of communication When used
Formal written Complex problems, project
management plan, project
charter, communicating over
long distance

Formal verbal Presentation, speeches

Informal written E-mail, wikis, hand written

notes, SMS

Informal verbal Conversation, meetings

 Communication Technology

Determine the type of communication

below
 Communication Technology

Situation Communication Type

Updating project management plan
Giving presentation to management
Trying to solve complex problem
Making note regarding a telephone
conversation
Making changes to a contract
Informing a team member of poor
performance (first notice)
Informing a team member of poor
performance (second notice)
 Communication Technology

Situation Communication Type

Updating project management plan. Formal written
Giving presentation to management. Formal verbal
Trying to solve complex problem. Formal written
Making note regarding a telephone Informal written
conversation.
Making changes to a contract. Formal written
Informing a team member of poor Informal verbal
performance (first notice).
Informing a team member of poor Formal written
performance (second notice).
Communication Models
 Communication Models

Message without encoding

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experience, recommend using SK for this.
Please email your response ASAP.
Thank you.
 Communication Models

Message after coding

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cannot supply Database Administrators (DBA’s)
with the database experience (IBM DB2) that we
need for this project. I recommend we use
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 Communication Models

until the Receiver

Communication has given their
is NOT complete response
 Communication Methods
most efficient way to gain consensus
Interactive between parties.

can reach large audience, sender

Push doesn’t wait for response, but
comprehension is uncertain.

suitable for data that supports

Pull performance of specific task(s).
Communication Channels

N (N-1)
2

N = Number of people
 Communication Channels
Exercise (1) :

You have a team of four, how many communication

channels are here?
 Communication Channels

N (N-1) 4 (4-1)
6
2 2
Communication Channels
 Communication Channels
Exercise (2) :

If you have four people in your project (including

you) and you add one more, how many more
communication channels do you have?
 Communication Channels

5 (5-1) 4 (4-1)
2 2

4
Communication Channels
“The project manager decides, based on
communication requirements, what, how, and
when communication methods are to be used
in the project”.
 Plan Communications Management
Inputs Tools & Techniques Outputs
Project Management Communication Communications
Plan Requirements Analysis Management Plan

Stakeholder Register Communication Project Documents

Technology Updates

Enterprise Communication Models

Environmental
Factors

Organizational Process Communication

Assets Methods

Meetings
 Communications Management Plan
• Information to be communicated, including
language, format, content, and level of
detail.
• Reason for the distribution.
• Time frame and frequency for the distribution.
• Person responsible for it.
 Communications Management Plan
• Person responsible for authorizing release of
confidential information.

• Methods or technologies used to convey it.

• Resources allocated for communication

activities.
• Glossary of common terminology.
 Communications Management Plan
What is Why Between Best method for Responsibility When &
needed to be whom communicating for sending how often
communicated
 Project Documents Updates

• Project schedule.

• Stakeholder register

• Stakeholder management strategy.

 Communication Management
Processes

Manage Communications

Control Communications
 Manage Communications

• The purpose is keeping various stakeholders

informed on the progress of the project.

• Done according to the communications

management plan created.
 Manage Communications
Inputs Tools & Outputs
Techniques
Communications Communication Project
Management Plan Technology Communications
Work Performance Communication Models Project Management
Reports Plan Updates
Enterprise Communication Methods Project Documents
Environmental Factors Updates
Organizational Process Information Management Organizational
Assets Systems Process
Assets Updates

Performance Reporting
Work Performance Information

List the information needed to be communicated during

project execution?
 Work Performance Information
• Analysis of past • Summary of changes
performance.
• Current status of risks and •
issues.
• Work completed during •
the reporting period.
• Work to be completed
during the next reporting •
period.
approved in the period.
Results of variance
analysis.
Forecasted project
completion (including
time and cost).
Other relevant
information to be
reviewed and discussed.
 Work Performance Report
• Status report
• Progress report
• Trend report
• Forecasting report
• Variance report
• Earned value report
• Lessons learned documentation
 Status report

• Describes where the project currently stands

regarding performance measurements
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 and

performance.
 Variance report

• Compare actual results to baselines.

 Earned value reports

• It integrates scope, schedule and cost

measures to assess project performance (i.e.
PV, EV, AC, etc.)
 Lessons learned documentation

• Reports on performance are used as lessons

learned for future projects.
 Communication Management
Processes

Control Communications
 Control Communications
• The process of monitoring and controlling
communications throughout the entire project
life cycle.

• Ensures the information needs of the project

stakeholders are met.
 Control Communications
• It involves the periodic collection and analysis
of baseline versus actual data.

• communicate the project progress as well as

to forecast future performance based on
performance to date.
 Control Communications
Inputs Tools & Techniques Outputs
Project Management Information Management Work Performance
Plan systems Information

Project Communications Expert Judgment Change Requests

Issue Log Meetings Project Management
Plan Updates

Work Performance Data Project Documents

Updates

Organizational Process Organizational Process

Assets Assets Updates
Communication Management
Processes
Questions
1. Keith, the project manager of a large publishing
project, sends an invoice to his client. Which
communication type is he using?
A. Formal verbal
B. Formal written
C. Informal written
D. Informal verbal
Answer:
B
2. You take over for a project manager who has left the
company and realize that team is talking directly to the
customer and only having status meetings when there are
problems. The programming team has one idea about the
goals of the project, and the testing team has another. Which
document is the FIRST one that you should create to solve
this problem?
A. Communication plan
B. Status report
C. Meeting agenda
D. Performance report
Answer:
A
3. Which of the following is NOT an example of active
listening?
A. Nodding your head in agreement while someone is
talking
B. Restating what has been said to be sure you
understand it
C. Asking questions for clarification
D. Multitasking by checking your email during a
conversation
Answer:
D